Movember: William Powell

Time for a bit of gratuitous man-totty in honour of Movember. I have to admit, I'm not a massive moustache fan, mainly when they're not looked after 'moes' can be rather unpleasant things. However, one man who not only wears his moustache, but does so with panache, was William Powell. I bet he never tried to kiss a girl after marinating his overlong mo in beer and pizza...

Powell's career started in silent films, and right from the start he was on screen alongside some very big names: John Barrymore in Sherlock Holmes, Marion Davies in When Knighthood Was in Flower and Lillian Gish in Romola. He also played the role of George Wilson in the lost silent version of The Great Gatsby (one of the holy grails of silent film fans). His early talkies included The Canary Murder Case with Louise Brooks (one of three films where he played detective Philo Vance) and Pointed Heels with the prototype for Betty Boop, Helen Kane. However, none of those are the roles he's most famous for.

For me, William Powell will forever be the dashing detective Nick Charles, one half of the 1930s most scintillating crime-fighting teams. The other was his wife Nora, played by Myrna Loy. The duo made six 'Thin Man' films. In the shot here, he's testing out his Christmas present from his wife. Nick is a witty, hard-drinking charmer, wisecracking and fun, as at home in a low dive as he is in an upmarket nightclub or fancy restaurant. Of course, he needs wealthy, sparkling Nora to be seen to his best advantage – but who wouldn't imagine being Nora Charles with William Powell as Nick?