William Katt Movies and Tv Shows : William Theodore Katt, an American actor and singer born on February 16, 1951, is best known as the lead of the television series The Greatest American Hero. In the original film version of Carrie (1976), he played Tommy Ross, Carrie White’s unfortunate prom date, and later acted in films such as First Love (1977), Big Wednesday (1978), and Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1980). (1979). From 1985 through 1988, he starred in nine Perry Mason television films alongside his mother Barbara Hale, who repeated her role as Della Street from the Perry Mason television series.
William Katt Movies and Tv Shows
Name | William Katt |
Nickname | Billy Katt |
Date of Birth | February 16, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA |
Height | 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) |
Occupations | Actor, Musician |
Parents | Barbara Hale Katt Bill Williams Katt |
Children | Clayton Alexander Katt Emerson Hunter Katt Andrew (stepchild) Dakota Katt |
Relatives | Jody Katt (sibling) Juanita Katt (sibling) |
Katt was born in Los Angeles to actors Herman August Wilhelm Katt (birth name Bill Williams) and Barbara Hale. In the San Fernando Valley, he grew up and began performing as a teenager, often with his parents. Army & Navy Academy, Carlsbad, California, was his alma mater.
Personal Life
In 1979, Katt wed Deborah Kahane, and they have two boys, Clayton and Emerson. They split up in 1992. In 1993, he married Danielle Hirsch, with whom he shares a daughter, Dakota, and a stepson, Andrew.
Career
Katt attended Orange Coast College prior to pursuing a musical career. As a result of his father’s influence, he began a career as an actor, playing in summer stock theater and modest television appearances. The character of Tommy Ross, a jock, in Brian De Palma’s 1976 remake of the horror picture Carrie, which made him a household figure, is among Katt’s earliest cinematic credits. In 1978, he co-starred with Jan-Michael Vincent and Gary Busey in the John Milius drama picture Big Wednesday as the teenage surfer Barlow.
Barbara Hale portrayed his real-life mother in the film. The next year, he portrayed Sundance Kid in Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979). In 2004, he presented one of the Association of Surfing Professionals awards at their annual World Championship Tour ceremony to raucous applause from the crowd of professional surfers, who he became so well-known among thanks to his role in Big Wednesday. In a 1979 interview with film critic Roger Ebert, Katt indicated that he would only accept roles that interested him personally.
Katt auditioned for the role of Luke Skywalker in the 1977 science fiction film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in December 1975, and footage of his audition has shown in numerous Star Wars documentaries. He was highly considered for the role, which ultimately went to Mark Hamill, but instead starred in First Love that same year as a college student experiencing his first romantic encounter.
In 1981, Katt was cast as the title role in a movie version of the Broadway musical comedy Pippin, which got mixed reviews. In the iconic television series The Greatest American Hero, he played the part of Ralph Hinkley, a mild-mannered schoolteacher gifted a superpowered suit by aliens, until the series was canceled in 1983.
In addition to veteran actor Robert Culp, the show maintains a cult following. Its theme song, “Believe It or Not,” composed by Mike Post, was also a chart-topper. Due to the popularity of the first season of The Greatest American Hero, Katt signed with MCA in 1982 and produced a soft rock album under the name Billy Katt titled Secret Smiles.
After The Greatest American Hero, Katt played in Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985), about explorers seeking for apatosaurs in Africa, and the legendary horror/comedy picture House (1986); he later reprised his role in House IV (1992). Katt co-starred with his mother Barbara Hale, who reprised her role as Della Street from the Perry Mason television series. Katt starred in the 1989 television series Top of the Hill and appeared in the premiere episode of the short-lived 1991 series Good Sports.
Katt continues to appear on television and in supporting roles in films, and he also performs voice work. In 2006, he appeared on an episode of House. In recent years, he has returned to genre work, with appearances in Andromeda and Justice League and roles in the award-winning film Gamers (2006), The Man from Earth (2007), and Alien vs Hunter (2007).
Katt had a brief appearance in the third season of Heroes as a nosy reporter probing Ali Larter’s character. In the suspense movie Mirrors 2, he portrays Jack Matheson.[3] In 2010, during the sixth season of the Tyler Perry comedy House of Payne, Katt appeared as C.J. Payne’s musician birth-father in the episode “Who’s Your Daddy Now?”
Katt has also created a comic book for the Greatest American Hero series and contributed to its Facebook page. In 2013, Katt portrayed himself in Kevin Farley’s parody film Paranormal Movie. In 2014, he appeared in The Unwanted. He appeared in The 2nd in 2020.
William Katt Movies and Tv Shows :
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | The Late Liz | Peter Addams | Film debut |
1976 | Carrie | Tommy Ross | |
1977 | First Love | Elgin Smith | |
1978 | Big Wednesday | Jack Barlow | |
1979 | Butch and Sundance: The Early Days | Sundance Kid | |
1985 | Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend | George Loomis | |
1986 | House | Roger Cobb | |
1988 | White Ghost | Steve Shepard | |
1989 | Rising Storm | Elliot Kropfeld | Uncredited |
1989 | Wedding Band | Marshall Roman | |
1990 | Naked Obsession | Franklyn Carlysle | |
1991 | Last Call | Paul Avery | |
1992 | House IV: The Repossession | Roger Cobb | Direct-to-video |
1992 | Double X: The Name of the Game | Michael Cooper | |
1993 | Desperate Motive | Richard Sullivan | |
1994 | Cyborg 3: The Recycler | Decaf | Direct-to-video |
1994 | The Paperboy | Brian | |
1994 | Stranger by Night | Troy Rooney | Direct-to-video |
1994 | Tollbooth | Waggy | |
1996 | Daddy’s Girl | Don Mitchell | |
1997 | u’Bejani | Father Bob | |
1997 | Whacked | Sgt. Niktaukus | Short |
1998 | Hyacinth | Andy Gillis | |
1998 | Deadly Game aka Catch me if you can | Jean Benoit | |
1999 | Twin Falls Idaho | Surgeon | |
1999 | Jawbreaker | Mr. Purr | |
2000 | Clean and Narrow | George | |
2000 | Learning to Surf | ||
2001 | Circuit | Gino | |
2002 | Snake Island | Malcolm Page | |
2002 | Treading Water | The Investor | |
2003 | Descendant | Dr. Tom Murray | |
2005 | River’s End | Ed Kennedy | |
2006 | Gamers | Reese’s Boss | |
2006 | Backstage Pass | Kurt Wilson | Direct-to-video |
2007 | The Man from Earth | Art | |
2007 | AVH: Alien vs. Hunter | Lee Cussler | Direct-to-video |
2008 | Big Game | Dave | |
2008 | Beautiful Loser | Father Hume | |
2009 | Deadland | Shiv | |
2010 | Earthling | Ryan Donnelly | |
2010 | Super | Sgt. Fitzgibbon | |
2010 | Mirrors 2 | Jack Matheson | Direct-to-video |
2010 | Pure Country 2: The Gift | Winter | |
2011 | The Encore of Tony Duran | Art Smith | |
2011 | Stok Stalk Stock | Conscience | |
2012 | Sweetwater | Dean Taylor | |
2013 | Sparks | Matanza | |
2013 | .357 | Smalls | |
2013 | Paranormal Movie | Houseguest Bill | |
2013 | The Secret Lives of Dorks | Mr. Thomas Gibson | |
2014 | The Unwanted | Troy | |
2015 | Subterranea | Mockenrue | |
2017 | The Man from Earth: Holocene | Dr. Art Jenkins | |
2018 | The Other Side of the Wind | Man in Bathroom Stall | |
2020 | The 2nd | Senator Bob Jeffers | |
2021 | Overrun | Detective Ed Dobbs | |
2022 | Pursuit | Taye Biggs |
Awards
- The Greatest American Hero (1981)
- TV Land Award Nominee Favorite Airborne Character
FAQ’s
Is William Katt still acting?
He is also known for the 1978 surf film Big Wednesday and the 1985 horror film House. His most recent films are Overrun and Pursuit, both of which were released this year. Katt has also performed on stage.
Why did William Katt leave Perry Mason?
Why was William Katt absent from the most recent Perry Mason TV movie? A Katt has departed to seek a career in film. William R. Moses has succeeded him as Perry Mason's new assistant, Ken Malansky.
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