Michael William was a British theatre and film actor. He was known for playing both classical and comic roles. Notable among his plays are the Shakespearean adaptations of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1963), King Lear (1964), A Comedy of Errors (1964) and Hamlet (1965). He was also seen in the play Duchess of Malfi (1971), where he met Dame Judi Dench and married her in the same year.