1915-05-21 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 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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Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood | Cowboy Bob | 1981-02-19 |
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When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion | Self | 1979-06-05 |
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A Fire in the Sky | Dale Turner | 1978-11-26 |
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The Flight of the Grey Wolf | The Sheriff | 1976-03-14 |
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69 Minutes | 1976-10-06 | |
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The Giant Spider Invasion | Dutch | 1975-10-16 |
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125 Rooms of Comfort | 1974-11-07 | |
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Scandalous John | Sheriff Hart | 1971-06-22 |
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Rio Lobo | Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin | 1970-04-01 |
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Buckskin | Frank Cody | 1968-05-01 |
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A Letter to Nancy | George Reed | 1965-01-14 |
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Spaceflight IC-1 | Capt. Mead Ralston | 1965-08-01 |
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The Hallelujah Trail | Lt. Brady (uncredited) | 1965-06-23 |
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Tickle Me | Deputy Sturdivant | 1965-06-30 |
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Law of the Lawless | Silas Miller | 1964-05-13 |
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The Sergeant Was a Lady | Col. House | 1961-10-04 |
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Oklahoma Territory | Temple Houston | 1960-03-01 |
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Hell to Eternity | Leonard | 1960-08-01 |
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Alaska Passage | Al Graham | 1959-02-11 |
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The Scarface Mob | Martin Flaherty | 1959-04-19 |
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A Dog's Best Friend | Wesley 'Wes' Thurman | 1959-12-20 |
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Space Master X-7 | John Hand | 1958-06-01 |
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Legion of the Doomed | 1958-09-21 | |
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The Halliday Brand | Clay Halliday | 1957-01-01 |
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The Storm Rider | Sheriff Colton | 1957-03-01 |
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Pawnee | Matt Delaney | 1957-09-07 |
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Slim Carter | Frank Hanneman | 1957-11-01 |
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The Broken Star | Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry | 1956-04-01 |
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The Wild Dakotas | Jim Henry | 1956-02-28 |
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Wiretapper | James Arthur Vaus, Jr. | 1955-08-10 |
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Hell's Horizon | Paul Jenkins | 1955-12-31 |
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Apache Ambush | James Kingston | 1955-08-24 |
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The Outlaw's Daughter | Jess Raidley aka Big Red | 1954-11-01 |
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Torpedo Alley | Tom Graham | 1953-12-25 |
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Rose of Cimarron | George Newcomb | 1952-01-28 |
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The Pace That Thrills | Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston | 1952-03-01 |
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Son of Paleface | Kirk | 1952-07-14 |
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Havana Rose | Tex Thompson | 1951-09-15 |
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Blue Blood | Bill Manning | 1951-01-28 |
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The Great Missouri Raid | Jim Younger | 1951-02-01 |
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The Last Outpost | Sgt. Tucker | 1951-04-04 |
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California Passage | Bob Martin | 1950-12-15 |
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The Cariboo Trail | Mike Evans | 1950-08-01 |
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The Flame and the Arrow | Outlaw (uncredited) | 1950-07-07 |
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Operation Haylift | Bill Masters | 1950-05-05 |
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Blue Grass of Kentucky | Lin McIvor | 1950-01-22 |
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The Clay Pigeon | Jim Fletcher | 1949-03-03 |
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The Stratton Story | Eddie Dibson | 1949-05-12 |
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A Dangerous Profession | Claude Brackett | 1949-12-10 |
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A Woman's Secret | Lee Crenshaw | 1949-01-13 |
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Fighting Man of the Plains | Marshall Johnny Tancred | 1949-11-16 |
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A Likely Story | Bill | 1947-04-18 |
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Till the End of Time | Perry Kincheloe | 1946-07-23 |
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Deadline at Dawn | Alex Winkler | 1946-03-18 |
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West of the Pecos | Tex Evans | 1945-08-10 |
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Johnny Angel | Big Sailor (uncredited) | 1945-10-25 |
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Those Endearing Young Charms | Jerry | 1945-06-19 |
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The Body Snatcher | Survis, Medical Student | 1945-05-25 |
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Back to Bataan | (uncredited) | 1945-05-30 |
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Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo | Bud Felton | 1944-11-15 |
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Murder in the Blue Room | Larry (as Bill MacWilliams) | 1944-10-27 |
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King Kong | Theatre Usher (uncredited) | 1933-03-15 |
