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Bill Williams

Bill Williams

Birthday: 1915-05-21 | Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA

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[1] 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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1975
The Giant Spider Invasion

as    Dutch

1968
Buckskin

as    Frank Cody

1965
Spaceflight IC-1

as    Capt. Mead Ralston

1965
Tickle Me

as    Deputy Sturdivant

1960
Hell to Eternity

as    Leonard

1960
Oklahoma Territory

as    Temple Houston

1959
Alaska Passage

as    Al Graham

1959
The Scarface Mob

as    Martin Flaherty

1958
Space Master X-7

as    John Hand

1957
The Halliday Brand

as    Clay Halliday

1957
Pawnee

as    Matt Delaney

1956
The Broken Star

as    Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry

1956
The Wild Dakotas

as    Jim Henry

1954
The Outlaw's Daughter

as    Jess Raidley aka Big Red

1953
Torpedo Alley

as    Tom Graham

1952
Rose of Cimarron

as    George Newcomb

1952
The Pace That Thrills

as    Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston

1951
The Last Outpost

as    Sgt. Tucker

1950
The Cariboo Trail

as    Mike Evans

1949
A Dangerous Profession

as    Claude Brackett

1949
The Stratton Story

as    Eddie Dibson

1949
The Clay Pigeon

as    Jim Fletcher

1949
A Woman's Secret

as    Lee Crenshaw

1949
Fighting Man of the Plains

as    Marshall Johnny Tancred

1946
Deadline at Dawn

as    Alex Winkler

1946
Till the End of Time

as    Perry Kincheloe

1945
1945
West of the Pecos

as    Tex Evans