RIP Bernard Williams

By Mike Barnes

1/12/2015

Bernard Williams, the British producer who worked on such films as A Clockwork Orange, Ragtime and Star Trek: Generations, has died. He was 72.

Williams, who also produced Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) and five other films directed by Frank Oz, died Jan. 4 of cancer in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., his daughter, Dana Williams-Maginnis, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Williams also produced Michael Winner’s remake of The Big Sleep (1978), Flash Gordon (1980), Michael Mann’s Manhunter (1986), the Madonna film Who’s That Girl (1987) and Daredevil (2003), starring Ben Affleck.

Williams also served as a production manager on the classic British series The Prisoner and on the 1969 Michael Caine film Battle of Britain and was second/third director on Val Guest’s The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) and Otto Preminger’s Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965).

Williams worked with Stanley Kubrick as an associate producer on Barry Lyndon (1975) after A Clockwork Orange (1971), and he collaborated with Oz on What About Bob? (1991), HouseSitter (1992), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), Bowfinger (1999) and The Score (2001).

His resume also includes The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), The Bounty (1984), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Blood and Wine (1996) and his final producing effort, Charlotte’s Web (2006).

Milos Forman’s Ragtime (1981) marked the final feature appearance for legendary actor James Cagney.

A native of London, Williams began working as a teenager in the mailroom of Associated British Pictures, where he learned about filmmaking. He and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1981.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include his sister Gaye, children Vanessa and Howard and ex-wife Valerie Norman Dannels, the daughter of late British director Leslie Norman (TV’s The Saint).

A memorial will be held at a date to be determined.

Born: 1942, London, England, U.K.

Died: 1/4/2015, Lake Arrowhead, California, U.S.A.

War Party - 1998