Black History Month: 22 October 2020
Charlie Williams was one of Britain's first post-war professional black footballers who later found even greater fame as a popular comedian and entertainer. His father, also Charles, had come to Britain in 1914 from Barbados, and enlisted in the Royal Engineers. Charlie was brought up in Yorkshire and after the Second World War, he turned professional, and signed for Doncaster Rovers in 1948.
Following his retirement from football in 1959, Williams tried his hand as a singer in local working men's clubs but decided to move into comedy full-time. He eventually became Britain's first well-known black television comedian. He reached the pinnacle of his comedy career in the early 1970s. In 1972, he spent a six-month season at the London Palladium. Williams was appointed an MBE in 1999 for his charity work. He was also given a lifetime achievement award at the Black Comedy Awards in 2000.
Want to find out more about Charlie Williams? Click here for more information, or here for a video of some of Charlie's comedic work.
