- Ryan Davies
Ryan Davies (
22 January ,1937 —22 April ,1977 ) was a popular Welsh entertainer of the 1960s and 1970s.He was born in the
Carmarthenshire village ofGlanamman in the Black Mountain, Wales, and was educated in Bangor and at theCentral School of Speech and Drama . His first professional appearance was in theNational Eisteddfod of Wales in 1966. He made his name onWelsh language television shows such as thesitcom "Fo a Fe" and "Ryan a Ronnie ", in which he appeared withRonnie Williams .Davies had a simultaneous solo career as a
singer ,pianist andsongwriter . His best-known compositions are: "Ceiliog y Gwynt", "Nadolig Pwy a Wyr" and "Blodwen a Mary". His album, "Ryan at the Rank", is now regarded as a classic.Davies starred as "2nd Voice" in the 1972 film "
Under Milk Wood " withRichard Burton .Ryan and Ronnie's show became so popular that it was moved to
BBC1 and broadcast in English, winning them a much wider audience, and three series were shown between 1971 and 1973. Ryan's speciality was dressing up as a "typical" Welsh housewife for a weekly sketch on the show known as "Our House", in which Ryan played "Mam" and Ronnie played Will, the father.In 1975, the duo split (the official reason being Ronnie's ill-health), with Ryan continuing to appear extensively on television and making a traditional
Christmas appearance inpantomime at theSwansea Grand Theatre . However, it was Ryan who died suddenly of anasthma attack while visiting friends inBuffalo, New York ,USA . The story goes that he had just been offered the part of Compo in "Last of the Summer Wine ". Ryan and Ronnie were hugely popular in Wales. They were the first comedians ever to make TV series in Welsh and English, and were thought of fondly as the Welsh answer toMorecambe and Wise .Ronnie's career never flourished after the break with Ryan and he had a problem with alcohol and severe depression. His final role was in the comedy film "
Twin Town ". He eventually committed suicide in 1997.Bibliography
*Rhydderch T. Jones - "Ryan"
External links
* [http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/tvheroes/ryan_davies.php TV Heroes: Ryan Davies] , Nigel Stapley, Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Accessed on
24 June 2008 .Trivia
Ryan's
son ,Arwyn Davies (b.1967) has played petty thief Mark Jones inPobol Y Cwm since 1993
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.