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The Woman in Black (1989)
William Simons was first seen in the 1950 British drama film ‘Prelude to Fame,’ directed by Fergus McDonell. That same year, he also made an appearance in the Gordon Parry-directed mystery film ‘Midnight Episode.’ He next starred in films like ‘Where No Vultures Fly’ (1951), ‘Treasure Hunt’ (1952), ‘Mandy’ (1952), ‘A Loan from Lorenzo’ (1953), and ‘The Persian Kitten’ (1953). In 1954, he played the role of ‘Christopher Sixpence’ in the television miniseries ‘A Castle and Sixpence.’ That same year, he also starred as ‘Tim Payton’ in the British adventure film ‘West of Zanzibar’ directed by Harry Watt. The film received a positive response from most critics upon release. In 1955, he joined the cast of the British anthology television series ‘ITV Television Playhouse.’ He appeared in 4 episodes and remained a part of the show until 1961.
William Simons was next seen in films and television series like ‘Not So Dusty’ (1956), ‘Rex Milligan’ (1956), ‘From Cover to Cover’ (1958), ‘Starr and Company’ (1958), ‘Jo's Boys’ (1959), ‘Probation Officer’ (1959-1960), ‘Francis Storm Investigates’ (1960), ‘The Pursuers’ (1961), ‘Top Secret’ (1962), and ‘The Last Man Out’ (1962). In 1962, he grabbed the role of ‘Abel Garland’ in the television drama miniseries ‘The Old Curiosity Shop.’ The series aired a total of 13 episodes before going off-air in 1963.
After appearing in films and television series like ‘Clash by Night’ (1964), ‘Emergency-Ward 10’ (1967), and ‘Mr. Rose’ (1968), Simons became a part of the British soap opera ‘Coronation Street,’ created by Tony Warren. He portrayed Jim Cawley, Harry Bates, and James Peck and remained on the show until 1987. He next starred in television series like ‘Hadleigh’ (1971), ‘The Guardians’ (1971), ‘ITV Sunday Night Theatre’ (1971-1972), ‘A Family at War’ (1972), and ‘Country Matters’ (1972). In 1973, Simons joined the cast of the British television courtroom drama series ‘Crown Court’ as ‘Martin O'Connor.’ He starred in 29 episodes and parted ways from the series in 1983. He continued to appear in television series and films such as ‘Notorious Woman’ (1974), ‘Churchill's People’ (1975), ‘The Legend of Robin Hood’ (1975), ‘Emmerdale’ (1976), ‘Snacker’ (1976), ‘Yanks Go Home’ (1977), ‘Doctor Who’ (1977), ‘Parables’ (1978), ‘The BBC Television Shakespeare’ (1979), ‘Cribb’ (1980-1981), ‘The Bell’ (1982), ‘Number 10’ (1983), ‘The Tale of Beatrix Potter’ (1983), and ‘Cockles’ (1984). Simons portrayed ‘Foreman Krauze’ in the 1984 American biopic drama television film ‘Pope John Paul II’ directed by Herbert Wise. The film holds a 6.7 out of 10 rating on IMDb.
He was next seen in television films and series like ‘Bird Fancier’ (1985), ‘Dempsey and Makepeace’ (1985), ‘A Month in the Country’ (1985), ‘Death Is Part of the Process’ (1986), ‘Rumpole of the Bailey’ (1987), ‘Bergerac’ (1988), ‘Wish Me Luck’ (1989), ‘The Ruth Rendell Mysteries’ (1989), ‘The Bill’ (1989-1992), ‘Stay Lucky’ (1991), and ‘Lovejoy’ (1992). In 1992, he grabbed the role of ‘PC Alf Ventress / Alf Ventress’ in the British period drama series ‘Heartbeat,’ created by Johnny Byrne, Keith Richardson, and Gerry Mill. The series aired 372 episodes in a span of 18 seasons before going off-air in 2010. He next appeared in television series like ‘Lovejoy’ (1992), ‘Tales of Mystery and Imagination’ (1995), and ‘The Royal’ (2003-2004). Simons was last seen in the British medical drama series ‘Casualty’ in 2014.
