# William Markus

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{{short description|Finnish film director}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = William-Markus-Sonja-Wigert-1951.jpg
| caption            = William Markus and [Sonja Wigert](/source/Sonja_Wigert) in 1951
| name               = William Markus
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=yes|1917|1|12}}
| birth_place        = [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool), [England](/source/England)
| birth_name         = Karl William Söderström
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1989|10|10|1917|1|12}}
| death_place        = [Espoo](/source/Espoo), Finland
| occupation         = [Film director](/source/Film_director)<br>[Actor](/source/Actor)<br>[Screenwriter](/source/Screenwriter)<br>[Producer](/source/Film_producer)
| yearsactive        = 1944–1989
| employer           = Suomen Filmiteollisuus
| notable_works      = Miriam (1957)
| website            = {{URL|https://finna.fi/AuthorityRecord/kavi.elonet_henkilo_117282|Finna}}
}}
'''Karl William Marcus''' (formerly '''Söderström'''; 12 January 1917 &ndash; 10 October 1989) was a Finnish-British film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer who used the stage name '''William Markus'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Uusitalo |first=Kari |date= |title=William Markus (1917-1989) |url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/5052 |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=National Biography of Finland - The Finnish Literature Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Uusitalo, Kari | chapter=Markus, William (1917–1989) | title=Suomen kansallisbiografia 6 | pages=561–562 | location=Helsinki | publisher=Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura | year=2005 | isbn=951-746-447-9 | url=http://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/5052 | language=Finnish | url-access=subscription | issn=1456-2138 }}</ref><ref name=":4">[http://www.elonet.fi/fi/henkilo/117282 William Markus] {{in lang|fi}} at Elonet</ref>

== Life and career ==
Markus was born in [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool), England, to an English mother and a Finnish father. He held dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and Finland.<ref name="biografiasampo-1">{{Cite web |url=https://biografiasampo.fi/henkilo/p1279 |title=William Markus |last=Uusitalo |first=Kari |author-link=:fi:Kari Uusitalo |date=11 October 2000 |website={{ill|BiographySampo|fi|Biografiasampo}} |language=fi |access-date=3 January 2026}}</ref>

His acting career started in 1944, and he changed his surname from Söderström to Marcus.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

''Traveler's Oases'' (1953) is a short film directed and starred by Marcus.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2007-10-01 |title=Matkailijan keitaita |url=http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2007/10/01/matkailijan-keitaita |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=yle.fi |language=fi-FI}}</ref> The story tells of a Finnish family, which lives in [the United States of America](/source/United_States).<ref name=":3" /> The family visits famous Finnish cities and landmarks.<ref name=":3" />

''Autuas Eversti'' (''The Blessed Colonel'', 1958) was censored because the Colonel came to life and rose from the coffin.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Citation |last=Markus |first=William |title=Autuas eversti |date=1958-09-05 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051385/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_3_wr |type=Comedy |access-date=2023-11-13 |others=Pentti Siimes, Hillevi Lagerstam, Anneli Sauli |publisher=Suomen Filmiteollisuus}}</ref> Eventually, the film was released from censorhip after removing unwanted scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autuas eversti * |url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/teevee/a/2010011910959869 |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.iltalehti.fi |language=fi}}</ref>

Censorship also affected his next film, ''Verta käsissämme'' (''Blood on our Hands''), in 1958.<ref name=":0" /> The film was censored four times.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Markus |first=William |url=https://www.finna.fi/Record/kavi.elonet_elokuva_117325?sid=3284504697 |title=Verta käsissämme |last2=Toivo Särkkä |last3=Volodja Semitjov |last4=Kauno Laine |last5=Armas Vallasvuo |last6=Kurt Vilja |last7=Einar Englund |last8=Karl Fager |last9=Pentti Taivainen |publisher=Suomen Filmiteollisuus |year=1958 |location=Helsinki |language=FI}}</ref> Finland's foreign policy was heading towards [Finlandization](/source/Finlandization)<ref>{{Cite news |title=What is "Finlandisation"? |work=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/11/what-is-finlandisation |access-date=2023-11-13 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Public outrage forced the censorship to be lifted.<ref name=":0" />

Marcus acted in the British film, ''[The Wooden Horse](/source/The_Wooden_Horse)'' in 1950.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=William Markus |url=https://elonet.finna.fi/Search/Results?filter%5B%5D=author2_id_str_mv:%22kavi.elonet_henkilo_117282%22& |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=elonet.finna.fi |language=fi}}</ref> The film was the third most popular film at the British box office in 1950.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1950-12-29 |title=BOB HOPE BEST DRAW IN BRITISH THEATRES |work=Mercury |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26748158 |access-date=2023-11-15}}</ref>

He acted in 14 films between 1944 and 1957.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=William Markus {{!}} Director, Actor, Writer |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0549031/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> He was a writer in six productions.<ref name=":1" />

He directed 13 films between 1953 and 1965.<ref name=":1" /> Marcus was a film director at [Suomen Filmiteollisuus](/source/Suomen_Filmiteollisuus).<ref name=":0" />

His film ''[Miriam](/source/Miriam_(film))'' was entered into the [8th Berlin International Film Festival](/source/8th_Berlin_International_Film_Festival) as an Official Selection.<ref name="imdb">{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050708/awards |title=IMDB.com: Awards for ''Miriam'' |access-date=3 January 2010 |work=Internet Movie Database}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> 

[Anneli Sauli](/source/Anneli_Sauli), [Elina Pohjanpää](/source/Elina_Pohjanp%C3%A4%C3%A4), [Tauno Palo](/source/Tauno_Palo), [Olavi Virta](/source/Olavi_Virta), [Pentti Siimes](/source/Pentti_Siimes), [Jussi Jurkka](/source/Jussi_Jurkka), and [Åke Lindman](/source/%C3%85ke_Lindman) performed in his films.<ref name=":4" />

Markus died in [Espoo](/source/Espoo), Finland, at the age of 72 in 1989.{{r|biografiasampo-1}}

== Director ==

* ''Den heliga ilskan'' 1965
* ''Karl'' 1963
* ''Det förrädiska hjärtat'' 1963
* ''Ett fat amontillado'' 1963
* ''Lumisten metsien tyttö - Girl of the Snowy Forests'' 1960
* ''Verta käsissämme - Blood on our Hands'' 1958
* ''Autuas eversti - The Blessed Colonel'' 1958
* [''Miriam''](/source/Miriam_(film)) 1957
* ''Rakas varkaani - My Dear Robber'' 1957
* ''Neiti talonmies - Miss Janitor'' 1955
* ''Rakkaus kahleissa - Love in Chains'' 1955
* ''Taikayö - Magical Night'' 1954
* ''Matkailijan keitaita - Traveler's Oases'' 1953

== Writer ==

* ''Det förrädiska hjärtat'' 1963
* ''Ett fat amontillado'' 1963
* ''Autuas eversti - The Blessed Colonel'' 1958
* ''Miriam'' 1957
* ''Neiti talonmies - Miss Janitor'' 1955
* ''Matkailijan keitaita - Traveler's Oases'' 1953

==Actor==
* ''Rakas varkaani - My Dear Robber'' 1957
* ''Matkailijan keitaita Traveler's Oases'' 1953
* ''Forsfararna'' 1953
* ''On lautalla pienoinen huvila - Small Villa on the Ferry'' 1952
* ''Suomalaistyttöjä Tukholmassa - Finnish Girls in Stockholm'' 1952
* ''Neljä rakkautta - Four Loves'' 1951
* ''Kenraalin morsian - General's Bride'' 1951
* ''Vain laulajapoikia - Just Singer Boys'' 1951
* ''[The Wooden Horse](/source/The_Wooden_Horse)'' - 1950
* ''Hornankoski'' 1949
* ''Hormoonit valloillaan - Hormones in Full Swing'' 1948
* ''Maaret - tunturien tyttö - Maaret - the Girl of the Fells'' 1947
* ''Tuhottu nuoruus - Destroyed Youth'' 1947
* ''Dynamiittityttö - Dynamite Girl'' 1944

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0549031|William Markus}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Markus, William}}
Category:1917 births
Category:1989 deaths
Category:Film people from Liverpool
Category:Finnish film directors
Category:Finnish male film actors
Category:20th-century Finnish male actors
Category:20th-century Finnish screenwriters
Category:Male actors from Liverpool
Category:English emigrants to Finland
Category:Finnish people of English descent
Category:English people of Finnish descent

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Markus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Markus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Markus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.