Ronald Lewis

Ronald Lewis (11 December 1928 – 11 January 1982), was a Welsh actor, best known for his appearances in British films of the 1950s and '60s.

Birth and career

Lewis was born in Port Talbot, Glamorgan, and made his first screen appearance in 1953. From then on, he averaged one or two films a year until the mid-1960s, including classics like The Wind Cannot Read (1958) and Billy Budd (1962). As the British film industry declined and he grew older, he made the transition to television but with limited success.

Death

He committed suicide by taking a barbiturate overdose. In Twice Round the Daffodils (1962), Lewis appeared alongside Kenneth Williams, often believed to have also committed suicide. The Kenneth Williams Diaries entry for 12 January 1982 records Williams' reaction to Lewis' death: "The paper says Ronald Lewis has taken an overdose! He was declared bankrupt last year! Obviously nobody offered him work & he was driven to despair. I remember Ronnie... and that drinking session at the White Horse all those years ago... he was a kind boy & people used him. He was 53."

Selected filmography

• Valley of Song (1953)
• The Square Ring (1953)
• The Face of Love (1954) (TV film)
• The Beachcomber (1954)
• The Prisoner (1955)
• Storm Over the Nile (1955)
• Helen of Troy (1956)
• Sailor Beware! (1956)
• A Hill in Korea (1956)
• The Secret Place (1957)
• Robbery Under Arms (1957)
• The Wind Cannot Read (1958)
• Bachelor of Hearts (1958)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1958) (TV film)
• Conspiracy of Hearts (1960)
• The Full Treatment (1960)
• Taste of Fear (1961)
• Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
• Twice Round the Daffodils (1962)
• Jigsaw (1962)
• Billy Budd (1962)
• Nurse on Wheels (1963)
• Siege of the Saxons (1963)
• The Brigand of Kandahar (1965)
• Trapped (1966) (TV film)
• His and Hers (1970–72) (TV series)
• Friends (1971)
• Paul and Michelle (1974)
• Crown Court (1974–75) (TV series)
• Big Boy Now! (1976) (TV series)
• The XYY Man (1977) (TV series)