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William Powell Filmography
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William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he began a Broadway career in 1912 and a Hollywood career in 1922. His first starring role was as Philo Vance in 1929's The Canary Murder Case
. He followed this up with the Vance role in The Kennel Murder Case in 1933. In the same year, he was divorced from his second wife, the actress
Carole Lombard, who went on to marry
Clark Gable.
Powell's most famous role was that of Nick Charles in six "Thin Man" films, beginning with The Thin Man in 1934.
Myrna Loy played his wife Nora in each of the "Thin Man" films, and his partnership with Loy would become the screen's most prolific, with the couple appearing in 14 films together.
In 1935, he starred with
Jean Harlow in Reckless, and they became engaged. She died before they could marry. His distress over Harlow's death and a battle with cancer resulted in him accepting fewer roles. In 1940 he married the actress Diana Lewis. Although the couple had only met for the first time three weeks before their marriage, they remained married until Powell's death.
His career slowed considerably in the late 1940s, and his last film was Mister Roberts in 1955.
Powell died in Palm Springs, California thirty years after his retirement.
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