Colin Welland (born 4 July 1934) is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire (1981).Born in Leigh, Lancashire, Welland grew up as a child in the Kensington area of Liverpool before moving to Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire. His parents were Jack and Nora Williams.As an actor, Welland appeared as PC David Graham in the BBC Television series Z-Cars as well as a villain in the 1970s drama The Sweeney.