Bill Williams

Bill Williams

  • Birthday: 1915-05-21
  • Deathday: 1992-09-21
  • Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Also know as: Willie

Biography

William Herman Katt (born Herman August Wilhelm Katt; May 15, 1915 – September 21, 1992), known as Bill Williams, was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early television series The Adventures of Kit Carson, which aired in syndication from 1951 to 1955. Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrant parents. He attended the Pratt Institute, and became a professional swimmer, performing in underwater shows. He landed a walk-on role as a theater usher in King Kong (1933). He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, but was discharged before the end and became an actor. His credited debut was in The Blue Room in 1944, using the professional name Bill Williams. His first starring role was opposite Susan Hayward in Deadline at Dawn (1946). Williams appeared in ten films before he landed the lead role in television's The Adventures of Kit Carson, which ran for 105 episodes. When the series ended, Williams' star power faded. It was revived in 1957 when he co-starred with Betty White on television in Date with the Angels. Williams portrayed Federal agent Martin Flaherty in The Scarface Mob (1959), the pilot for ABC's The Untouchables. However, when the series was accepted, the role went to Jerry Paris. Williams turned down the lead in Sea Hunt in 1958, believing that an underwater show would not work on television. Lloyd Bridges accepted the part and turned it into a hit. Williams did star as a former Navy frogman in Assignment: Underwater, which ran for just one season. He played a variety of roles on Perry Mason, in which his wife Barbara Hale co-starred as Raymond Burr's secretary Della Street. In a 1962 episode, "The Case of the Crippled Cougar," he played defendant Mike Preston. In 1963, he was murder victim Floyd Grant in "The Case of the Bluffing Blast." In 1965 Williams played murderer Charles Shaw in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid," and was murderer Burt Payne in "The Case of the 12th Wildcat". Williams appeared with his son in a final season episode of Ironside, bringing him together again with Raymond Burr. He also made numerous guest appearances on television and worked in low-budget science fiction films until his retirement.

Filmography

Space Master X-7

1958

As John Hand

The Clay Pigeon

1949

As Jim Fletcher

The Pace That Thrills

1952

As Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston

Oklahoma Territory

1960

As Temple Houston

The Wild Dakotas

1956

As Jim Henry

Operation Haylift

1950

As Bill Masters

Apache Ambush

1955

As James Kingston

Alaska Passage

1959

As Al Graham

Spaceflight IC-1

1965

As Capt. Mead Ralston

Wiretapper

1955

As James Arthur Vaus, Jr.

The Outlaw's Daughter

1954

As Jess Raidley aka Big Red

A Likely Story

1947

As Bill

Blue Blood

1951

As Bill Manning

Blue Grass of Kentucky

1950

As Lin McIvor

Pawnee

1957

As Matt Delaney

Fighting Man of the Plains

1949

As Marshall Johnny Tancred

Havana Rose

1951

As Tex Thompson

Deadline at Dawn

1946

As Alex Winkler

The Storm Rider

1957

As Sheriff Colton

The Cariboo Trail

1950

As Mike Evans

The Broken Star

1956

As Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry

Rose of Cimarron

1952

As George Newcomb

Torpedo Alley

1953

As Tom Graham

Hell's Horizon

1955

As Paul Jenkins

The Sergeant Was a Lady

1961

As Col. House

A Dangerous Profession

1949

As Claude Brackett

A Woman's Secret

1949

As Lee Crenshaw

Till the End of Time

1946

As Perry Kincheloe

The Last Outpost

1951

As Sgt. Tucker

A Dog's Best Friend

1959

As Wesley 'Wes' Thurman

Son of Paleface

1952

As Kirk

The Halliday Brand

1957

As Clay Halliday

The Stratton Story

1949

As Eddie Dibson

The Scarface Mob

1959

As Martin Flaherty

Tickle Me

1965

As Deputy Sturdivant

West of the Pecos

1945

As Tex Evans

California Passage

1950

As Bob Martin

69 Minutes

1976

As

A Letter to Nancy

1965

As George Reed

Buckskin

1968

As Frank Cody

The Great Missouri Raid

1951

As Jim Younger

Scandalous John

1971

As Sheriff Hart

Hell to Eternity

1960

As Leonard

Slim Carter

1957

As Frank Hanneman

Law of the Lawless

1964

As Silas Miller

Murder in the Blue Room

1944

As Larry (as Bill MacWilliams)

The Body Snatcher

1945

As Survis, Medical Student

King Kong

1933

As Theatre Usher (uncredited)

Rio Lobo

1970

As Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin

A Fire in the Sky

1978

As Dale Turner

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

1944

As Bud Felton

Back to Bataan

1945

As (uncredited)

The Hallelujah Trail

1965

As Lt. Brady (uncredited)

The Flame and the Arrow

1950

As Outlaw (uncredited)

Production

The Hallelujah Trail

1965

As Stunts

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