Ronnie Williams

Who was Ronnie Williams?

Ronnie Williams was a Welsh actor and comedian.

Williams struggled with his choice of an acting career, making an isolated television appearance in The Wednesday Play in 1966. He worked as a bus conductor before finding fame with his appearances on Welsh language television, working as a continuity announcer and newsreader for BBC Wales. In 1970 he teamed up with Ryan Davies, and they enjoyed a successful comedy series, Ryan & Ronnie, first on BBC Wales and later, in English, on BBC1. Although Davies was seen as the more talented member of the duo, Williams made a major contribution to the writing of the series. The break-up of the partnership in 1975 was put down to Ronnie's ill-health, but it was Davies who died suddenly in 1977. In the 1970s, Williams also owned the White Lion pub at Cerrigydrudion, Clwyd.

He continued to appear on Welsh-language TV and played Mr Vissianni, a cafe owner, in the S4C series Tan Tro Nesa in 1985. He was also one of the stars of the film Twin Town. He also starred in Crime Pays, a bilingual S4C film, directed by Christopher Monger. Ronnie took his own life in 1997 at Cardigan Bridge in the county of Ceredigion.