Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 - 15 April 1988) was an English comic actor, star of twenty six Carry On films and notable radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne, as well as a witty raconteur on a wide range of subjects.

The acting bug bit Kenneth Williams when, as a student, his English teacher suggested he try out for a school play. He found that he enjoyed it tremendously, but when he raised the possibility at home of becoming an actor, his father forbade it. Williams was eventually sent to art school in London in 1941. In 1944 he was drafted into the army, and although posted to the Royal Engineers, he managed to land a job in the Combined Services Entertainment unit, where he got a chance to act in shows that were put on to entertain the troops, and even designed the posters that advertised the shows. After his discharge from the army he began to work as a professional actor, and traveled the country in repertory companies. It was in a production of "Saint Joan", where he played the Dauphin, that a radio producer saw him and hired him to do voice characterizations on a popular radio comedy show, "Hancock's Half Hour". His penchant for wild, off-the-wall characters led to his being hired by the producers of the "Carry On" comedy series, where he performed in 26 entries in the long-running series. When the series ended, Williams returned to radio work, and also made the rounds of the TV talk shows in addition to writing several books, including his autobiography. Later in his life Williams developed a serious ulcer, and was given medication to combat the pain. On April 15th 1988, he was found dead in his bed; it was determined that in addition to his regular pain pills, he had apparently taken some sleeping pills the night before, and the combination of those and his regular medication proved fatal.

The British comic actor Kenneth Williams was born in 1926 in a working class section of London, England, where he and his older sister Pat were raised by their parents Louisa and Charlie, who ran a hairdressing shop. At the age of 14, Williams began training as a lithographic draftsman and was later apprenticed to a cartographer. At this time, he also began to pursue his interest in acting by joining an amateur drama group. While serving in the army during World War II, Williams worked as a Royal Engineer in the Survey Section and later became an entertainer for the troops in the Combined Services Entertainments. After his release from military service in 1948, he worked in repertory theater around Britain, eventually ending up in London theater. During the 1950s, he made his name in popular revues, such as 'Share My Lettuce', 'Pieces of Eight' and "One Over the Eight'. He also appeared with 'Smith, Maggie' in 'The Private Eye/Public Ear', 'Evans, Edith' in 'Gentle Jack' and 'Bergman, Ingrid' in 'Captain Brassbound's Conversion'. He was a good friend of the playwright Joe Orton (I) and performed in his 'Loot' in 1967. Williams became a household name in Britain through his numerous performances in radio and television, even having his own television series "Kenneth Williams Show, The" (1970), for a short time. Known for his snooty characterizations, his chief claim to fame is his many appearances in the British "Carry On" films, an extensive series of low-budget but immensely popular comedy films produced from the late 1950s through the late 1970s.