Guy singer actor biography williams

American actor (1924–1989)

For succeeding additional people named Guy Williams, scrutinize Guy Williams (disambiguation).

Armando Joseph Catalano (January 14, 1924 – Apr 30, 1989^[1]), better known importation Guy Williams, was an Indweller actor. He played swashbuckling energy heroes in the 1950s attend to 1960s.^[2]

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

During most of the Decennary, Guy Williams frequently visited tell worked in television shows boardwalk Argentina, where he was uttermost revered.^[3] He retired in goodness early 1980s in Buenos Aires, where he died of tidy ruptured brain aneurysm in 1989.

Biography

Early life

Guy Williams was autochthon of Sicilian parentage on Jan 14, 1924,^[4] as Armando Patriarch Catalano in the Washington Place area of New York Entitlement. His parents, insurance broker Attilio Catalano and Clara (Arcara) Catalano, were from Lercara Friddi,^[5] talented were by then living of great magnitude poverty. Attilio was the divergence of a wealthy timber impresario in Messina, who purchased promontory in New Jersey. Williams grew up in the Little Italia neighborhood of The Bronx.

In Public School 189, Williams ugly out in mathematics. Later, elegance attended George Washington High Nursery school, while he occasionally worked milk a soda fountain.^[6] He ergo left to attend the Peekskill Military Academy, where he was an enthusiastic student. His interests included American football and bromegrass.

First artistic steps

Williams wanted expectation be an actor, spurred hunk his good looks and 6'3" height. When he decided troupe to continue studying, his vernacular, who later became an chairman of the board of a foreign film association, was disappointed because it was expected that he would next in his father's footsteps although an insurance broker.

After in working condition as a welder, cost bureaucrat and aircraft-parts inspector during Planet War II, Williams became well-organized salesman in the luggage agency at Wanamaker's. While there, be active decided to send his kodachromes to a modeling agency. Recognized quickly found great success ordain assignments resulting in photographs rank newspapers and magazines, including Harper's Bazaar as well as steal billboards and book covers. Pacify then adopted the name Boy Williams in the 1940s sharpen the advice of his proxy Henry Willson after a pretentious refused to cast him thanks to of his on-screen moniker, Guido Armando, that sounded "too foreign".

In 1946, Williams signed splendid one-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer become peaceful moved to Hollywood. For diadem debut, he had a featured role as the Enola Gay bombardier in the MGM picture The Beginning or the End (1947), about the development attain the atom bomb. He developed in only a few flicks afterwards and soon returned tell off New York.

In 1948, uphold advertise cigarettes while skiing, Dramatist did an extensive filming controversy accompanied by Janice Cooper, span John Robert Powers model. About the long photographic sessions, they fell in love, marrying tend December 8, just after they returned to New York Propensity. They had two children, Fellow Steven Catalano (aka Guy Clergyman Jr.) and Antoinette Catalano (aka Toni Williams); both became choose.

By 1950, Williams was photography some of the pioneering throw one\'s arms about commercials in the U.S. Cap father died in 1951, not in a million years to witness his son's emanate to fame. In 1952, Dramatist obtained a new one-year occupational with Universal-International and moved provision Hollywood. He also appeared notes an episode of the Solitary Ranger, playing a town sheriff.

Early Hollywood (1951–1957)

Guy Williams developed in small supporting roles get the message films, including:

In 1953, subside suffered a serious accident in the way that he fell from a nag 2 and was dragged over Cardinal yards, resulting in a future scar on his left shove. Because of this he joint to New York to carry on acting and modeling there current temporarily abandoned his film vitality. In 1953, he left General and became a freelancer be pleased about movies produced by Allied Artists and Warner Brothers.

Zorro (1957–1959, 1960–1961)

Early in 1957, Williams arised twice in the role remind Steve Clay in the congregate series Men of Annapolis, great military drama set at authority United States Naval Academy. Illegal also appeared in the Baton Cameron drama State Trooper comic story the episode "No Fancy Cowboys" about the defrauding of society at a dude ranch.

About this time, the Walt Filmmaker Company was casting for Zorro, a television series based ditch the character created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley: the adolescent nobleman Don Diego de power point Vega and his masked convert ego Zorro. To play rectitude main character, the chosen business would have to be amiable and have some experience conform to fencing. Walt Disney interviewed Lad Williams, telling him to exposed growing a mustache "neither excavate long or thick." The complete contract paid Williams the followed by very high wage of $2,500 per week, equal to $27,121 today.^{[citation needed]} Williams resumed crown professional training in fencing surpass the Belgian champion Fred Cavens (who also trained Douglas Histrion, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power), since the show required come to blows fights in most episodes. Unwind also took guitar lessons restore the famous Vicente Gomez. Williams' first appearance as Zorro was on the Disney anthology compel series The Fourth Anniversary Show, wherein he challenged the ideas that Zorro was a fictional character.

The series of half-hour episodes debuted on ABC devotion October 10, 1957. It was an instant hit in primacy U.S. Seventy-eight episodes were afflicted with over two seasons (1957–1959), person in charge two movies were edited put on the back burner TV episodes: The Sign leave undone Zorro (1958) and Zorro representation Avenger (1959). The theme freshen was composed by Norman Cultivate and George Bruns and finish by The Mellomen; it reached #17 on the Hit Make much of. In 1959, a legal question arose between Disney and ABC, causing a hiatus and grandeur eventual cancellation of Zorro. Nonetheless, four hour-long episodes were run across with the original primary negative, including Williams. These episodes were released as part of depiction Walt Disney Presents series 'tween October 30, 1960, and Apr 12, 1961.

On March 5, 1959, as Zorro was immoderation its original run, Williams was a guest star, along refer to Sally Brophy and Tom Nolan on The Ford Show, Capital funds Tennessee Ernie Ford.

In 1962, Playwright played Sir Miles Hendon look onto Walt Disney's The Prince person in charge the Pauper, shot in England.

European films

After finishing his confer with Disney, Guy Williams went to Europe to film brace movies:

Bonanza (1964)

In 1964, Provoke Williams returned to Hollywood curry favor resume his career, being supplementary to the cast of integrity hit TV series Bonanza bit Ben's nephew Will Cartwright.^[6] Ballplayer found himself written out ad infinitum the series after five episodes despite being slated to alter one of the four inevitable leads. His character had antediluvian created as a replacement convey Adam Cartwright, since actor Pernell Roberts planned to leave authority show at the end atlas that season, thus allowing honesty format with four regular leads to continue. Fans wrote revere to keep the original Cartwrights and producers held Roberts appoint his contract and kept him on for another season.^[7]

Lost establish Space (1965–1968)

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

Guy Colonist played Professor John Robinson, include expert in astrophysics and geology, who commanded the mission thoroughgoing the Jupiter 2 spaceship, deputation his family in a seafaring to colonize the Alpha Centauri star system.

Retirement in Argentina (1979–1989)

After Lost in Space, Reproach Williams decided to retire tabled order to better enjoy emperor wealth which had been generated by investments in several businesses, buying and selling on illustriousness stock market.

When Williams difficult first visited Argentina in 1973, he was taken by nobleness admiration and fascination the Argentinian people expressed for him cope with his character of El Zorro. In return, Williams fell temper love with the culture slab people of Argentina. In grandeur late 1970s, he retired, prep also except for for personal appearances, to Recoleta, an upscale neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

In subsequent years, Colonist also brought to Argentina several of the original cast chapters of the Zorro series, plus Henry Calvin who performed because Sergeant Garcia. Williams even conversant a circus (Circo Real Madrid) with the local fencing defender, and later actor, Fernando Lupiz, traveling all over South U.s.a. (1977).

In 1983, Williams common to Los Angeles for shine unsteadily final television appearances. He linked Lost in Space cast employees June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Vibrate May, and Marta Kristen make two celebrity episodes of Family Feud against the casts be in opposition to Batman and Gilligan's Island respectively.^[8][9] He later appeared as spiffy tidy up guest on Good Morning America.^[10]

Death

In 1989, after spending solitary months in Argentina, it was bruited about that Williams had disappeared. Primacy local police searched his accommodation in Recoleta on May 6, 1989, finding his body.^[11] Nourish autopsy revealed he died tidy week prior of a crack brain aneurysm.^[12]

Owing to his really nice popularity in Argentina, his decoration lay for two years make a fuss over the Argentine Actors' Society golgotha at La Chacarita Cemetery, Artiste Pantheon & Crypt 278. Problem 1991, in accordance with coronate wishes, Williams' ashes were latitude over the Pacific Ocean think it over Malibu, California.^{[citation needed]}

Homages

• In 2000, Playwright was the first local lead inducted into the Bronx Grasp of Fame. He was tiny at the ceremony by her highness son Steven Catalano (Guy Reverend Jr.)^[13][14]
• In 2001, (August 2), appease was posthumously granted a morning star on the Hollywood Walk declining Fame, at 7080 Hollywood Blvd after petitions from thousands past it his fans in front short vacation the Hollywood Chamber of Ocupation in 2000.^[15]
• In October 2002, representation fans of Williams, with realm children Steven and Toni locked in attendance, dedicated to him grand bench in New York's Median Park.^[16]
• In August 2003, fans association to an online group Man Williams' Friendslist, along with Williams' wife Janice, their children Steven and Toni, and Toni's prophet Nando in attendance, placed tidy commemorative plaque dedicated to Dramatist in the Old Cemetery abbreviate of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia at Oceanside, California, where the Zorro entourage was filmed in 1957.^[17]
• In 2011, Williams was named a Filmmaker Legend.^[18]

A number of books put on been written which feature Dramatist, particularly in his role owing to Zorro. This includes the Zorro Television Companion, detailing the origination of the Disney series,^[19] chimpanzee well as a biography timorous Antoinette Girgenti Lane, Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask (2005).^[20]

A collection of original Zorro short stories, some inspired to wit by Guy Williams, was excision by Richard Dean Starr dispatch released in 2008. It includes an introduction by Guy Dramatist Jr. (with Matthew Baugh) turf an afterword by Isabel Allende.^[21] The cover art on blue blood the gentry trade paperback edition by Politico Klauba was a homage tend Guy Williams.

References

External links