Bill Williams

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1915-05-21

Deathday 1992-09-21 (77 years old)

Place of Birth Brooklyn, New York, USA

Also Known As Willie, William Herman Katt

Bill Williams

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.

Known For

Actor

1978
A Fire in the Sky

as Dale Turner

1976
1971
Scandalous John

as Sheriff Hart

1971
1970
Rio Lobo

as Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin

1968
Buckskin

as Frank Cody

1968
Adam-12

as William Taylor

1968
Adam-12

as Fred Wheeler

1966
Batman

as Multimillionaire

1965
Spaceflight IC-1

as Capt. Mead Ralston

1965
Tickle Me

as Deputy Sturdivant

1965
The Hallelujah Trail

as Lt. Brady (uncredited)

1965
A Letter to Nancy

as George Reed

1965
The F.B.I.

as David Warren

1965
The F.B.I.

as Crawford

1964
Law of the Lawless

as Silas Miller

1964
Daniel Boone

as Caleb Trevor

1961
1960
Hell to Eternity

as Leonard

1960
Oklahoma Territory

as Temple Houston

1960
1959
A Dog's Best Friend

as Wesley 'Wes' Thurman

1959
The Scarface Mob

as Martin Flaherty

1959
Alaska Passage

as Al Graham

1959
Rawhide

as Tom Bickle

1958
Space Master X-7

as John Hand

1958
Yancy Derringer

as Duke Winslow

1957
Slim Carter

as Frank Hanneman

1957
Pawnee

as Matt Delaney

1957
The Storm Rider

as Sheriff Colton

1957
The Halliday Brand

as Clay Halliday

1957
Perry Mason

as Mike Preston

1957
Perry Mason

as Floyd Grant

1957
Perry Mason

as Charles Shaw

1957
Perry Mason

as Burt Payne

1957
M Squad

as Jerry Langdon

1956
The Broken Star

as Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry

1956
The Wild Dakotas

as Jim Henry

1955
Hell's Horizon

as Paul Jenkins

1955
Apache Ambush

as James Kingston

1955
Wiretapper

as James Arthur Vaus, Jr.

1955
Gunsmoke

as Red

1955
The Millionaire

as Donald Abbott

1955
The Millionaire

as Clint Halloran

1954
The Outlaw's Daughter

as Jess Raidley aka Big Red

1954
1953
Torpedo Alley

as Tom Graham

1953
General Electric Theater

as Stewart Davidson

1952
1952
The Pace That Thrills

as Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston

1952
Rose of Cimarron

as George Newcomb

1951
Havana Rose

as Tex Thompson

1951
The Last Outpost

as Sgt. Tucker

1951
1951
Blue Blood

as Bill Manning

1950
California Passage

as Bob Martin

1950
The Cariboo Trail

as Mike Evans

1950
The Flame and the Arrow

as Outlaw (uncredited)

1950
Operation Haylift

as Bill Masters

1950
1949
A Dangerous Profession

as Claude Brackett

1949
Fighting Man of the Plains

as Marshall Johnny Tancred

1949
The Stratton Story

as Eddie Dibson

1949
The Clay Pigeon

as Jim Fletcher

1949
A Woman's Secret

as Lee Crenshaw

1947
1946
Till the End of Time

as Perry Kincheloe

1946
Deadline at Dawn

as Alex Winkler

1945
West of the Pecos

as Tex Evans

1945
Back to Bataan

as (uncredited)

1945
The Body Snatcher

as Survis, Medical Student

1944
1944
Murder in the Blue Room

as Larry (as Bill MacWilliams)

1933
King Kong

as Theatre Usher (uncredited)

Crew

1965