Name
Bill Williams
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1915-05-21
Deathday
1992-09-21 (77 years old)
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York, USA
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
4.6
Heading west for his health, Colonel Lambeth takes his daughter Rill along. Lost on the de...
5.7
A cop-turned-bail bondsman gets involved in a murder investigation involving a former flam...
4.1
A black hole hits North Wisconsin and opens a door to other dimensions. Giant 15 meter spi...
6.1
A wagon train heads for Denver with a cargo of whisky for the miners. Chaos ensues as the ...
6.7
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for...
- 1976 69 Minutes
- 1952 Son of Paleface as Kirk
- 1958 Space Master X-7 as John Hand
- 1970 Rio Lobo as Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin
- 1957 The Halliday Brand as Clay Halliday
- 1946 Deadline at Dawn as Alex Winkler
- 1949 The Clay Pigeon as Jim Fletcher
- 1949 The Stratton Story as Eddie Dibson
- 1975 The Giant Spider Invasion as Dutch
- 1965 Tickle Me as Deputy Sturdivant
- 1949 A Dangerous Profession as Claude Brackett
- 1974 125 Rooms of Comfort
- 1961 The Sergeant Was a Lady as Col. House
- 1979 When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion as Self
- 1949 A Woman's Secret as Lee Crenshaw
- 1965 A Letter to Nancy as George Reed
- 1946 Till the End of Time as Perry Kincheloe
- 1952 The Pace That Thrills as Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston
- 1960 Oklahoma Territory as Temple Houston
- 1957 Pawnee as Matt Delaney
- 1951 The Last Outpost as Sgt. Tucker
- 1956 The Wild Dakotas as Jim Henry
- 1968 Buckskin as Frank Cody
- 1957 The Storm Rider as Sheriff Colton
- 1950 Operation Haylift as Bill Masters
- 1949 Fighting Man of the Plains as Marshall Johnny Tancred
- 1950 The Cariboo Trail as Mike Evans
- 1952 Rose of Cimarron as George Newcomb
- 1953 Torpedo Alley as Tom Graham
- 1955 Apache Ambush as James Kingston
- 1956 The Broken Star as Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry
- 1959 Alaska Passage as Al Graham
- 1965 Spaceflight IC-1 as Capt. Mead Ralston
- 1945 West of the Pecos as Tex Evans
- 1950 Blue Grass of Kentucky as Lin McIvor
- 1958 Legion of the Doomed
- 1981 Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood as Cowboy Bob
- 1955 Wiretapper as James Arthur Vaus, Jr.
- 1957 Slim Carter as Frank Hanneman
- 1944 Murder in the Blue Room as Larry (as Bill MacWilliams)
- 1945 Those Endearing Young Charms as Jerry
- 1971 Scandalous John as Sheriff Hart
- 1965 The Hallelujah Trail as Lt. Brady (uncredited)
- 1954 The Outlaw's Daughter as Jess Raidley aka Big Red
- 1959 The Scarface Mob as Martin Flaherty
- 1947 A Likely Story as Bill
- 1951 The Great Missouri Raid as Jim Younger
- 1933 King Kong as Theatre Usher (uncredited)
- 1950 California Passage as Bob Martin
- 1964 Law of the Lawless as Silas Miller
- 1959 A Dog's Best Friend as Wesley 'Wes' Thurman
- 1960 Hell to Eternity as Leonard
- 1951 Havana Rose as Tex Thompson
- 1945 The Body Snatcher as Survis - Medical Student (uncredited)
- 1945 Back to Bataan as (uncredited)
- 1951 Blue Blood as Bill Manning
- 1978 A Fire in the Sky as Dale Turner
- 1955 Hell's Horizon as Paul Jenkins
- 1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Bud Felton
- 1976 The Flight of the Grey Wolf as The Sheriff
- 1945 Johnny Angel as Big Sailor (uncredited)
- 1954 Racing Blood as Tex
- 1962 Stampede at Bitter Creek as Paul Forbes
- 1950 Rookie Fireman as Joe Blake
- 1945 Sing Your Way Home as Officer (uncredited)
- 1967 Eight on the Lam as Cop at Roadblock (uncredited)
- 1958 77 Sunset Strip ( 1 episode )
- 1979 B. J. and the Bear ( 1 episode )
- 1972 The Rookies ( 3 episodes )
- 1965 The F.B.I. ( 1 episode ) as David Warren
- 1966 Batman ( 2 episodes ) as Multimillionaire
- 1972 The Streets of San Francisco ( 1 episode )
- 1979 240-Robert ( 1 episode )
- 1951 Dragnet ( 1 episode )
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Mike Preston
- 1955 Gunsmoke ( 1 episode ) as Red
- 1953 General Electric Theater ( 1 episode ) as Stewart Davidson
- 1972 Emergency! ( 1 episode ) as Pete
- 1954 Lassie ( 2 episodes )
- 1968 Adam-12 ( 1 episode ) as William Taylor
- 1965 The Wild Wild West ( 1 episode )
- 1959 Rawhide ( 1 episode ) as Tom Bickle
- 1974 Police Woman ( 2 episodes )
- 1964 Daniel Boone ( 1 episode ) as Caleb Trevor
- 1955 The Millionaire ( 1 episode ) as Donald Abbott
- 1958 Yancy Derringer ( 1 episode ) as Duke Winslow
- 1951 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ( 1 episode ) as Ed Sawyer
- 1959 Men Into Space ( 1 episode )
- 1957 M Squad ( 1 episode ) as Jerry Langdon
- 1959 Laramie ( 1 episode )
- 1957 Date with the Angels ( 60 episodes )
- 1949 Adventures In Jazz ( 22 episodes )
- 1951 The Adventures of Kit Carson ( 103 episodes )
- 1960 Assignment: Underwater ( 38 episodes ) as Bill Greer
- 1953 Music at the Meadowbrook ( 1 episode )
- 1971 Primus ( 1 episode )
- 1965 The F.B.I. ( 1 episode ) as Crawford
- 1968 Adam-12 ( 1 episode ) as Fred Wheeler
- 1955 The Millionaire ( 1 episode ) as Clint Halloran
- 1951 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ( 1 episode )
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Floyd Grant
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Charles Shaw
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Burt Payne
- 1954 Lassie ( 1 episode ) as Jed Bingham
- 1958 77 Sunset Strip ( 1 episode ) as Henry Cook
- 1958 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Martin Flaherty
- 1961 The Investigators ( 1 episode )
- 1967 Ironside ( 1 episode ) as Lt. Dacker
