Gwilym Meredith Edwards (10 June 1917 – 8 February 1999) was a Welsh character actor and writer.
He was born in Rhosllannerchrugog, the son of a collier. Meredith first worked as a lab assistant at the Courtaulds factory in Flint. He became an actor in 1938, first with the Welsh National Theatre Company, then the Liverpool Playhouse.
A dedicated pacifist, he was a conscientious objector during World War II and spent the war years as a fireman in Liverpool, Chester and London, before joining ENSA. His film appearances include A Run for Your Money (1949), The Blue Lamp (1950), The Magnet (1950), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Cruel Sea (1953), The Great Game (1953), The Long Arm (1956), Dunkirk (1958) and Tiger Bay (1959). He appeared as the murderous butler in the cult television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) in 1969, and as Tom in the cult children’s science fiction serial Sky in 1975. He also played Richard Lloyd in the 1981 TV series The Life and Times of David Lloyd George.
A Welsh nationalist and Welsh speaker, he stood as Plaid Cymru candidate for Denbigh in the 1966 general election. He was awarded an honorary degree in 1997 by the University of Wales, and was a member of the Gorsedd of Bards.
He married Daisy Clark in 1942. They had two sons and a daughter. He is the father of actor Ioan Meredith and the grandfather of actors Ifan Meredith and Rhys Meredith. He attended Ruabon Boys’ Grammar School.
Source: pics by Geoff Wilding. IMDB
