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Billy Williams

Billy Williams

Cinematographer · Died May 20, 2025, aged 95 · Walthamstow, London, England, UK

William Desmond Williams (3 June 1929 – 20 May 2025) was a British cinematographer. Williams was responsible for shooting a number of films, including Women in Love (1969), On Golden Pond (1981) and Gandhi (1982), for which he won an Academy Award.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 3, 1929
Died
May 20, 2025 (aged 95)
From
Walthamstow, London, England, UK
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 47 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 15% in 30 days

What are Billy Williams' films like?

Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Bonds
19%
Morality
19%
Survival
10%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Ideas
8%
Justice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 13 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 6

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 8 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 8

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 14 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
17
Contemplative
15
Melancholic
14
Bittersweet
6
Warm
6
Other
20

How their films linger

Bittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous6

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Billy Williams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Billy Williams' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

47 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page.

  • Ljuset håller mig sällskap(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Driftwood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Reunion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • Shadow of the Wolf(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Women and Men: Stories of Seduction(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Stella(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Rainbow(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Lottery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Just Ask for Diamond(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Suspect(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Manhattan Project(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Eleni(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Dreamchild(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Ordeal by Innocence(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Survivors(1983)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Gandhi(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Monsignor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • On Golden Pond(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Saturn 3(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Going in Style(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Boardwalk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Cinematographer

  • Eagle's Wing(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Silent Partner(1978)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Devil's Advocate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Cinematographer

  • Voyage of the Damned(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Wind and the Lion(1975)

    Cinematographer · as Sir Joseph

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Cinematographer

  • Horowitz in Dublin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Cinematographer

  • Night Watch(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Kid Blue(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Pope Joan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Cinematographer

  • X, Y & Zee(1972)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Sunday Bloody Sunday(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Tam Lin(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Mind of Mr. Soames(1970)

    Cinematographer · Lighting Camera

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Two Gentlemen Sharing(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Women in Love(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Magus(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Red and Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • Red, White, and Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • Billion Dollar Brain(1967)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Just Like a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • San Ferry Ann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • People Apart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • Five Guineas a Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Cinematographer

  • Model Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • This Year – London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 47 titles from 1951 to 2000.

Biggest box office

On Golden Pond (1981)

$119M worldwide

Highest rated

Gandhi (1982)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 47: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleCinematography47 of 47: 45 only cinematography, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stOther crew1 of 47: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s4 · crew1960s8 · crew1970s16 · 1 acting · 16 crew1980s13 · crew1990s5 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Billy Williams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 30; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · cinematographer

Eleni (1985)

61st percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Gandhi (1982)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 72/100 in their films, across 25 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 59. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Billy Williams' work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles12–71 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles9–67 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles16–60 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles12–43 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles30–68 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Billy Williams work with?

People who share at least 2 of Billy Williams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ken Russell shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers