Bill Williams
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 21, 1915
- Died
- Sep 21, 1992 (aged 77)
- Place of birth
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Credits
- 99
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
King Kong
1933Movie
Theatre Usher (uncredited)
Batman
1966TV
Multimillionaire
Rio Lobo
1970Movie
Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin
The Body Snatcher
1945Movie
Survis - Medical Student (uncredited)
Perry Mason
1957TV
Mike Preston, Floyd Grant, Charles Shaw, Burt Payne
Gunsmoke
1955TV
Red
Filmography
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
1981Movie
Cowboy Bob
240-Robert
1979TV
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
1979Movie
Self
B. J. and the Bear
1979TV
A Fire in the Sky
1978Movie
Dale Turner
69 Minutes
1976Movie
The Flight of the Grey Wolf
1976Movie
The Sheriff
The Giant Spider Invasion
1975Movie
Dutch
125 Rooms of Comfort
1974Movie
Police Woman
1974TV
The Streets of San Francisco
1972TV
The Rookies
1972TV
Emergency!
1972TV
Pete
Primus
1971TV
Scandalous John
1971Movie
Sheriff Hart
Rio Lobo
1970Movie
Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin
Adam-12
1968TV
William Taylor, Fred Wheeler
Buckskin
1968Movie
Frank Cody
Eight on the Lam
1967Movie
Cop at Roadblock (uncredited)
Ironside
1967TV
Lt. Dacker
Batman
1966TV
Multimillionaire
The F.B.I.
1965TV
David Warren, Crawford
The Wild Wild West
1965TV
Spaceflight IC-1
1965Movie
Capt. Mead Ralston
Tickle Me
1965Movie
Deputy Sturdivant
The Hallelujah Trail
1965Movie
Lt. Brady (uncredited)
A Letter to Nancy
1965Movie
George Reed
Daniel Boone
1964TV
Caleb Trevor
Law of the Lawless
1964Movie
Silas Miller
Stampede at Bitter Creek
1962Movie
Paul Forbes
The Investigators
1961TV
The Sergeant Was a Lady
1961Movie
Col. House
Assignment: Underwater
1960TV
Bill Greer
Hell to Eternity
1960Movie
Leonard
Oklahoma Territory
1960Movie
Temple Houston
The Scarface Mob
1959Movie
Martin Flaherty
A Dog's Best Friend
1959Movie
Wesley 'Wes' Thurman
Men Into Space
1959TV
Laramie
1959TV
Alaska Passage
1959Movie
Al Graham
Rawhide
1959TV
Tom Bickle
77 Sunset Strip
1958TV
Henry Cook
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958TV
Martin Flaherty
Yancy Derringer
1958TV
Duke Winslow
Legion of the Doomed
1958Movie
Space Master X-7
1958Movie
John Hand
Slim Carter
1957Movie
Frank Hanneman
Perry Mason
1957TV
Mike Preston, Floyd Grant, Charles Shaw, Burt Payne
M Squad
1957TV
Jerry Langdon
Pawnee
1957Movie
Matt Delaney
Date with the Angels
1957TV
The Storm Rider
1957Movie
Sheriff Colton
The Halliday Brand
1957Movie
Clay Halliday
The Broken Star
1956Movie
Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry
The Wild Dakotas
1956Movie
Jim Henry
Hell's Horizon
1955Movie
Paul Jenkins
Gunsmoke
1955TV
Red
Apache Ambush
1955Movie
James Kingston
Wiretapper
1955Movie
James Arthur Vaus, Jr.
The Millionaire
1955TV
Donald Abbott, Clint Halloran
The Outlaw's Daughter
1954Movie
Jess Raidley aka Big Red
Lassie
1954TV
Jed Bingham
Racing Blood
1954Movie
Tex
Torpedo Alley
1953Movie
Tom Graham
Music at the Meadowbrook
1953TV
General Electric Theater
1953TV
Stewart Davidson
Son of Paleface
1952Movie
Kirk
The Pace That Thrills
1952Movie
Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston
Rose of Cimarron
1952Movie
George Newcomb
Dragnet
1951TV
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951TV
Ed Sawyer
Havana Rose
1951Movie
Tex Thompson
The Adventures of Kit Carson
1951TV
The Last Outpost
1951Movie
Sgt. Tucker
The Great Missouri Raid
1951Movie
Jim Younger
Blue Blood
1951Movie
Bill Manning
California Passage
1950Movie
Bob Martin
Rookie Fireman
1950Movie
Joe Blake
The Cariboo Trail
1950Movie
Mike Evans
Operation Haylift
1950Movie
Bill Masters
Blue Grass of Kentucky
1950Movie
Lin McIvor
A Dangerous Profession
1949Movie
Claude Brackett
Fighting Man of the Plains
1949Movie
Marshall Johnny Tancred
The Stratton Story
1949Movie
Eddie Dibson
The Clay Pigeon
1949Movie
Jim Fletcher
Adventures In Jazz
1949TV
A Woman's Secret
1949Movie
Lee Crenshaw
A Likely Story
1947Movie
Bill
Till the End of Time
1946Movie
Perry Kincheloe
Deadline at Dawn
1946Movie
Alex Winkler
Sing Your Way Home
1945Movie
Officer (uncredited)
Johnny Angel
1945Movie
Big Sailor (uncredited)
West of the Pecos
1945Movie
Tex Evans
Those Endearing Young Charms
1945Movie
Jerry
Back to Bataan
1945Movie
(uncredited)
The Body Snatcher
1945Movie
Survis - Medical Student (uncredited)
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
1944Movie
Bud Felton
Murder in the Blue Room
1944Movie
Larry (as Bill MacWilliams)
King Kong
1933Movie
Theatre Usher (uncredited)