I was lucky enough to have grown up knowing Bill snd Mousie innPalm Springs . In 1915, William Powell married Eileen Wilson (18941942), who was born Julia Tierney, by whom he had his only child, William David Powell, before an amicable divorce in 1930. 2023 www.desertsun.com. Born the only child of William Powell and his first wife Eileen Wilson nine years into their on again off again marriage during a period of reconciliation between the two. Ambling up the driveway toward the house at 383 W. Vereda Norte was a strange-looking man in tennis shoes holding a cardboard shirt box. William Powell. Lewis became known as Mousie Powell after her marriage. He would go on to play opposite such glamorous Hollywood leading ladies as Kay Francis, Carole Lombard, and Jean Harlow. Dont forget his signature Fedoras. List of the best William Powell movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Louis B. Mayer had already cast her in Stamboul Quest, and only agreed to let her play Nora Charles if the picture could be shot in three weeks. After watching tonight "Another Thin Man", I researched little Nicky Jr., Willian A. Poulsen, and stumbled upon this article. "Cultivate solitude and quiet and a few sincere friends, rather than mob merriment, noise and thousands of nodding acquaintances. I think William Powell was a fascinating man. Only Hitchcock could look @ Nick & Nora Charles & see a serial killer & broken down old whore! // If he were indeed, narcissistic it would more than likely showed up while working with other artists he spent a good amount of time with such as Myrna Loy. These quotes show him to be a rare kind of man. I never knew about William Powell's son. During that time, he played in a number of interesting films, but stardom was elusive. Diana's best friend was Carole Landis. That success led to his appearance as Professor Moriartys evil henchman in the silent film Sherlock Holmes (1922), starring John Barrymore. He worked less frequently thereafter, however, needing time to recover first from Harlows unexpected death and then from his own surgery and treatment for cancer. When Lewis arrived at Powells home, he remarked to Lewis that she looked like a little mouse and from that point on he called her, Mousie., MORE:One of the crown jewels of La Quinta. I adored William Powell in every movie from the Thin man right to mr Roberts. The funny thing is I could not find a picture of him as a grown up but plenty of his father. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. William Powell was engaged to marry Jean Harlow, his co-star in Reckless (1935), until her sudden death in 1937. Unlike Lombard, Lewis settled in as Mrs. Powell, giving up her movie career and plunging into life in Palm Springs. William David Powell was an American writer and associate producer. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Discovered his movies once I started watching Turner Classic. He then worked in road and stock companies before appearing as the heros rival in the hit Broadway play Spanish Love (1920). In his real life, however, William knew a lot of heartache. Hitch wanted to cast him as gigolo serial killer Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt, MGM wouldn't release him. As an adult, William David talked about how, as a child, he acted out and felt more important than he was because he was William Powell's son. Was the conversation by famous friend (some friend) written in a book or in an interview? One of the greatest! This page is not available in other languages. Many would visit him at his Palm Springs home. Not Powell's only trajedy. That success led to his appearance as Professor Moriartys evil henchman in the silent film Sherlock Holmes (1922), starring John Barrymore. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. William Powell was born on February 27, 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. As his romantic exploits had been newsworthy and protean, having included the most famous blonde female movie stars of the 1930s, his three-week. It's a career that should have long ago been honored in some way. His quip belied his serious view of his craft. Family (3) Trivia (4) Only child of actor William Powell. I'd love to read it. A nostalgic journey to the past to relive the golden days of entertainment! William Powell was anything but narcissistic. The original title was William Powell and His Only Tragedy. . Almost a year later.. The Final Films. The two would become even closer after Powell became a single father to his son after the boys mother died. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO8B5ZU/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CRP6AG4/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N3P6M0/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I6C3DRQ/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079HI1TY/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F265CU/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L4I952/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SVZIP8/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L11LPM/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075KLCBZ3/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075KNV8M7/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CH2YDH4/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012UY598G/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DHH9QJS/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BZX9SY0/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K1WI36U/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087YS706/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0199I9M6Q/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N31H6Y/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LJ60FO/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D81R9O2/?tag=2022091-20, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DN9FU3Q/?tag=2022091-20. His career was amazing and he was a by all accounts, a great man. yes he did, I wondered why they just said only tragedy. Sound freed the actor from the stereotype of the oily scoundrel or social roue. Miss his presence.Along with Cary Gtant, my all time favorites. William Powell, in full William Horatio Powell was a versatile American motion picture and stage actor who played villains in Hollywood silent films and intelligent, debonair leading men in the sound era. William Powell became a star as detective Philo Vance in the talkie The Canary Murder Case (1929), based on a novel by S.S. Van Dine. William Powell did not receive the recognition he deserved, and that's such a shame. It was reported that there was a pregnancy that resulted from his relationship with Jean Harlow that was aborted. One tragedy? Powells film output is noticeably light during that time. He wouldn't take the role of Godfrey in My Man Godfrey if they didn't hire Lombard. They co- starred 13 times, including six ''Thin Man'' movies in which he, as a retired sleuth, Nick Charles, and she, as his tag-along socialite wife, Nora, matched martinis and mirth, sharing amiable brickbats and trapping wrongdoers in the urbane movies from stories by Dashiell Hammett. Tragically, the actress passed away on September 16, 2021, at her home in Wilton, Connecticut, confirmed by a friend close to the former Hollywood . He was one of those stars who really reflected the ideals of the golden age of films. The Mouseburger became a regular event, so popular that by request of many friends and neighbors it was held every Wednesday night. He was starred as S. S. Van Dine's resourceful sleuth, Philo Vance, in ''The Canary Murder Case'' and three sequels. Years go by and these great actors pass away, but will always still be with us through their good works on this earth and in their films. The actor was married three times to actresses: Eileen Wilson, briefly to Miss Lombard and in 1940 to Diana Lewis. New York City, New York, USA (complications from surgery) Birth name Myrna Adele Williams Nicknames Queen of Hollywood The Perfect Wife Queen of the Movies Minnie Height 5 6 (1.68 m) Mini Bio Jobs in the United States >>>, src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1514850&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1514853&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861847&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861852&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861862&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861875&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861876&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861877&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861878&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861879&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861880&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861881&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861882&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861883&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861884&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861885&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861886&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861887&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861888&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861889&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861890&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861891&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861898&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", src="/web/img/loading.gif" data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1861902&cache=false" alt="Other photo of William Powell" class="gallery__img" height="167", data-src="/web/show-photo.jpg?id=1514850&cache=false" She was the highest-paid star in Hollywood in the late 1930s. His son's suicide was perhaps William Powell's greatest tragedy in his life, but a look at this man's fascinating life and career show so much more heartbreak for him. The couple spent countless evenings in the Bamboo Room at the Racquet Club with the owners, their close friends Charlie and Virginia Farrell. Unfortunately, his career is underrated. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Presiding over the town for more than another decade, Mousie remained desert royalty until her death in 1997. How bitterly ironic that Powell's son should suffer kidney problems. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? WilliamPowell was a fantastic actor and one of the coolest, sexiest,smoothest actors of the 30s and 40s. As his romantic exploits had been newsworthy and protean, having included the most famous blonde female movie stars of the 1930s, his three-week whirlwind courtship and marriage to the little mouse was astonishing. His career was so outstanding. During that time, he played in a number of interesting films, but stardom was elusive. William Powell Sr. was born before 1662. Only three weeks later, they eloped and were married in a grove of trees on the Hidden Well Ranch near Las Vegas just after the new year in 1940. I love William Powell alsoI had an uncle who looked just like him too! How I WISH a time machine would be a reality - Id hightail it back to 1930 and stay. Bette Davis stated to Dick Cavett in a 71 interview (I think her best ever) if you go into this business expecting lots of gratification and thank yous for work well done you'll be very disappointed. Nominated for 3 Oscars. The nearly six-foot-tall actor came to dislike being described as suave and sophisticated. Few knew they were acquainted and almost none suspected their friendship was more than casual.. Sorry, didn't realise he had been married to Lombard before gable was. William Powell, the debonair film star who epitomized the suave, cosmopolitan leading man of the 1930s and 1940s, died early Monday of old age at Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, his attending. The smoothest, most debonair man who ever graced the screen. I agree that William Powell was an exceptional actor, and tonight, I learned that he was an exceptional man as well. Mother: Nettie Manila Powell. Sheila - Agreed! Eventually, the Mouseburger had so many participants every court at the Racquet Club on Wednesday night was part of the tournament. Soon after they met, the couple drove down to Palm Springs to spend the weekend at The Desert Inn. He died on 2 July 1698, in Anne Arundel, Maryland, United States, at the age of 36, and was buried in St. James Parish, Anne Arundel, Maryland, British . Mar 10, 2022 - Actor William Powell at work in the kitchen with his wife Diana Lewis. I don't think so. Powell did a lot to help her with her career even after they divorced. I love the charming intelligence he brings to each role. He worked less frequently thereafter, however, needing time to recover first from Harlows unexpected death and then from his own surgery and treatment for cancer.