“The Seven Per Cent Solution” and “Excalibur” star acting legend NICOL WILLIAMSON has died at age 73 in Amsterdam, Holland.
Williamson, who won plaudits for his role as Merlin in John Boorman’s “Excalibur” the classic tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, first won fame in John (“Look Back in Anger”) Osborne’s play "Inadmissible Evidence".
Osborne praised Nicol as the greatest actor since Marlon Brando.
Samuel Beckett, described Williamson as “touched by genius”
He had, in recent years, The UK Telegraph reported, been concentrating on music.
Williamson’s performance in Inadmissible Evidence in 1964 won him a Tony award on Broadway.
On film, Williamson was superb as the suicidal Irish soldier in “The Bofors Gun” (1968) and Tony Richardson's “Hamlet” (1969).
He made an indelible Deerstalker Detective as a cocaine addled Sherlock Holmes in “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” (1976) who was cured by Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin) with Robert Duvall as Dr. Watson.
Nicol excelled as a supporting actor, such as his Little John in Richard Lester's Robin and Marian (1976).
He also appeared in “The Exorcist 3” (1990). Sadly, Williamson’s last film was the superhero flick Spawn in 1997.
Ultimately, acting didn’t seem to mean all that much to Williamson.
“Actors act too much,” he said.
R.I.P. Nicol
