biography

Bill Williams Born Herman Katt in Brooklyn, New York, on May 21, 1915, actor Bill Williams grew up in New York City. A natural athlete, Williams became a junior national champion swimmer as a teenager and was also a dancer in vaudeville. During the depths of the Great Depression, Williams was professional swimmer in underwater shows. In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, and following his early discharge Williams made the switch to acting. He made his film debut in Universal's comedy mystery Murder in the Blue Room (1944; with Anne Gwynne), which he followed up with a supporting role in MGM's war drama Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944; with Van Johnson and Robert Walker). At about the same time, Williams met up-and-coming actress Barbara Hale in an acting class while both were contract players at RKO. Hale and Williams married in 1946.
Barbara Hale and Bill Williams In 1946, Williams landed an important role as Perry Kincheloe, a Marine whose war injuries rendered him crippled, in Till the End of Time (1946; with Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum, and Dorothy McGuire). His first starring roles came in the RKO comedy A Likely Story (1947; with Barbara Hale) and in RKO's film noir thriller The Clay Pigeon (1949; with Barbara Hale and Martha Hyer). Upon leaving RKO in 1949, Williams began a long association with westerns including the 20th Century Fox release Fighting Man of the Plains (1949; with Randolph Scott and Victor Jory) and Monogram's Blue Grass of Kentucky (1950; with Jane Nigh). He cemented this association in 1951, when he was cast in the title role in the popular syndicated TV series The Adventures of Kit Carson, which aired first-run episodes from 1951 to 1955. Following the end of his series, Williams found he had been typecast in the Kit Carson role, so he attempted to break out of the mold by taking the role of Gus Angel, opposite Betty White, in the short-lived 1957-1958 ABC comedy series Date With the Angels. Nevertheless, Williams was content to take roles in westerns, such as Oklahoma Territory (1960; with Gloria Talbott), Law of the Lawless (1964; with Dale Robertson and Yvonne De Carlo), and Buckskin (1968; with Barry Sullivan, Wendell Corey, and Barbara Hale).


the films of bill williams

The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951-1955 Syndicated TV Series)

Bill Williams

Williams portrayed the title character in the syndicated western The Adventures of Kit Carson

Blue Blood (1951)

Harry Shannon, Jane Nigh, and Bill Williams

Lobby card from the Monogram drama Blue Blood, shot in Cinecolor, a two-strip color film process. Also pictured are Harry Shannon and Jane Nigh

Rose of Cimarron (1952)

Mala Powers and Bill Williams

With Mala Powers in the B-western Rose of Cimarron

Outlaw's Daughter (1954)

Kelly Ryan and Bill WilliamsJim Davis and Bill Williams

LEFT: With Kelly Ryan in the 20th Century Fox western Outlaw's Daughter. RIGHT: With Jim Davis

Racing Blood (1954)

Bill Williams and Jimmy Boyd

From the 20th Century Fox drama Racing Blood with Jimmy Boyd

Apache Ambush (1955)

Ray Teal, Bill Williams, Adelle August, and Richard Jaeckel

From the Columbia western Apache Ambush with Ray Teal, Adelle August, and Richard Jaeckel

Wiretapper (1955)

Bill Williams and Georgia Lee

With Georgia Lee in the independently produced film noir thriller Wiretapper

Schlitz Playhouse (1951–1959 CBS TV Series)

Bill Williams and Nancy Gates

With Nancy Gates in a 1955 episode of Schlitz Playhouse titled Well of Anger

The Broken Star (1956)

Bill Williams and Howard Duff

From the western The Broken Star, released by United Artists. Also pictured is Howard Duff

Date with the Angels (1957-1958 ABC TV Series)

Betty White and Bill Williams

Betty White and Bill Williams were the stars of the ABC situation comedy Date with the Angels

Legion of the Doomed (1958)

Bill Williams

From the Allied Artists adventure Legion of the Doomed

Space Master X-7 (1958)

Paul Frees and Bill Williams

With Paul Frees in the low-budget 20th Century Fox sci-fi release Space Master X-7

Oklahoma Territory (1960)

Gloria Talbott and Bill Williams

With Gloria Talbott in the low-budget western Oklahoma Territory

Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space (1965)

Bill Williams

Williams starred as Captain Mead Ralston in the low-budget British sci-fi flick Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space

later years

Film roles for Bill Williams slacked off in the 1960s, but he kept busy on television in guest-starring roles on such programs as Perry Mason, Ironside, Lassie, and The F.B.I., just to name a few. And he occasionally tackled a film role in low-budget films, including The Giant Spider Invasion (1975; with Barbara Hale, Steve Brodie, and Leslie Parrish). His last acting role came in the NBC TV movie Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981; with O.J. Simpson and Reb Brown). Afterward, Williams and Barbara Hale retired to their Yucca Valley ranch. During the same period, their son, William Katt, was starring in a series of his own, The Greatest American Hero, which aired from 1981 to 1983 on ABC. Sadly, Bill Williams passed away from complications arising from a brain tumor on September 21, 1992, at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, Barbara Hale; daughters Jody and Juanita; son, actor William Katt; and four grandchildren.

filmography

FILMS
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981) with O.J. Simpson, Reb Brown, James Gregory, Stubby Kaye, and Sheila MacRae
Night of the Zombies (1981) with Jamie Gillis
A Fire in the Sky (1978) with Richard Crenna, Elizabeth Ashley, Joanna Miles, Lloyd Bochner, Merlin Olsen, Andrew Duggan, and Nicolas Coster
Moon Over the Alley (1976)
Flight of the Grey Wolf (1976) with Barbara Hale
The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) with Steve Brodie, Barbara Hale, Robert Easton, Leslie Parrish, and Alan Hale Jr.
The Phantom of Hollywood (1974) with Skye Aubrey, Jack Cassidy, Jackie Coogan, Broderick Crawford, Peter Haskell, John Ireland, Peter Lawford, Corinne Calvet, Billy Halop, John Lupton, and Kent Taylor
Chester, Yesterday's Horse (1973) with Barbara Hale
Scandalous John (1971) with Brian Keith, Rick Lenz, Harry Morgan, Simon Oakland, Fran Ryan, Bruce Glover, and John Ritter
Rio Lobo (1970) with John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neill, Jack Elam, Christopher Mitchum, Victor French, Mike Henry, and Jim Davis
Buckskin (1968) with Barry Sullivan, Joan Caulfield, Wendell Corey, Lon Chaney Jr., John Russell, Barbara Hale, and Richard Arlen
Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space (1965) with Kathleen Breck
Tickle Me (1965) with Elvis Presley, Julie Adams, Jocelyn Lane, Jack Mullaney, Merry Anders, Grady Sutton, and Allison Hayes
A Letter to Nancy (1965) with Barry Coe, Judi Meredith, Robert Rockwell, and Ruth Warrick
Law of the Lawless (1964) with Dale Robertson, Yvonne De Carlo, William Bendix, Lon Chaney Jr., Bruce Cabot, John Agar, Richard Arlen, Jody McCrea, Kent Taylor, Rod Lauren, and Don 'Red' Barry
The Sergeant Was a Lady (1961) with Martin West, Venetia Stevenson, and Francine York
Hell to Eternity (1960) with Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, and Vic Damone
Oklahoma Territory (1960) with Gloria Talbott, Walter Sande, and X Brands
A Dog's Best Friend (1959) with Marcia Henderson, Roger Mobley, and Harry Dean Stanton
Alaska Passage (1959) with Naura Hayden
Legion of the Doomed (1958) with Anthony Caruso
Space Master X-7 (1958) with Paul Frees
Slim Carter (1957) with Jock Mahoney, Julie Adams, Tim Hovey, William Hopper, Ben Johnson, Joanna Moore, Margaret Field, and Roxanne Arlen
Pawnee (1957) with George Montgomery, Lola Albright, Dabbs Greer, and Kathleen Freeman
The Storm Rider (1957) with Scott Brady and Mala Powers
The Halliday Brand (1957) with Joseph Cotten, Viveca Lindfors, Betsy Blair, Ward Bond, Jay C. Flippen, Jeanette Nolan, and Glenn Strange
The Broken Star (1956) with Howard Duff and Lita Baron
The Wild Dakotas (1956) with Coleen Gray, Jim Davis, and Dickie Jones
Hell's Horizon (1955) with John Ireland, Marla English, Hugh Beaumont, Larry Pennell, William Schallert, and Jerry Paris
Apache Ambush (1955) with Richard Jaeckel, Alex Montoya, Movita, Adelle August, Tex Ritter, and Ray 'Crash' Corrigan
Wiretapper (1955) with Douglas Kennedy and Paul Picerni
Outlaw's Daughter (1954) with Kelly Ryan, Jim Davis, Elisha Cook Jr., Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, and George Barrows
Racing Blood (1954) with Jimmy Boyd
Torpedo Alley (1952) with Mark Stevens, Dorothy Malone, and Douglas Kennedy
Son of Paleface (1952) with Bob Hope, Jane Russell, and Roy Rogers
The Pace That Thrills (1952) with Robert Armstrong and Cleo Moore
Rose of Cimarron (1952) with Jack Buetel, Mala Powers, and Jim Davis
Havana Rose (1951) with Estelita Rodriguez, Hugh Herbert, and Robert Easton
Cavalry Charge (1951) with Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming, Bruce Bennett, Noah Beery Jr., and Hugh Beaumont
The Great Missouri Raid (1951) with Wendell Corey, Macdonald Carey, Ellen Drew, Ward Bond, Bruce Bennett, Anne Revere, Edgar Buchanan, and Tom Tyler
Blue Blood (1951) with Lyle Talbot
California Passage (1950) with Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Estelita Rodriguez, and Jim Davis
Rookie Fireman (1950) with Barton MacLane and Marjorie Reynolds
The Cariboo Trail (1950) with Randolph Scott, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Karin Booth, Victor Jory, Douglas Kennedy, Jim Davis, and Dale Robertson
Operation Haylift (1950) with Ann Rutherford
Blue Grass of Kentucky (1950) with Ralph Morgan
A Dangerous Profession (1949) with George Raft, Ella Raines, Pat O'Brien, and Jim Backus
Fighting Man of the Plains (1949) with Randolph Scott, Victor Jory, and Douglas Kennedy
The Clay Pigeon (1949) with Barbara Hale and Martha Hyer
The Stratton Story (1949) with James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan, and Agnes Moorehead
A Woman's Secret (1949) with Maureen O'Hara, Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Grahame, and Victor Jory
A Likely Story (1947) with Barbara Hale and Nestor Paiva
Till the End of Time (1946) with Dorothy McGuire, Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum, and Tom Tully
Deadline at Dawn (1946) with Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, Osa Massen, Lola Lane, and Jerome Cowan
West of the Pecos (1945) with Robert Mitchum and Barbara Hale
Those Endearing Young Charms (1945) with Robert Young, Laraine Day, Ann Harding, Anne Jeffreys, and Lawrence Tierney
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) with Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Don DeFore, Phyllis Thaxter, Stephen McNally, and Robert Mitchum
Murder in the Blue Room (1944) with Anne Gwynne

TELEVISION SERIES
Assignment: Underwater, 1960-1961 syndicated TV series. Williams portrayed Bill Greer
Date with the Angels, 1957–1958 ABC TV series. Williams portrayed Gus Angel
The Adventures of Kit Carson, 1951–1955 syndicated TV series. Williams portrayed the title character

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
240-Robert, episode Stuntman, originally aired September 3, 1979
B.J. and the Bear, episode Odyssey of the Shady Truth, originally aired February 10, 1979
Police Woman, episode Sarah Who?, originally aired October 26, 1976
Ironside, episode The Rolling Y, originally aired January 1, 1975
Police Woman, episode The End Game, originally aired September 13, 1974
The F.B.I., episode The Lost Man, originally aired March 24, 1974
The Rookies, episode Something Less Than a Man, originally aired February 18, 1974
Adam-12, episode Routine Patrol: The Drug Store Cowboys, originally aired February 12, 1974
Emergency!, episode Body Language, originally aired December 8, 1973
Dusty's Trail, episode Then There Were Seven, originally aired October 23, 1973
The Rookies, episode Get Ryker, originally aired October 8, 1973
The Streets of San Francisco, episode The Unicorn, originally aired April 5, 1973
Gunsmoke, episode Talbot, originally aired February 26, 1973
The Rookies, episode Three Hours to Kill, originally aired February 12, 1973
Ironside, episode Nightmare Trip, originally aired November 9, 1972
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, episode Operation: Smokescreen, originally aired March 10, 1972
Adam-12, episode Pick-up, originally aired December 29, 1971
Primus, episode Trial and Terror, originally aired September 29, 1971
Marcus Welby, M.D., episode To Carry the Sun in a Golden Cup, originally aired December 8, 1970
Insight, episode A Thousand Red Flowers, originally aired July 27, 1969
Lassie, episode The Return Home, originally aired February 2, 1969
Lassie, episode A Chance to Live, originally aired January 26, 1969
The F.B.I., episode The Runaways, originally aired October 13, 1968
Daniel Boone, episode The Spanish Horse, originally aired November 23, 1967
Dragnet 1967, episode The Big Frustration, originally aired October 19, 1967
Lassie, episode Lassie and the Buffalo, originally aired September 11, 1966
Batman, episode Batman Makes the Scenes, originally aired May 5, 1966
Batman, episode Fine Finny Fiends, originally aired May 4, 1966
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the 12th Wildcat, originally aired October 31, 1965
The Wild Wild West, episode Night of the Casual Killer, originally aired October 15, 1965
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Murderous Mermaid, originally aired March 18, 1965
Rawhide, episode The Lost Herd, originally aired October 16, 1964
Lassie, episode Climb the Mountain Slowly, originally aired October 4, 1964
77 Sunset Strip, episode Flight 307, originally aired March 29, 1963
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Bluffing Blast, originally aired January 10, 1963
77 Sunset Strip, episode The Snow Job Caper, originally aired December 28, 1962
Target: The Corruptors, episode Goodbye Children, originally aired June 8, 1962
Lawman, episode Get Out of Town, originally aired May 20, 1962
Hawaiian Eye, episode Location Shooting, originally aired May 9, 1962
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Crippled Cougar, originally aired March 3, 1962
The Investigators, episode New Sound for the Blues, originally aired October 19, 1961
Laramie, episode Man of God, originally aired December 1, 1959
Men Into Space, episode Asteroid, originally aired November 25, 1959
Bachelor Father, episode East Meets West, originally aired October 22, 1959
The Millionaire, episode Millionaire Martha Halloran, originally aired May 27, 1959
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, episode The Untouchables: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired April 20 and 27, 1959
G.E. True Theater, episode The Flying Wife, originally aired April 5, 1959
Yancy Derringer, episode Ticket to Natchez, originally aired October 23, 1958
M Squad, episode Girl Lost, originally aired March 21, 1958
Science Fiction Theatre, episode Killer Tree, originally aired January 4, 1957
The Millionaire, episode The Kathy Munson Story, originally aired September 12, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode Jupitron, originally aired August 17, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode The Mind Machine, originally aired June 8, 1956
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Angels in the Sky, originally aired April 6, 1956
Damon Runyon Theater, episode Miracle Jones, originally aired February 26, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode Project 44, originally aired January 6, 1956
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Well of Anger, originally aired December 30, 1955
The Red Skelton Hour, episode Deadeye vs. the Lone Ranger, originally aired December 6, 1955
Science Fiction Theatre, episode The Hastings Secret, originally aired November 18, 1955
Studio 57, episode Young Couples Only, originally aired September 3, 1955
Dragnet, episode The Big Pug, originally aired April 15, 1954
The Bigelow Theatre, episode Make Your Bed, originally aired March 4, 1951

bill williams trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Bill Williams' 1958 sci-fi movie Space Master X-7

bill williams television appearances

Watch Bill Williams in a May 31, 1957 episode of Date with the Angels titled The Wheel

bill williams film now showing

Watch Bill Williams' 1946 noir thriller Deadline at Dawn
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