Age, Biography and Wiki
- Full Name: Mark J. Williams
- Nickname: The Welsh Potting Machine
- Date of Birth: March 21, 1975 (Age: 50 in 2025)
- Birthplace: Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales
- Nationality: Welsh
- Turned Pro: 1992
Mark Williams is renowned for being one of only eight players in the modern era to win the World Snooker Championship three or more times. He stands fifth on the all-time list of ranking event winners, with 26 titles since turning professional. Williams was the first left-handed player to win the World Championship and is part of a small group to have won all three “Triple Crown” events in the same season.
| Occupation | Snooker Player |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 21 March 1975 |
| Age | 50 Years |
| Birth Place | Cwm, Wales |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: Approximately 5 ft 10 in (178 cm; estimates vary)
- Weight: Around 170–180 lbs (77–82 kg; estimates based on public appearances)
- Measurements: Not publicly disclosed
| Height | 178 cm |
| Weight | 180 lbs |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Mark Williams has generally kept his personal life away from the spotlight. As of 2025, he is married to Joanne Williams, with whom he has children. Specific dating history is not widely reported, as the couple maintains a private family life.
He started playing snooker at an early age and won his first junior event when he was eleven years old; it was then that he decided to pursue a career as a snooker player. He scored his first century break when he was thirteen and had achieved his first maximum break by the time he was eighteen. As a schoolboy, he was also an amateur boxer but gave it up after being defeated. His father Dilwyn was a coal miner, and as a teenager Williams did a 12-hour shift down a mine.
After losing his place in the top 16 of the world rankings in 2017, Williams teamed up with his friend Lee Walker and SightRight coach Stephen Feeney in an effort to revive his career. He won the Six-red World Championship in September, defeating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 82 in the final in Bangkok; with the scores level at 22, Williams won six consecutive frames to seal the victory. He then won his first ranking title after a six-year drought, the 2017 Northern Ireland Open, defeating Yan Bingtao 98 in the final; it was an emotional win for Williams, as he revealed that his wife had been suffering from ill health, and he had considered withdrawing from several tournaments. He faced Mark Selby in the first round of the 2018 Masters, recovering from 35 behind to defeat the reigning world champion 65, before losing 16 to Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals. At the 2018 German Masters, he beat Judd Trump 61 to reach the final where he faced Graeme Dott. Williams dominated the final, making six breaks over 50 and one century (a 110) in the eighth frame as he claimed a 91 victory.
He advanced to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Championship with a 138 win over Ali Carter. Before his semi-final match against Barry Hawkins, Williams stated that if he won the championship he would do his press conference naked. Hawkins proved to be his most difficult opponent of the tournament so far: Williams levelled the match at 1515 and secured two more frames to win 1715. Reaching his first World Championship final since 2003, he came up against fellow "Class of '92" member, John Higgins. The match was described as one of the best finals in the history of the tournament, Williams winning 1816 to claim his third world title. Aged 43, this made him the oldest winner since Ray Reardon, who had won the title in 1978 aged 45. (Ronnie O'Sullivan won his sixth world title in 2020, aged 44, meaning that Williams is now the third-oldest winner of a world title in the modern era.) It also marked 15 years since his previous world title, making it the largest time span between consecutive titles. After winning the final, Williams thanked his late sponsor Ron Skinner who had died two months earlier, and his wife for convincing him not to retire. As promised, he appeared naked at the press conference later, but he was instructed to wear a towel.
In 2010, Williams became co-owner of Tredegar Snooker Hall in Georgetown, Blaenau Gwent. He is a keen poker player and has played on the European Poker Tour. Williams also enjoys playing golf. He and his wife Joanne have three sons: Connor (born April 2004), Kian (born 2007) and Joel (born 2014). He is good friends with retired snooker professional Stephen Hendry, as well as boxer Joe Calzaghe. Williams was awarded an MBE in June 2004.
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Net Worth and Salary
- Estimated Net Worth (2025): ~£2–4 million (estimates based on career earnings and endorsements)
- World Snooker Tour Money List Earnings: £858,600 (official prize money as listed on WPBSA)
- One Year List Earnings (recent): £505,600
- Total Prize Money (career): Over £5 million (including ranking and non-ranking events, unofficial estimates)
Williams’ net worth is bolstered by his consistent performances and longevity in the sport, as well as endorsements and occasional sponsorships. However, much of his wealth is tied to his prize winnings, given the limited commercial scope of snooker compared to other sports.
Career, Business and Investments
- Professional Snooker Career: Turned pro in 1992; 3-time World Champion (2000, 2003, 2018); 26 ranking titles
- Triple Crown Wins: World Championship (3 times), UK Championship (2 times), The Masters (2 times)
- Other Career Highlights: Made over 600 century breaks, 3 maximum 147s in competition, shared record for most centuries in a single tournament (16 at 2022 World Championship)
- Business and Investments: No major public business ventures or investments disclosed; focus remains on snooker and family
Williams became a professional player in 1992. He has won 26 ranking tournaments, including two UK Championships (1999 and 2002), placing him sixth on the all-time list of ranking titles. He has also won the Masters tournament on two occasions (1998 and 2003). His form began to decline after his second World Championship title in 2003; he then dropped out of the top 16 following the 200708 season but regained his place for 200910. After winning the 2011 German Masters, he had to wait six years before his next ranking title victory at the 2017 Northern Ireland Open. The 201718 season proved to be one of the best of his career, as he won the 2018 German Masters before winning his third world title at the Crucible. Williams has continued to win titles into his late forties, including wins at the 2023 British Open and the 2024 Tour Championship. At the 2025 World Championship, Williams, aged 50, became the oldest ever player to reach the final of the tournament.
Known for his long potting ability, Williams is nicknamed "The Welsh Potting Machine". He is the first left-handed player to win the World Championship. He has compiled over 600 century breaks in professional competition, including three maximums, and has won over £8 million in prize money over the course of his career. He is one of the three players collectively known as the "Class of '92" who all turned professional during the 199293 season, the other two being Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. Williams is a member of the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.
Williams had a very successful 1999–00 season, winning both the UK Championship and the World Championship. These results, along with another ranking title at the 2000 Thailand Masters and three runner-up positions, allowed him to capture the world number one position for the first time. At the UK Championship in November 1999, he defeated Stephen Hendry 96 in the semi-final before beating his fellow countryman Matthew Stevens 108 in the final. In the 2000 World Championship final, he recovered from 713 behind against Stevens to eventually win 1816. Williams was the first left-handed player to win the World Championship at The Crucible. He also produced a notable comeback in his semi-final match against John Higgins, coming from 1014 down to win 1715.
The 2002–03 season was exceptional for Williams as he won all three Triple Crown events: the 2002 UK Championship, 2003 Masters and the 2003 World Championship. He was only the fourth player after Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and John Higgins to hold the three titles simultaneously, and only the third player after Davis and Hendry to have won them all in one season. These results enabled him to reclaim the number one spot at the end of the season. He became just the second player, after Ray Reardon, to reclaim the number one ranking position. He beat Ken Doherty 109 in the UK Championship final, and he beat Hendry 104 in the Masters final. Before the 2003 World Championship, he had a scare when his cue was damaged and bent on his flight with Ryanair on his way to play in the Irish Masters, but he had it repaired before the tournament. He had a relatively untroubled route to the 2003 World Championship final, with wins over Stuart Pettman 102, Quinten Hann 132, Hendry 137 and Stephen Lee 178. In the final against Doherty, he developed a 102 lead and appeared to be heading for an emphatic victory, before Doherty fought back to tie the match 1616. Williams regained his composure to win the last two frames and lift the world trophy for the second time.
On 26 March 2006, Williams won the 16th ranking event of his career, and his first in two and a half years—the 2006 China Open in Beijing—defeating John Higgins 98 in the final. The victory helped Williams retain his top-16 place in the world rankings. He also performed well at the 2006 World Championship, beating Anthony Hamilton 101 and Mark Selby 138 to set up a quarter-final clash with Ronnie O'Sullivan. It was the first time the two had met in a match at the Crucible, and their well-publicised rivalry brought some extra tension to the encounter (although O'Sullivan has since said that the former feud has been replaced by friendship and mutual respect). In a closely contested match, O'Sullivan eventually won 1311. It was revealed during the 200506 season that Williams and his coach Terry Griffiths had parted company.
Williams won the Pot Black trophy in September 2006. In the final against Higgins, he compiled a century break of 119 which was the highest break in the history of the tournament. However, 200607 turned out to be perhaps the worst season of his career, as he lost his first match in a string of tournaments, including the 2007 Masters where he was whitewashed 06 by Neil Robertson, and the 2007 World Championship where he lost 910 to Joe Swail.
After a 2–6 first-round loss to Ken Doherty at the 2008 Masters, Williams revealed that he was considering retirement from the game if he dropped out of the top 32 and was forced to play in the qualifying competitions, although he was then only 32 years old. He later commented that the statement had been blown out of proportion, and that he intended to remain on the professional circuit. He began to show more consistency for the remainder of the season, reaching the last 16 of three ranking events as well as a run to the quarter-finals of the 2008 China Open, where a 35 loss to Ryan Day deprived him of a place in his first semi-final for two years. He was defeated 713 by O'Sullivan in the second round of the 2008 World Championship, which forced him out of the world's top 16 and pushed him into the qualifiers for the next season. It was announced on 8 July 2008 that Williams had split from his management company 110 Sport, as O'Sullivan and Maguire had done previously.
He was partnered with Matthew Stevens to represent Wales at the 2011 World Cup, and they reached the semi-finals, losing 14 against China. Williams then won through to the final of the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open but lost 89 against Bingham, after leading 85 at one stage of the match. He also lost from a winning position in the final of the next major ranking event, the 2011 Shanghai Masters. His run included a 65 win over Robertson in the semi-finals, and he led Selby 97 in the final before losing the last three frames for a 910 defeat. With the loss, he also relinquished the world number one spot to Selby. He was beaten in the last 16 of the 2011 UK Championship by Ricky Walden, and he reached the quarter-finals in his defence of the 2012 German Masters, where he succumbed 35 to Lee. Williams played in eleven of the twelve PTC events throughout the season, but could only reach the last 32 twice, in Event 10 and Event 11. He was ranked 82nd in the PTC Order of Merit, a long way outside the top 24 players who made the Finals.
Williams began the 2019–20 season positioned third in the world rankings. In early September, he reached the semi-finals of the 2019 Six-red World Championship, where he lost 57 to Higgins. He later reached the final of the 2019 China Championship; having been 59 behind to Shaun Murphy, Williams won four frames to force a deciding frame, which he lost. During the 2019 UK Championship, Williams commented that he "hates" snooker and would prefer to be playing golf. He then lost 26 to Michael White in the second round. After losing 26 to Stuart Bingham in the first round of the 2020 Masters, he admitted that his career was at a "crossroads". He reached the quarter-finals of the 2020 World Championship, where he played O'Sullivan. Williams took a 72 lead but ultimately lost the match 1013.
Williams is known for his laid-back demeanour and has been described by some snooker pundits as one of the greatest in the game. As of March 2025 he is tenth on the all-time list of century makers, having compiled more than 600 competitive centuries during his professional career.
An unusual aspect of his playing style is a tendency to sometimes position his cue directly underneath his body as an alternative to using the rest in an underarm style. He is also known for sometimes playing shots one-handed. Williams has said, "I play them all the time in practice and in matches, I don't miss many underarm shots". He is partially colour blind and has difficulty distinguishing between the red balls and the brown.
Social Network
- Twitter: @markwil147 (active, shares snooker and personal updates)
- Instagram: @mark.williams.snooker (unofficial/private; presence is not as prominent as Twitter)
- Facebook: Mark Williams (public pages and fan groups)
Williams is moderately active on social media, engaging with fans and sharing insights into his career and personal life, especially on Twitter.
Williams caused some controversy ahead of the 2012 World Snooker Championship by stating on his Twitter page that he "hates" the tournament's venue, swore while describing the Crucible Theatre, and said he hoped the event would be played in China soon. A spokesperson from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) confirmed that a statement would be released regarding the matter. Drawn to play Liu Chuang in the first round, Williams won 106 to set up a second-round clash with O'Sullivan, which he lost 613. The result meant that Williams had not beaten O'Sullivan in a ranking event for over a decade. He ended the season ranked world number three. A WPBSA statement revealed that Williams had been fined a total of £4,000 for the comments he had made before the World Championship. Williams was inducted into the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame in 2012.
Education
Details about Mark Williams’ formal education are not widely publicized. His early life focused on developing his snooker talent, and he turned professional directly from amateur ranks at age 17.
Summary Table
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Age | 50 (born March 21, 1975) |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (approx.) |
| Weight | 77–82 kg (approx.) |
| Family | Married (Joanne Williams), children |
| Net Worth (2025) | £2–4 million (estimate) |
| Career Earnings | Over £5 million (unofficial career total); £858,600 (current money list) |
| Ranking Titles | 26 |
| Triple Crown Titles | 7 (World: 3, UK: 2, Masters: 2) |
| Maximum 147s | 3 |
| Century Breaks | 600+ |
| Social Media | Twitter: @markwil147 |
