Mark Williams

There are few film actors who can also call themselves comedian, radio host, and screenwriter. But the creative output of British actor Mark Williams, best known for playing Arthur Weasley in the "Harry Potter" movies, has never been limited to just a single profession. Williams wrote and starred in a widely popular British sketch comedy series, toured his native country with a theatre company, directed plays, even hosted his own radio program on the BBC before receiving his first big break in movies. In 1997 Williams was cast in "The Borrowers," a film based on a popular children's novel. Williams's performance in that film would lead to his casting in 1998's Academy Award-winner for Best Picture, "Shakespeare in Love," and in 2002's "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." For playing Arthur Weasley, the eccentric patriarch of the Weasley family, Williams has received worldwide exposure unequalled in any of his previous roles. Prior to his work in the Harry Potter movies, Williams was most known for starring in "The Fast Show," on which he also served as a writer. "The Fast Show" was one of the most popular British sketch comedy series of the '90s and spawned two national tours.