In a world full of differences, there are some things that pull people together. Similar values, similar routes in life, struggles that we can identify ourselves in, practicing hobbies or shared passions, all these and more help us to empathize with others. In this vein, I recently met Bill Williams or more correctly William Williams. Bill is an American living in Europe for over 40 years. That itself made me very curious to know more.
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| Bill Regus 2006 |
It's interesting for an immigrant to see another immigrant who has lived for so long away from home. It helps one to place oneself in the order of the world, one might say. We don't have any set path, we're all paving a very unique road as we move along.
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| Oct 23 On location and in wardrobe for a WWII film production in Brussels |
Bill's perfect French mixed with his strong American accent creates an attractive narrative. He has used this bilingual advantage more than 22 years when he worked from Brussels as a Meetings & Events Account Manager for IWG-Regus, the world's leading provider of serviced worked spaces. Our conversation revealed that he has worked as an 'extra' on film sets sometimes. I find that so cool. Here's someone who's done corporate and who's also adventurous and fun. The fun aspect was heightened when he said he was on a set with Nicolas Cage recently. On another film production, "le Faux Soir", he was sitting around watching the shoot, when an assistant to the director approached him and asked him to act in a tiny scene. He was promoted to a 'featured extra' role and loved every moment of the new experience. The child in him came alive as he narrated the scene to me.
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| what a poser! |
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| Billy Kindergarten |
This brought us to Bill's childhood. He remembers living with his mother since the age of 2 in his grandfather's home in the Washington D.C. area after his mother, Robin de Silva (maiden name) drove, cross country, from California to the east coast further to separating from Bill's father, Bill Jacobson. She met his stepfather Gary Williams through their social circle in Washington D.C. They got married and Bill was then adopted and inherited the surname Williams. That's how he got the name William Williams, funnily enough.
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| Spending time with his stepdad Arlington VA 1968 |
Work sent his stepfather in 1968 to Paris, France. So, at the age of 6, Bill entered Europe for the first time. He recalls that everything was different. Everyone spoke French and everything seemed alien to him. Doors opened differently, milk tasted different. They were assigned very beautiful living quarters in the 7th arrondissement (a very chic & expensive block in Paris), very 18th century styled. Bill remembers that among his neighbours were a Duke & Duchess and below them lived a Count & Countess. The courtyard below was adjacent to the wall that belonged to the garden of the Hotel Matignon (the official residence of the Prime Minister of France). Bill remembers playing in the courtyard & hitting tennis balls into the courtyard wall. Sometimes, one of his swings would be too high and the tennis ball would land on the other side. Most of the time the soldiers or guards on the other side would swear and throw the tennis balls back over the wall. Then once the Countess decided to invite the seemingly lonely child to their home to have a 'goûter' with her 6 children. Le goûter is a small snack (usually sweet) that's eaten at 4pm by children mostly in France and Belgium. Bill hit it off with her sixth child who was named 'Sixte' and the afternoons were lots of fun from then onwards. Bill recalls that he was going to an English speaking private school which provided French lessons as a bonus. So he credits how he actually learned to speak French from the time he met Sixte. He also remembers that Sixte's family had servants, a novelty where he came from! They owned a frame on the wall in the that allegedly held a lock of Marie-Antoinette's hair.
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| Paris Apartment living room 11 rue Vaneau 7th Arrondissement |
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| Billy Pershing Hall Paris 69-73 |
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| Summer holidays in Provence with Sixte early 1970s |
Around this time Bill also made good friends with a kid called Jamie Jones. Jamie's adopted father James Jones was a well-known author who has written 'From Here to Eternity' amongst other novels. James was friends with the people who made films like Montgomery Clift. His books were made into film adaptations that were starred in by Frank Sinatra and Burt Lancaster. Young Bill had no idea about the people he was seeing regularly while spending time with Jamie. In those days, Paris had tiny movie theatres all over. The 'Pariscope' was a magazine that announced to the locals what was playing and these young boys would spend their pocket money on watching Tom & Jerry cartoons and the Tarzan films which starred Johnny Weissmuller. On one such occasion Jamie invited Bill to Switzerland to ski. In this vacation Bill remembers meeting Irwin Shaw at the Jones's vacation home. Irwin Shaw was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist and short-story author. His books are 'Rich Man, Poor Man' , 'The Young Lions' or 'Beggarman, Thief'.
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| Washington Post James Jones article by Bill's mother Robin Williams (de Silva) |
In 1973, Bill's parents decided on a year long separation and he and his mother went back to the States. From Paris, he found himself in New England, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine in a 200 year old farmhouse that was accessible by a dirt road. From discovering Art museums and the Cote d'Azur, he now spent time in Elementary school with kids who had just shot squirrels over the weekend. I enquire if he wasn't bullied for being so foreign?. Bill says that the advantage he had was that he was very good in sports and that he had already changed schools within Paris. He knew that the first two days were the most important to set the scene. He knew there would usually be one fight and he would have to get rid of the bullies or get a beating himself. Things usually settled down after that. But much to his delight, a little more than a year later, his parents decided to give their marriage another try and he returned to Paris with his mother.
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| Billy New England with Bicycle |
When Bill was 12 years old, he experienced his first claim to fame. One day during a school recess a man came up to him and talked about making a movie and needing an English speaking boy to play a part in the movie. He was obviously very cautious in the beginning. But it turned out to be a legit offer by a young student filmmaker Martin (Marty) Ollstein who was studying at the U.C.L.A film school. The film was his first 'court mettrage' or 'short film' named 'Bobby'. The film was about a young American boy who was on vacation in Paris. It described a day where he had escaped from his parents in the metro and was out exploring the city on his own. He befriends an older girl and they spend the day together till it's time for Bobby to go home. Marty Ollstein won the third annual American Society of Cinematographers award for best photographed college film of 1976-77. The film was featured in the Cannes Film Festival of 1976. You can find Bill Williams and the film 'Bobby' on the International Cannes Film Festival website.
https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/bill-williams/
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| Bill as Bobby |
In the meantime, Bill's mother and stepfather separated permanently. She and Bill returned to the U.S.A as she didn't find a job in Paris. Bill finished his Junior High & High schooling in Bethesda, Maryland. He had a difficult adolescence as his relationship with his mother was strained. There was no harmony in their home and things were becoming very hard for Bill & his mother. This was when Bill was around 16 years old. Bill found himself in a youth therapy group where he met his future spiritual father Lockwood Rush. He started to follow him & his teachings and managed to finish his High school from the West Nottingham Academy, which is one of the oldest boarding schools in the U.S.A. Bill graduated top of class. He then studied Political Science in California at the San Diego State University. He attributes his shift in mindset largely to Lockwood Rush who taught him to be more in touch with himself.
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| Bill Troubled Adolescent |
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| Bill Williams West Nottingham High School Yearbook photo 1980 |
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| Bill & Locke Rush Georgetown 1981 |
In 1984 and 85, on a year abroad program with San Diego State University, he studied at the Institut des Etudes Politiques in Aix-en-Provence. Upon his return to California, a high school friend, originally from Belgium, invited him to celebrate his birthday in 1986 in Brussels. He found himself drinking a strong Belgian beer or two in a well-known tavern in Brussels. The evening and night that followed left him with several fun memories of Brussels. So much so that in the same year he travelled back to Belgium to meet his friend Garrick. This visit however would change his life forever as he met his future wife with whom he has a lovely daughter, Iman. He found a job at a 5 star hotel in the area of Woluwe to fend for the family. Unfortunately he and his wife Amina eventually separated but Bill stayed back to be able to be a good father to his daughter.
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| Bill Brussels 1986 |
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| Amina & Bill 1989 |
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| Bill & Iman baby |
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| Bill & Iman |
As life would have it time heals everything. Later in his life, Bill met Susanne, a book store manager who would lovingly keep the cheap second hand English books for him to buy when he dropped by at the bookstore. They have been inseparable for 26 years now. He has also kept a Sunday ritual going, where he and his daughter meet for lunch and a movie. In 2017, Bill officially acquired his Belgian nationality, but I suspect the man had already turned European a long time ago.
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| Susanne & Bill Paris 1999-2000 |
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| Iman & Bill |
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| View of the Libyan sea from Crete |
Bill & Susanne hope to retire in the next two years on the island of Crete.
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| Bill raising a toast to Life! |
Below are some photos of Bill's grandparents & mother's childhood & youth.
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| Mom & Sharon Los Alamos Manhattan Project |
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| Mom's WP credentials |
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| Grandfather Capt. Peer de Silva, Grandmother Jayne Beckley de Silva and baby Mom |
#martyollstein #Jamesjones #franksinatra #westnottinghamacademy #pariscope #burtlancaster #montgomeryclift #irwinshaw #fromheretoeternity #richmanpoorman #JohnnyWeissmuller #washingtonpost #immigration #blendingofcultures
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