Will Hay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Will Hay
Hay in The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941)
Born	(1888-12-06)6 December 1888 Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England
Died	18 April 1949(1949-04-18) (aged 60) Chelsea, London, England
Occupation	Comedian, actor, film director, amateur astronomer
Years active	1909–1943
Spouse(s)	Gladys Perkins ​ ​ (m. 1907; sep. 1935)​
Partner(s)	Randi Kopstadt
Children	3

William Thomson Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was a famous English comedian. He was also an actor and film director. Will Hay was well-known for his funny schoolmaster character. This character was popular in his stage shows and later in his movies.

One of his most famous films is Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937). Many people think it is one of the best British comedy films ever made. In 1938, he was one of the top movie stars in the UK. Many other famous comedians have said that Will Hay inspired them. Besides comedy, Hay was also very interested in astronomy.

Early Life and Beginnings

Will Hay was born in Stockton-on-Tees, England. He was one of five children. When he was less than a year old, his family moved to Lowestoft. As a teenager, Hay learned to speak Italian, French, and German very well. He even worked as an interpreter, helping people communicate in different languages.

Starting a Comedy Career

When he was 21, Will Hay decided to become an actor. He was inspired after seeing another comedian, W. C. Fields, perform. In the early 1900s, Hay found some success as a stand-up comedian. His first professional acting job was at a theatre in Belper.

In 1914, Hay started working with Fred Karno. Karno was a show producer who had helped famous comedians like Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin. Hay worked with Karno for four years.

The Schoolmaster Character

Will Hay first performed his schoolmaster character in 1910. He based this character on a teacher who worked with his sister. At first, he played a schoolmistress, but then he changed the character to a headmaster.

His schoolmaster acts were called "The Fourth Form at St. Michael's." Hay took this show on tour to many countries. He performed in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. His wife, Gladys, sometimes played a schoolboy or another character named Harbottle in his shows. Harbottle was a very popular character. He was a silly, old, and nearly deaf man who was still in school because he was so slow to learn. This character later appeared in Hay's films, played by Moore Marriott.

One of Hay's most famous performances was in 1925. He performed his schoolmaster routine for King George V and Queen Mary at a special event.

Film Success

From 1934 to 1943, Will Hay became a very busy movie star in Britain. In 1938, he was the third highest-earning star at the British Box Office. Many people see him as one of the most important British comedians of all time.

Working with Gainsborough Pictures

Will Hay worked with Gainsborough Pictures from 1935 to 1940. During this time, he formed a famous comedy team. He worked with Graham Moffatt, who played a rude, overweight schoolboy. He also worked with Moore Marriott, who played the toothless old man, Harbottle.

Hay's characters in his films were often funny authority figures. They would try to hide that they were not very good at their jobs. But their silly mistakes would always be found out. For example, he played a clergyman who gambled on horses in Dandy Dick. In Windbag the Sailor, he was a fake sea captain. In Convict 99, he played a prison warden who got his job by lying.

Famous Films

His first film for Gainsborough was Boys Will Be Boys. Will Hay helped write the story for this movie. Critics thought the film was very funny.

The trio of Hay, Moffatt, and Marriott made six films together. These included Windbag the Sailor, Oh, Mr. Porter!, Convict 99, Old Bones of the River, Ask a Policeman, and Where's That Fire?.

Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937) is often called one of the greatest British comedy films ever. The film was described as a "comic masterpiece." The writer Jimmy Perry said that the characters in his famous TV show Dad's Army were inspired by watching Oh, Mr. Porter!.

After their 1940 film Where's That Fire?, Hay decided to stop working with Moffatt and Marriott. He felt their comedy act was becoming too similar in each film.

Moving to Ealing Studios

In 1940, Will Hay started working with Ealing Studios. He wanted to try new things without Moffatt and Marriott. In his first Ealing film, The Ghost of St Michael's (1941), his new comedy partners were Claude Hulbert and Charles Hawtrey.

One of his films for Ealing was The Goose Steps Out (1942). This was a funny movie that made fun of the Nazis during World War II. In the film, Hay plays a British spy pretending to be a Nazi agent. He teaches Nazi students about British customs. In one famous scene, he tells them that the V sign (which is often an insult in Britain) is a sign of respect. He then makes them all give a V sign to a picture of Adolf Hitler. This scene is very well-known in British comedy.

Will Hay also directed three of his films at Ealing: The Black Sheep of Whitehall, The Goose Steps Out, and My Learned Friend. His last film was My Learned Friend in 1943. This movie is seen as a very clever dark comedy. It helped set the stage for future Ealing comedies like Kind Hearts and Coronets. Sadly, Hay's health was not good, so My Learned Friend was his final film.

Radio Shows

In August 1944, Will Hay started his own weekly radio show. He played his schoolmaster character, along with actors playing his students. The show lasted for four months. Hay also performed his school sketch live on stage after the radio show ended.

Astronomy Interests

Will Hay was not just a comedian; he was also a very serious amateur astronomer. In 1932, he joined the British Astronomical Association. Later that year, he became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is famous for discovering a Great White Spot on the planet Saturn in 1933.

Hay kept his astronomy work separate from his comedy. He published a book called Through My Telescope under the name W.T. Hay. He also gave lectures on astronomy using that name. Hay believed that astronomy was very important for education. He said that if everyone studied astronomy, there would be no more wars.

An asteroid, Asteroid 3125 Hay, is named in his honor.

Personal Life

In 1907, Will Hay married Gladys Perkins. They had known each other since he was 15. They separated in 1935 but never officially divorced. They had two daughters and one son. After separating from Gladys, he had a long-term relationship with Randi Kopstadt from Norway.

Off-screen, Will Hay was described as a very serious and private person. Some people thought he was a bit unusual. The actor Peter Ustinov said that Hay was not very funny in real life, but he was very funny on screen.

Hay was also known to worry a lot about his health. He would often tell his co-workers that he felt ill. He loved flying planes and even gave flying lessons to the famous pilot Amy Johnson.

In 1946, Will Hay had a stroke while on holiday. This affected the right side of his body and his speech. Doctors told him he might only partly recover. He went to South Africa for a while because of the climate. His health improved a little, and he planned to become a film producer. However, his friend and director Marcel Varnel died in a car accident in 1947, and Hay put his plans on hold.

Death and Legacy

Will Hay made his last public appearance on 15 April 1949. He died three days later, on 18 April 1949, at his home in Chelsea, London, after another stroke. He was 60 years old. He was buried in Streatham Park Cemetery in London. People who saw him at his last appearance said he seemed fine and was talking about his future plans.

Influence on Other Comedians

Many famous comedians have said that Will Hay influenced their work. These include Ken Dodd, Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper, Harry Worth, Harry Enfield, Jimmy Perry, and David Croft. Ronnie Barker also said Hay was an influence and hosted a radio show about his life.

Remembering Will Hay

'The Will Hay Appreciation Society' was started in 2009. Its goal is to keep Hay's memory alive and introduce his work to new fans. In 2018, the society put up a special memorial bench for Will Hay and his co-stars, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt. The bench is in Cliddesden, Hampshire, where parts of Oh, Mr. Porter! were filmed.

Will Hay's films are known for making fun of authority. He often played characters who were not very good at their jobs but tried to hide it. This made his comedy very clever and funny.

In 2009, a book about Will Hay was published. It included parts of an autobiography he had started writing before he died.

Roy Hudd, another comedian, called Will Hay the "supreme master" of sketch comedy.

Filmography

Images for kids

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  The Will Hay Appreciation Society's 'Buggleskelly' memorial bench to Will Hay and his co-stars, unveiled on Sunday 14 October 2018 in Cliddesden, Hampshire, the filming location for 'Oh, Mr. Porter!'

See also

In Spanish: Will Hay para niños