William Horatio Powell July 29 1892 March 5 1984 was an American actor A major star at MetroGoldwynMayer 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 After high school he left home for New York and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at the age of 18 In 1912 Powell graduated from the AADA and worked in some vaudeville and stock companies After several successful experiences on the Broadway stage he began his Hollywood career in 1922 playing a small role as an evil henchman of Professor Moriarty in a production of Sherlock Holmes with John Barrymore His most memorable role in silent movies was as a bitter film director opposite Emil Jannings Academy Awardwinning performance as a fallen general in The Last Command 1928 This success along with Powells pleasant speaking voice led to his first starring role as amateur detective Philo Vance in the talkie The Canary Murder Case 1929 Powells most famous role was that of Nick Charles in six Thin Man films beginning with The Thin Man in 1934 based upon Dashiell Hammetts novel The role provided a perfect opportunity for Powell with his resonant speaking voice to showcase his sophisticated charm and witty sense of humor and he received his first Academy Award nomination for The Thin Man Myrna Loy played his wife Nora in each of the Thin Man films Their onscreen partnership beginning alongside Clark Gable in 1934 with Manhattan Melodrama was one of Hollywoods most prolific and they appeared in 14 films together Loy and Powell starred in the Best Picture of 1936 The Great Ziegfeld with Powell in the title role and Loy as Ziegfelds wife Billie Burke That same year he also received his second Academy Award nomination for the comedy My Man Godfrey In 1935 he starred with Jean Harlow in Reckless A serious romance developed between them and in 1936 they were reunited on screen and with Loy and Spencer Tracy in the screwball comedy Libeled Lady However Harlow surprisingly and quickly became ill and died from uremia at the age of 26 in June 1937 before they could marry His distress over her death as well as a cancer diagnosis of his own caused him to accept fewer acting roles Powells career slowed considerably in the 1940s although he received his third Academy Award nomination in 1947 for his role as the cantankerous Clarence Day Sr in Life with Father His last film was 1955s Mister Roberts Powell died in Palm Springs California on March 5 1984 at the age of 91 from heart failure nearly 30 years after his retirement He is buried at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City California near his third wife Diana Lewis and his only child his son William David Powell
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