William Thomson "Will" Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian, who achieved fame through his theatrical sketch as a joke-schoolmaster, which he took on world tours. He moved on to films, some of them continuing the schoolmaster theme, in which he also featured as a writer and director. In The Goose Steps Out (1942), his brand of humour was adapted for war propaganda. Hay was also a keen amateur astronomer, who built his own observatory.