Heathcote Williams - Film

Film

The theme of Williams's early one-act play The Local Stigmatic is fame and its adverse consequences, possibly a reason why Al Pacino, with financial assistance from Jon Voight, would perform it Off-Off-Broadway before he himself achieved what the play pillories. In later years the film version became known as 'Pacino's secret project,' representing the actor's debut as a director. It was released as part of the Pacino: An Actor's Vision box-set in 2007.

Williams's own film performances include Prospero in Derek Jarman's version of The Tempest (1979), Wish You Were Here (1987) and Sally Potter's Orlando (1992). His portrayal of the central character's psychiatrist in Wish You Were Here became something of a YouTube favourite. Williams has more recently enjoyed a steady stream of bit-parts in big-budget Hollywood productions, such as The City of Ember and the ill-fated Basic Instinct 2.

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