Colin Welland

Colin Welland was a British writer and performer best known for penning Chariots of Fire, for which he won the best original screenplay Oscar in 1982. The film followed the story of two British athletes competing at the 1924 Olympics, one a devout Jew, the other a devout Christian. During Welland’s acceptance speech, he famously warned, "The British are coming."

His other screenplay credits include 1979’s Yanks, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Gere; 1985’s Twice in a Lifetime, with Gene Hackman, Ann-Margret and Ellen Burstyn (directed by Bud Yorkin); and A Dry White Season, starring Donald Sutherland. He also wrote television episodes for the British series The Wild West Show and Play for Today.

In 1971 Welland won a BAFTA for acting in Kes, director Ken Loach’s acclaimed film about a working-class boy who cares for and trains a pet falcon. He won the best supporting actor award for his role as Mr. Farthing, the boy’s English teacher. Welland also appeared in the films Villain, starring Richard Burton, Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs and Sweeney!

His work in television was more extensive, with appearances on several British series, including Armchair Theatre, Man at the Top, Trial & Retribution, The Wild West Show and Cowboys (in which he played the recurring character Geyser). He also played PC David Graham in 88 episodes of the series Z Cars, a drama about the police force in the fictional northern English town of Newtown.

Additionally, he appeared in the American-made television movie The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, starring Jason Connery and Kristin Scott Thomas. He also had a role in the 1997 telefilm The Fix, about the biggest scandal in the history of U.K. soccer. The movie, which was written and directed by Paul Greengrass, also aired in the U.S., and starred Steve Coogan and Jason Isaacs.

Welland's other awrds included a BAFTA in 1971 for writing television plays.

He died November 2, 2015. He was 81.