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William Thompson Hay ( December 6 1888 – April 18 1949) was a British comedian and actor and amateur astronomer. He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England.

He was trained as an engineer and joined a firm of engineers but at the age of 21 he gave up that profession for acting.

He had a relatively brief screen career: by the time he made his first film he was in his mid-40s and an established music hall artistAn artist is someone who employs creative talent to produce works of art. The term may be used in connection with any branch of the arts—for example music, literature, and theatre—but more commonly refers to an individual who practises the visual arts or, and his last role came less than a decade later. But between 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne and 19431943 is the common year starting on Friday. Events January January 4 End of term for Culbert Olson, 29th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Earl Warren. January 11 The United States and United Kingdom give up territorial rights in China. January 1 he was a prolific and popular film comedian. He was credited on several films as a writer or co-ordinator, and was arguably the dominant 'author' of all the films in which he appeared, in that they were built around his persona and depended on the character and routines he had developed over years on the stageStage has several meanings: In rocketry, a stage is one of several independent rockets used to reduce the need for fuel. Referring to rivers, the stage is the height of the water on a gauge. Flood stage occurs when it begins to overflow the surrounding ar.

He worked at Elstree, then Gainsborough, then Ealing; the Gainsborough period was the most consistently successful, particularly when he worked with the team of Marcel Varnel ( directorcostume drama on location in London. A film director directs the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film. The role typically includes: Defining the overall artistic vision of the film. Controlling the content and flow of the film's plot. Directing the per), Val GuestVal Guest (born Valmond Guest on December 11 1911 in London, England, UK) is a British film director, best known for his science-fiction films for the Hammer company in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and highly active career in the film in and Marriott Edgar (writers), and Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt (supporting cast) - as on the railway film Oh Mr Porter! ( 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,). Just as Tony HancockAnthony John Hancock best known as Tony Hancock ( May 12, 1924 June 26, 1968) was a major figure in British television and radio comedy in the 1950s and 1960s. Early Life and Career He was born in Birmingham, England, but raised in Bournemouth where his m, in some ways a descendant of Hay, would later cut himself off from sidekick Sid James, Hay felt impelled to break up the partnership with Moffatt and Marriott and was, likewise, never quite the same again, although The Goose Steps Out for Ealing (1943) was an effective anti- Nazi piece of slapstick.

Aside from his day job as a comedian, Hay was a dedicated and respected amateur astronomer. He became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1932. He is noted for having discovered a white spot on the planet Saturn in 1933 [MNRAS 94 (1933) 85]; the spot lasted for a few months and then faded. He also measured the positions of comets with a micrometer he built himself, and designed and built a blink comparator. He wrote the book Through My Telescope in 1935.

He was also one of Britain's first private pilots and gave flying lessons to Amy Johnson. Before entering the acting profession full time, he was an accomplished translator - fluent in French, German, Latin, Italian, Norwegian and Afrikaans.

In 1943, Will Hay received treatment for cancer which left him too weak for theatre and film performances - he returned to his roots in radio programming. In 1947 he had a stroke which left him physically crippled, forcing him into retirement. He died after a further stroke in 1949.