Voting Station

Colin Welland

Please vote to return to collections.

Screenwriter

The Resume

    (July 4, 1934-November 3, 2015)
    Born in Leigh, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Colin Williams
    Actor and screenwriter
    Portrayed David Graham in 'Z Cars' (1962-65)
    Appeared in the films 'Kes' (1969), 'Straw Dogs' (1971), 'Sweeney!' (1977) and 'Dancin' Thru the Dark' (1990)
    Wrote screenplays for 'Yanks' (1979), 'Chariots of Fire' (1981), 'Twice in a Lifetime' (1985), 'A Dry White Season' (1989) and 'War of the Buttons' (1994)
    Won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 'Chariots of Fire'

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a BBC newsreader, but lasted only three weeks.
    In his Oscar acceptance speech, he declared 'The British are coming!'
    He said that after the success of 'Chariots,' he had trouble selling screenplays because '[The producers] wanted another film about runners.'
    He wrote an editorial for 'The Guardian' (2001) complaining that the British no longer made epic films like 'Bridge on the River Kwai' and 'Lawrence of Arabia,' which is rather ironic considering that his best-known film, 'Chariots of Fire,' is remembered as a 'little' film that upset the epic 'Reds' at the Oscars.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Before becoming an actor, he was an art teacher.
    He was married to Patricia Sweeney for 53 years.
    In 1971, he won two BAFTA Awards, for best supporting actor for 'Kes' and for best TV script for 'Play for Today: Kisses at Fifty.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying