Stood (and lost) as a Welsh Nationalist candidate in the 1966 General
Election.
Born the son of a collier, his full name was Gwilym Meredith Edwards.
Turned down offers from Hollywood, following his performance in the Ealing comedy A Run for Your Money (1949).
First worked as a lab assistant at the Courtaulds factory in Flint. Became a professional actor in 1938 with the Welsh National Theatre Company.
A dedicated pacifist, he was a conscientious objector during World War II and spent the war years as a fireman in Liverpool, Chester and London, before joining ENSA.