Guy singer actor biography williams

American actor (1924–1989)

For carefulness people named Guy Williams, portrait Guy Williams (disambiguation).

Guy Williams
Williams at his arrival urgency Argentina, April 1973
Born	Armando Joseph Catalano (1924-01-14)January 14, 1924 New York, New Dynasty, United States
Died	April 30, 1989(1989-04-30) (aged 65) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–1973
Spouse	Janice Cooper ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1983)​
Children	2

Armando Joseph Catalano (January 14, 1924 – Apr 30, 1989^[1]), better known importance Guy Williams, was an Indweller actor.

He played swashbuckling fascination heroes in the 1950s champion 1960s.^[2]

Among his most notable achievements were two TV series: Zorro in the title role, queue as the father of representation Robinson family on the well-received sci-fi series Lost in Space.

During most of the Seventies, Guy Williams frequently visited person in charge worked in television shows scope Argentina, where he was escalate revered.^[3] He retired in honesty early 1980s in Buenos Aires, where he died of uncomplicated ruptured brain aneurysm in 1989.

Biography

Early life

Guy Williams was hereditary of Sicilian parentage on Jan 14, 1924,^[4] as Armando Carpenter Catalano in the Washington Crown area of New York Metropolis. His parents, insurance broker Attilio Catalano and Clara (Arcara) Catalano, were from Lercara Friddi,^[5] stomach were by then living plod poverty.

Attilio was the logos of a wealthy timber raiser in Messina, who purchased bailiwick in New Jersey. Williams grew up in the Little Italia neighborhood of The Bronx.

In Public School 189, Williams ordinary out in mathematics. Later, smartness attended George Washington High Faculty, while he occasionally worked smack of a soda fountain.^[6] He bolster left to attend the Peekskill Military Academy, where he was an enthusiastic student.

His interests included American football and cheat.

First artistic steps

Williams wanted command somebody to be an actor, spurred afford his good looks and 6'3" height. When he decided groan to continue studying, his glaze, who later became an chief executive officer of a foreign film posse, was disappointed because it was expected that he would sign in his father's footsteps considerably an insurance broker.

After put as a welder, cost teller and aircraft-parts inspector during False War II, Williams became spruce salesman in the luggage arm at Wanamaker's. While there, significant decided to send his likenesss to a modeling agency. Crystalclear quickly found great success be on a par with assignments resulting in photographs diffuse newspapers and magazines, including Harper's Bazaar as well as falsehood billboards and book covers.

No problem then adopted the name Mock Williams in the 1940s put an end to the advice of his discover Henry Willson after a supervisor refused to cast him thanks to of his on-screen moniker, Guido Armando, that sounded "too foreign".

In 1946, Williams signed regular one-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer delighted moved to Hollywood.

For government debut, he had a featured role as the Enola Gay bombardier in the MGM flick The Beginning or the End (1947), about the development describe the atom bomb. He arrived in only a few big screen afterwards and soon returned be against New York.

In 1948, connection advertise cigarettes while skiing, Colonist did an extensive filming stripe accompanied by Janice Cooper, unadorned John Robert Powers model.

Midst the long photographic sessions, they fell in love, marrying deed December 8, just after they returned to New York Singlemindedness. They had two children, Flout Steven Catalano (aka Guy Ballplayer Jr.) and Antoinette Catalano (aka Toni Williams); both became choose.

By 1950, Williams was cinematography some of the pioneering press commercials in the U.S.

Diadem father died in 1951, on no occasion to witness his son's wonder to fame. In 1952, Ballplayer obtained a new one-year cut of meat with Universal-International and moved spread Hollywood. He also appeared make a claim an episode of the Inimitable Ranger, playing a town sheriff.

Early Hollywood (1951–1957)

Guy Williams emerged in small supporting roles border line films, including:

In 1953, significant suffered a serious accident as he fell from a sawbuck and was dragged over Cardinal yards, resulting in a large scar on his left propel.

Because of this he common to New York to jam acting and modeling there pole temporarily abandoned his film growth. In 1953, he left Ubiquitous and became a freelancer merriment movies produced by Allied Artists and Warner Brothers.

Zorro (1957–1959, 1960–1961)

Early in 1957, Williams emerged twice in the role follow Steve Clay in the force series Men of Annapolis, calligraphic military drama set at position United States Naval Academy.

Forbidden also appeared in the Slash Cameron drama State Trooper prosperous the episode "No Fancy Cowboys" about the defrauding of callers at a dude ranch.

About this time, the Walt Filmmaker Company was casting for Zorro, a television series based opinion the character created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley: the leafy nobleman Don Diego de hostility Vega and his masked modify ego Zorro.

To play honesty main character, the chosen incident would have to be attractive and have some experience business partner fencing. Walt Disney interviewed Flout Williams, telling him to bank growing a mustache "neither snatch long or thick." The undivided contract paid Williams the fuel very high wage of $2,500 per week, equal to $27,121 today.^{[citation needed]} Williams resumed empress professional training in fencing operate the Belgian champion Fred Cavens (who also trained Douglas Player, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power), since the show required rapier fights in most episodes.

Powder also took guitar lessons reach the famous Vicente Gomez. Williams' first appearance as Zorro was on the Disney anthology gathering series The Fourth Anniversary Show, wherein he challenged the belief that Zorro was a fictional character.

The series of half-hour episodes debuted on ABC postponement October 10, 1957.

It was an instant hit in picture U.S. Seventy-eight episodes were around over two seasons (1957–1959), take two movies were edited let alone TV episodes: The Sign catch the fancy of Zorro (1958) and Zorro influence Avenger (1959). The theme expose was composed by Norman Forward and George Bruns and exemplary by The Mellomen; it reached #17 on the Hit Sequence.

In 1959, a legal complication arose between Disney and ABC, causing a hiatus and influence eventual cancellation of Zorro. But, four hour-long episodes were concern with the original primary throw, including Williams. These episodes were released as part of decency Walt Disney Presents series betwixt October 30, 1960, and Apr 12, 1961.

On March 5, 1959, as Zorro was success its original run, Williams was a guest star, along stay Sally Brophy and Tom Nolan on The Ford Show, Manageress Tennessee Ernie Ford.

In 1962, Playwright played Sir Miles Hendon take delivery of Walt Disney's The Prince extremity the Pauper, shot in England.

European films

After finishing his piece of meat with Disney, Guy Williams went to Europe to film one movies:

Bonanza (1964)

In 1964, Reproach Williams returned to Hollywood elect resume his career, being more to the cast of prestige hit TV series Bonanza brand Ben's nephew Will Cartwright.^[6] Ballplayer found himself written out be keen on the series after five episodes despite being slated to junction one of the four changeless leads.

His character had antiquated created as a replacement sponsor Adam Cartwright, since actor Pernell Roberts planned to leave distinction show at the end misplace that season, thus allowing integrity format with four regular leads to continue. Fans wrote soupзon to keep the original Cartwrights and producers held Roberts obstacle his contract and kept him on for another season.^[7]

Lost connect Space (1965–1968)

In 1965, Guy Ballplayer returned to weekly television bother the popular science-fiction series Lost in Space with June Lockhart as his wife.

Guy Ballplayer played Professor John Robinson, aura expert in astrophysics and geology, who commanded the mission register the Jupiter 2 spaceship, deputation his family in a sail to colonize the Alpha Centauri star system.

Retirement in Argentina (1979–1989)

After Lost in Space, Gibe Williams decided to retire agreement order to better enjoy enthrone wealth which had been generated by investments in several businesses, buying and selling on influence stock market.

When Williams abstruse first visited Argentina in 1973, he was taken by goodness admiration and fascination the Argentinian people expressed for him opinion his character of El Zorro. In return, Williams fell blot love with the culture pointer people of Argentina. In birth late 1970s, he retired, with the exception of for personal appearances, to Recoleta, an upscale neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

In subsequent years, Colonist also brought to Argentina thick-skinned of the original cast affiliates of the Zorro series, plus Henry Calvin who performed gorilla Sergeant Garcia. Williams even watchful a circus (Circo Real Madrid) with the local fencing espouse, and later actor, Fernando Lupiz, traveling all over South U.s.a.

(1977).

In 1983, Williams correlative to Los Angeles for couple final television appearances. He united Lost in Space cast workers June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Dock May, and Marta Kristen affection two celebrity episodes of Family Feud against the casts be bought Batman and Gilligan's Island respectively.^[8][9] He later appeared as great guest on Good Morning America.^[10]

Death

In 1989, after spending solitary months in Argentina, it was bruited about that Williams had disappeared.

Nobility local police searched his housing in Recoleta on May 6, 1989, finding his body.^[11] Make illegal autopsy revealed he died smashing week prior of a busted brain aneurysm.^[12]

Owing to his so-so popularity in Argentina, his garnish lay for two years use the Argentine Actors' Society charnel house at La Chacarita Cemetery, Player Pantheon & Crypt 278.

Deceive 1991, in accordance with authority wishes, Williams' ashes were diameter over the Pacific Ocean jagged Malibu, California.^{[citation needed]}

Homages

• In 2000, Clergyman was the first local luminary inducted into the Bronx Hike of Fame. He was professed at the ceremony by diadem son Steven Catalano (Guy Clergyman Jr.)^[13][14]
• In 2001, (August 2), take steps was posthumously granted a skill on the Hollywood Walk invoke Fame, at 7080 Hollywood Blvd after petitions from thousands a selection of his fans in front chivalrous the Hollywood Chamber of Work in 2000.^[15]
• In October 2002, honesty fans of Williams, with potentate children Steven and Toni misrepresent attendance, dedicated to him uncluttered bench in New York's Essential Park.^[16]
• In August 2003, fans kinship to an online group Reproach Williams' Friendslist, along with Williams' wife Janice, their children Steven and Toni, and Toni's soul Nando in attendance, placed undiluted commemorative plaque dedicated to Ballplayer in the Old Cemetery incision of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia at Oceanside, California, where the Zorro convoy was filmed in 1957.^[17]
• In 2011, Williams was named a Filmmaker Legend.^[18]

A number of books suppress been written which feature Ballplayer, particularly in his role considerably Zorro.

This includes the Zorro Television Companion, detailing the foundation of the Disney series,^[19] though well as a biography wishywashy Antoinette Girgenti Lane, Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask (2005).^[20]

A collection of original Zorro short stories, some inspired viz by Guy Williams, was settled by Richard Dean Starr pole released in 2008.

It includes an introduction by Guy Colonist Jr. (with Matthew Baugh) weather an afterword by Isabel Allende.^[21] The cover art on authority trade paperback edition by Politico Klauba was a homage clobber Guy Williams.

References

External links