Skip to content
William Powell

File:William_Powell_by_Hurrell.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ105960· pop 48· linked from 621 articles

William Powell

Sign in to save

Also known as William Horatio Powell

American actor (1892–1984)

OverviewAI-generated

William Powell was an American stage, film, and television actor whose career began in 1922. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 29, 1892, he was educated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was married to Carole Lombard and Diana Lewis. Powell received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

He died of natural causes due to a myocardial infarction in Palm Springs on March 5, 1984. His remains are buried at Desert Memorial Park. Powell is recognized in the Hollywood Walk of Fame collection.

Synthesized by Vinony from 40 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Film & TV

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the Thin Man series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Powell was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times: for The Thin Man (1934), My Man Godfrey (1936), and Life with…

Known for

  • The Love Story of Jean Harlow and William Powell — Self (archive footage)2023
  • Cinecittà Babilonia: Sex, Drugs and Black Shirts — Self - Actor (archive footage)2017
  • Discovering Jean Harlow — archive footage2015
  • William Powell: A True Gentleman2005
  • Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell — Self (archive footage)1996
  • Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To — (archive footage)1990
  • Two Tragic Blondes - Marilyn Monroe And Jean Harlow1989
  • James Stewart: A Wonderful Life — Self (archive footage)1987
  • The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn — Self (archive footage)1986
  • Going Hollywood: The '30s — (archive footage)1984

via TMDB

Key facts

Born
William Horatio Powell , ( 1892-07-29 ) July 29, 1892, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , U.S.
Died
March 5, 1984 (1984-03-05) (aged 91), Palm Springs, California , U.S.
Resting place
Desert Memorial Park , Cathedral City, California , U.S.
Other name
Bill Powell
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1911–1955
Spouses
Eileen Wilson ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1915 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1930 ) ​ Carole Lombard ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1931 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1933 ) ​ Diana Lewis ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1940 ) ​
Partner
Jean Harlow (1934–1937)
Children
William David Powell

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Family name
Powell
Gender
male
Citizenship
United States
Place of birth
Pittsburgh
Place of death
Palm Springs
Languages spoken
English language
Image
William Powell by Hurrell.jpg
Show 13 more facts
Commons category
William Powell
date of birth
1892-07-29
date of death
1984-01-01
cause of death
myocardial infarction
place of burial
Desert Memorial Park
manner of death
natural causes
Commons gallery
William Powell
time period
20th century
different from
William Paul
start of work period
1922-00-00
partner in business or sport
Myrna Loy
name in native language
William Powell
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the Thin Man series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Powell was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times: for The Thin Man (1934), My Man Godfrey (1936), and Life with Father (1947).

Early life

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “William Powell” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (13)