Cast & creator
Bill Williams
Best known for Perry Mason, Perry Mason, Perry Mason
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.
Also known as: Willie, William Herman Katt
68
film credits
42
television credits
108
1933–1981 · acting roles
6.7
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (110)
Showing 110 of 110 credits
Perry Mason
Mike Preston
1957Perry Mason
Floyd Grant
1957Perry Mason
Charles Shaw
1957Perry Mason
Burt Payne
1957
Adam-12
William Taylor
1968Adam-12
Fred Wheeler
1968
Ironside
Lt. Dacker
1967
Batman
Multimillionaire
1966
Lassie
1954Lassie
Jed Bingham
1954
Emergency!
Pete
1972
Dragnet
1951
The F.B.I.
David Warren
1965The F.B.I.
Crawford
1965
The Wild Wild West
1965
Daniel Boone
Caleb Trevor
1964
Rawhide
Tom Bickle
1959
Police Woman
1974
The Rookies
1972
Gunsmoke
Red
1955
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
77 Sunset Strip
195877 Sunset Strip
Henry Cook
1958
Laramie
1959
M Squad
Jerry Langdon
1957
The Millionaire
Donald Abbott
1955The Millionaire
Clint Halloran
1955
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Martin Flaherty
1958
Yancy Derringer
Duke Winslow
1958
B. J. and the Bear
1979
The Adventures of Kit Carson
1951
Men Into Space
1959
The Investigators
1961
Date with the Angels
1957
King Kong
Theatre Usher (uncredited)
1933
240-Robert
1979
The Alamo
Stunts
1960
Primus
1971
General Electric Theater
Stewart Davidson
1953
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Ed Sawyer
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Rio Lobo
Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin
1970
The Body Snatcher
Survis - Medical Student (uncredited)
1945
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Bud Felton
1944
The Hallelujah Trail
Lt. Brady (uncredited)
1965The Hallelujah Trail
Stunts
1965
The Giant Spider Invasion
Dutch
1975
A Woman's Secret
Lee Crenshaw
1949
West of the Pecos
Tex Evans
1945
Tickle Me
Deputy Sturdivant
1965
Assignment: Underwater
Bill Greer
1960
Back to Bataan
(uncredited)
1945
Law of the Lawless
Silas Miller
1964
A Fire in the Sky
Dale Turner
1978
The Clay Pigeon
Jim Fletcher
1949
Eight on the Lam
Cop at Roadblock (uncredited)
1967
Son of Paleface
Kirk
1952
Till the End of Time
Perry Kincheloe
1946
Sing Your Way Home
Officer (uncredited)
1945
A Dangerous Profession
Claude Brackett
1949
The Last Outpost
Sgt. Tucker
1951
Those Endearing Young Charms
Jerry
1945
A Dog's Best Friend
Wesley 'Wes' Thurman
1959
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
Cowboy Bob
1981
The Great Missouri Raid
Jim Younger
1951
Wiretapper
James Arthur Vaus, Jr.
1955
Racing Blood
Tex
1954
Fighting Man of the Plains
Marshall Johnny Tancred
1949
Murder in the Blue Room
Larry (as Bill MacWilliams)
1944
Havana Rose
Tex Thompson
1951
Scandalous John
Sheriff Hart
1971
Apache Ambush
James Kingston
1955
Hell to Eternity
Leonard
1960
California Passage
Bob Martin
1950
The Scarface Mob
Martin Flaherty
1959
Stampede at Bitter Creek
Paul Forbes
1962
125 Rooms of Comfort
1974
Johnny Angel
Big Sailor (uncredited)
1945
Torpedo Alley
Tom Graham
1953
Blue Grass of Kentucky
Lin McIvor
1950
The Broken Star
Deputy Marshal Bill Gentry
1956
A Letter to Nancy
George Reed
1965Music at the Meadowbrook
1953
The Outlaw's Daughter
Jess Raidley aka Big Red
1954
Space Master X-7
John Hand
1958
The Halliday Brand
Clay Halliday
1957
The Storm Rider
Sheriff Colton
1957
The Pace That Thrills
Richard L. 'Dusty' Weston
1952
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Self
1979
Deadline at Dawn
Alex Winkler
1946
Rose of Cimarron
George Newcomb
1952
Legion of the Doomed
1958
The Cariboo Trail
Mike Evans
1950
Buckskin
Frank Cody
1968
The Flight of the Grey Wolf
The Sheriff
1976
Pawnee
Matt Delaney
1957
A Likely Story
Bill
1947
The Stratton Story
Eddie Dibson
1949
Blue Blood
Bill Manning
1951
Alaska Passage
Al Graham
1959
Spaceflight IC-1
Capt. Mead Ralston
1965
Hell's Horizon
Paul Jenkins
1955
The Sergeant Was a Lady
Col. House
1961
Operation Haylift
Bill Masters
1950
Rookie Fireman
Joe Blake
1950
The Wild Dakotas
Jim Henry
1956
69 Minutes
1976
Slim Carter
Frank Hanneman
1957Adventures In Jazz
1949
Oklahoma Territory
Temple Houston
1960