The Late Great Treat Williams

Treat Williams, who appeared in such movies as Prince of the City (1981) and starred in the TV series Everwood, died in a motorcycle accident yesterday. He was 71 years old.

Treat Williams was born Richard Treat Williams in Stamford, Connecticut on December 1 1951. His family moved to Rowayton, Connecticut when he was three years old. He attended the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut. While he acted in high school, he did not seriously consider acting as a profession until he was in college. He Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Treat Williams made his film debut in Deadly Hero in 1975. His first lead role was in Hair, based on the stage musical of the same name, in 1979. In the late Seventies he also appeared in the movies The Ritz (1976), Marathon Man (1976), 1941 (1979), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Why Would I Lie? (1980).

In the Eighties he made his television debut in the TV movie Dempsey, playing legendary boxer Jack Dempsey. He appeared in the TV movies A Streetcar Named Desire, J. Edgar Hoover, Third Degree Burn, and Max and Helen. He appeared in the mini-series Echoes in the Darkness and Drug Wars: The Camarena Story. He guest starred on the TV shows American Playhouse and Faerie Tale Theatre. Treat Williams appeared in the movies Prince of the City (1981), The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981), Stangata napoletana (1983), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Flashpoint (1984), Smooth Talk (1985), The Men's Club (1986), Sweet Lies (1987), La notte degli squali (1988), Russicum - I giorni del diavolo (1988), Dead Heat (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), and Oltre l'oceano (1990).

In the Nineties Treat Williams starred in the short-lived drama Eddie Dodd and the sitcom Good Advice. He guest starred on the shows Tales from the Crypt and Road to Avonlea. He was a guest voice on Batman: The Animated Series. He appeared in the mini-series Journey to the Center of the Earth. He appeared in the TV movies Final Verdict, Till Death Do Us Part, The Water Engine, Deadly Matrimony, Bonds of Love, Parallel Lives, Texan, In the Shadow of Evil, Johnny's Girl, The Late Shift, Escape: Human Cargo, Every Mother's Worst Fear, 36 Hours to Die, and Hopewell. He appeared in the movies Where the Rivers Flow North (1993), Hand Gun (1994), Mulholland Falls (1996), The Phantom (1996), The Devil's Own (1997), Cannes Man (1997), Deep Rising (1998), and The Deep End of the Ocean (1999),

During the Naughts, Treat Williams played the lead role of neurosurgeon Andy Brown on Everwood. He later had a recurring role on the TV show Brothers and Sisters and starred on the medical drama Heartland. Mr. Williams guest starred on the shows UC: Undercover, Going to California. He appeared in the mini-series The Storm and the TV movies Guilty Hearts,The Staircase Murders, Front of the Class, Good Behaviour, Chasing a Dream, Safe Harbour, and Boston's Finest. He appeared in the movies Crash Point Zero (2001), Hollywood Ending (2002), The Circle (2002), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005), Moola (2007), Il nascondiglio (2007), What Happens in Vegas (2008), Howl (2010), 127 Hours (2010), and L'estate di Martino (2010).

In the Teens he was a regular on the TV shows Against the Wall, American Odyssey, and Chesapeake Shores. He had recurring roles on the show White Collar, Chicago Fire and Bluebloods. He guest starred on the shows Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Leverage, Hawaii Five-0, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and All Downhill from Here. He was a guest voice on The Simpsons. He appeared in the TV movies Beyond the Blackboard, Confirmation, Rocky Mountain Christmas, and The Christmas House. He appeared in the mini-series Eve of Destruction. Treat Williams appeared in the movies A Little Bit Of Heaven (2011), Taiheiyou no kiseki: Fokkusu to yobareta otoko (2011), Maskerade (2011), Deadfall (2012), Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012), Flores Raras (2013), Age of Dinosaurs (2013), Barefoot (2014), Operation Rogue (2014), The Congressman (2016), The Etruscan Smile (2018), Second Act (2018), Drunk Parents (2019), The Great Alaskan Race (2019), and Run Hide Fight (2020).

In the Twenties Treat Williams he continued to appear on the shows Chesapeake Shores and BlueBloods. He is set to appear next year in the mini-series Feud.

Treat Williams was an aircraft pilot and a certified flight instructor. He wrote the 2010 children's book Air Show!.

Treat Williams was an actor of remarkable talent. Although often counted as a leading man, he had the versatility of a character actor. In Prince of the City he played not-quite honest narcotics detective Daniel Ciello. Earlier he had played a role as far from Detective Ciello as one could get, hippie George Berger in the movie Hair. Chances are good he will be remembered best by many as Dr. Andy Brown on Everwood, a role for which he was twice nominated for the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor. He played his share of historic figures, appearing as D. B. Cooper in The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper and J. Edgar Hoover in the TV movie J. Edgar Hoover. He also played his share of heroic roles including Captain John Finnegan in Deep Rising and his share of villains, including  Xander Drax in The Phantom. Treat Williams could play a wide variety of roles and play all of them well.