Will Hay

Will Hay was born in December 1888 in County Durham. After an unremarkable childhood, he trained as an engineer, but left the profession aged 21 to take up acting. In 1914, he joined the Fred Karno Comedy Troupe, a legendary company responsible for helping to launch the careers of Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin. He quickly built up a great reputation on the stages of England's music halls as a comic actor, both with other comedians and alone performing humorous monologues.
In 1934 he was launched as a film comedian, to immediate acclaim. He retained a huge amount of control over his material, and was the driving force behind most of his films. He largely played the same ridiculous bumbling figure throughout his career, a persona honed to perfection during his music hall days, but his audience had no complaints.
Hay enjoyed his greatest successes when teamed with Moore Marriot and Graham Moffat, probably most notably in 'Oh, Mr Porter!' in 1937. Despite this, he chose to break up the unofficial partnership and strike out on his own towards the end of his career. Although the resulting films are by no means bad, most agree that they somehow lack the same spark he had enjoyed with his faithful stooges. He made twenty films in total, of which all survive except the first, 'Know Your Apples.'
In 1944, Hay found success in yet another medium, radio. His BBC series was broadcast live and was set in an unruly school with Will as a put-upon schoolmaster. This lasted only four months before being taken off the air. Some believe that Hay wasn't allowed the same creative control he had always previously enjoyed, and this caused a rift between him and management.
Comedy wasn't the only sphere in which he excelled. Hay had a lifelong interest in Astronomy, to the point of which he had his own small observatory built at his home in Mill Hill, in Surrey. His dedication was recognised when he became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1932, and his reputation further enhanced when he discovered a white spot on the surface of Saturn the following year.
He was also a keen pilot, and gave flying lessons to Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. As if all this were not enough, Hay also spoke seven languages, including Latin and Afrikaans.
His career effectively ended in 1947 when he suffered his first stroke and was left crippled. He died two years later, having suffered another stroke and was buried in Artists Corner of Streatham Cemetary in South London.



What members say | Filmography

Will Hay - what members say

Will Hay - filmography

5 most recent films

My Learned Friend - 3.5 stars
The Goose Steps Out - 3.5 stars
Will Hay - The Black Sheep of Whitehall - 4.0 stars
Will Hay - The Ghost of St Michael's - 3.5 stars
Will Hay - Ask A Policeman - 3.5 stars

5 highest-rated films

Will Hay - The Black Sheep of Whitehall - 4.0 stars
Will Hay - The Ghost of St Michael's - 3.5 stars
Will Hay - Oh Mr Porter - 3.5 stars
Will Hay - Ask A Policeman - 3.5 stars
My Learned Friend - 3.5 stars

5 lowest-rated films

The Ealing Rarities Collection - Volume 2 - 3.0 stars
Will Hay - Radio Parade of 1935 - 3.0 stars
Will Hay - Hey! Hey! USA - 3.0 stars
Will Hay - Old Bones Of The River - 3.0 stars
Will Hay - Where There's A Will - 3.5 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Graham Moffatt - 16 times - show films
Moore Marriott - 12 times - show films
Norma Varden - 8 times - show films
Percy Walsh - 4 times - show films
Charles Farrell - 4 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Marcel Varnel - 18 times - show films
William Beaudine - 8 times - show films
Basil Dearden - 7 times - show films
Arthur Chandler - 3 times - show films
Will - 2 times - show films