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 walkon 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 televisions 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 costarred with Betty White on television in Date with the Angels Williams portrayed Federal agent Martin Flaherty in The Scarface Mob 1959 the pilot for ABCs 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 costarred as Raymond Burrs 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 lowbudget science fiction films until his retirement
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