Aubrey Woods
{{Short description|English actor and singer (1928–2013)}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Aubrey Woods.jpg
| caption = Woods as Bill, the owner of Bill's Candy Shop Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
| name = Aubrey Woods
| birth_name = Aubrey Harold Woods
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|4|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = Edmonton, Middlesex, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|5|7|1928|4|9|df=y}}
| death_place = Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England
| occupation = Actor, singer
| years_active = 1946–1995
| spouse = {{marriage|Gaynor Woods|1952}}
}}
Aubrey Harold Woods (9 April 1928 – 7 May 2013){{cite web |url=http://announcements.thetimes.co.uk/obituaries/timesonline-uk/obituary.aspx?n=aubrey-woods&pid=164785434 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615054929/http://announcements.thetimes.co.uk/obituaries/timesonline-uk/obituary.aspx?n=aubrey-woods&pid=164785434 |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 June 2013 |title=Aubrey Woods |date=14 May 2013 |newspaper=The Times}} was an English actor. He is best remembered for playing Bill in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, where he sang "The Candy Man".
Biography and career
Woods was born on 9 April 1928 in Edmonton, Middlesex and grew up in nearby Palmers Green. He was educated at the Latymer School. His first film role was at the age of 17 as Smike in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947). On stage he played the role of Fagin in Lionel Bart's production of Oliver! at the New Theatre, St Martin's Lane in the 1960s alongside Nicolette Roeg and Robert Bridges. Woods played Alfred Jingle in the TV musical Pickwick for the BBC in 1969.Michael Coveney [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/may/14/aubrey-woods Obituary: Aubrey Woods], The Guardian, 14 May 2013
His best remembered film role is in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, where he played the character of Bill, the owner of Bill's Candy Shop, singing "The Candy Man" near the beginning of the film; the single was later a hit for entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. During the early 1970s Woods collaborated on the musical Trelawny with his friend Julian Slade.
Television work
His television credits include Z-Cars, Up Pompeii!, Doctor Who', Blake's 7, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Ever Decreasing Circles, ‘’BBC TV production Clochemerle’’
Theatre work
He also appeared as Jacob and Potiphar in the 1991 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium, the soundtrack of which topped the British albums chart in August 1991.
Radio work
His radio credits include the original radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, appearing in Fit the Sixth. He dramatised E. F. Benson's 1932 comic novel "Secret Lives" in three parts for BBC radio, and was also the narrator.
Personal life and death
Woods met his future wife Gaynor at RADA. They married in 1952.
Woods died of natural causes aged 85, on 7 May 2013, at his home in Barrow-in-Furness.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22525198 BBC obituary], published 14 May 2013, retrieved 28 August 2024
Filmography
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1947
| The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Smike | |
| 1948
| Jamie Wilson | |
| 1949
| Dimitri | |
| 1950
| Doctor | |
| 1954
| Charlie | |
| 1961
| Mr. Bickerstaff | |
| 1964
| Water Board Inspector | |
| 1965
| Immigration Officer | |
| 1967
| T.V. Floor Manager | |
| rowspan=3|1970
| Postman | |
| Loot
| Undertaker | |
| Wuthering Heights
| Joseph | |
| rowspan=5|1971
| Stage musical Performer: Foreman | |
| Up Pompeii
| Villanus | |
| The Abominable Dr. Phibes
| Goldsmith | |
| Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
| Bill | |
| Up the Chastity Belt
| Vegetable Stall Holder | |
| rowspan=3|1972
| Controller | Story: "Day of the Daleks" |
| Z.P.G.
| Dr. Mallory | |
| The Darwin Adventure
| |
| rowspan=2|1974
| Fitzwarren | Episode: "Dick Whittington" |
| Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!
| T.V. Chairman | |
| rowspan=2|1975
| Viscount L'Ardey | |
| Operation Daybreak
| | |
| rowspan=2|1979
| Krantor | Episode: "Gambit" |
| Quincy's Quest
| Mr. Perfect | |
| rowspan=2|1982
| Tailor | TV movie |
| Rentaghost
| Bergen | |
| rowspan=2|1984
| Jurgen | Episode: "Last Rites" |
| Cloak & Dagger
| F.B.I. Agent | Uncredited |
| 1987
| Priest | Miniseries |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0940500|name=Aubrey Woods}}
- [http://www.arbeiter-zeitung.at/cgi-bin/archiv/flash.pl?seite=19741015_A08;html=1 Aubrey Woods in Candida at Vienna's English Theatre, 1977], Arbeiter-Zeitung. (German).
- [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=18696 Aubrey Woods; Aveleyman.com]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Aubrey}}
Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:Actors educated at The Latymer School