Biography
Works in both Portugal and the UK, with numerous leading roles in theatre alongside film and television performances.
Notable leading theatre roles in English from 1984 to 2023 include Fallen Angels, Relatively Speaking, Chapter Two, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, The Importance of Being Earnest, Street Scene, The Cherry Orchard, Duet for One, Death and the Maiden, A Doll's House, The Winter's Tale, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hamlet, Be My Baby, The Stronger, The Provoked Wife, Talking Heads – Bed Among the Lentils, The Mousetrap, Hay Fever, Mary Stuart, Romeo and Juliet, The Glass Menagerie, Don't Walk About with Nothing on, Twelfth Night, Black Comedy, The Bald Soprano, Much Ado About Nothing, An Englishman Abroad, and Things I Know to Be True.
Performed The Human Voice and The Sound of Silence at Trafalgar Studios, London. Critical acclaim includes: "Celia Williams captures the agony perfectly, alongside the conflict between that agony and the self-sacrifice she believes is expected of her..." – Benedict Nightingale, The Times. Regarding The Sound of Silence: "Williams delivers with vigorous aplomb, a sleek figure in an evening gown and marcelled hair, chastising her silent yet maddeningly faithless gigolo" – John Thaxter, The Stage. "It works brilliantly... Williams is captivating..." – Jonathan Gibbs, Time Out. "...a moving and skillfully paced solo performance... Williams eloquently conveys the character's anguish and desperate dependence." – Paul Taylor, The Independent.
Additional theatre reviews include: Fallen Angels: "Celia, as Jane Banbury, showed through sincerity, simplicity, and skill that she possesses the qualities of a great artist." – Diário de Notícias, 1984. Duet for One: "[Williams] portrays Stephanie's anger, pathos, and courage with precision, passion, and surprisingly, considerable humor." – Jonathan Weightman, APN, 1999. The Glass Menagerie: As Amanda, the southern belle mother, Celia Williams commands the stage like a hurricane. There is no doubt she once was a true beauty (and remains so), with a character strength evident throughout. The role is larger than life—protective, overpowering, and dreamy. What an actress!" – Jorge Tomé Santos, 2015.
Leading roles in Portuguese theatre include O Último dos Marialvas, Apanhados no Divã, and Auto da Barca do Inferno.
Directorial credits include Relatively Speaking, Pygmalion, and The Sitting Duck.
Narration work features Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf (Pedro e o Lobo – Portuguese) and the Devil in Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale.
Toured the UK with The Mariner by Fernando Pessoa. Performed Tennessee Williams' The Kindness of Strangers in Greenwich, London, and on tour in Portugal. Also toured Portugal with Mary Stuart, Duet for One, Talking Heads, An Evening with Oscar Wilde, Deckchairs, and Fallen Angels.
Film and television roles include lead parts in Inner Ghosts, Mrs Davenport's Throat, A Morte de Carlos Gardel, Passagem por Lisboa, O Pato, and O Último dos Marialvas. For Inner Ghosts, received special mention as Best Actress at the Motel X Festival Internacional de Cinema de Terror de Lisboa in 2018.
