01of 14Treat Williams' Early LifeTreat Williams/InstagramRichard Treat Williams was born on December 1, 1951 to Marion and Richard Nelson Williams in Rowayton, Connecticut. He played football in high school, butas he toldVermont Magazine,the acting bug bit him in his teens and he decided to pursue it as a career.After playing football as a freshman at Franklin and Marshall, he said, “I realized that I was going to be an actor. I told the football coach that I was no longer going to be playing football. It was very hard for me to do, because I loved football very much, but I didn’t think you could be a jock and be in the theatre company at the same time.“The actor got his start understudying the Danny Zuko role inGreaseon Broadway in the mid-’70s, before being cast in his first filmDeadly Hero.His “first big Broadway show,“as he recently recalled on Instagram, was in the Andrews Sisters musical “Over Here!” in which he costarred with (from left) John Travolta, Marilu Henner and Ann Reinking — before returning toGreaseon Broadway to star as Danny Zuko until 1980.
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Treat Williams' Early Life
Treat Williams/Instagram
Richard Treat Williams was born on December 1, 1951 to Marion and Richard Nelson Williams in Rowayton, Connecticut. He played football in high school, butas he toldVermont Magazine,the acting bug bit him in his teens and he decided to pursue it as a career.
After playing football as a freshman at Franklin and Marshall, he said, “I realized that I was going to be an actor. I told the football coach that I was no longer going to be playing football. It was very hard for me to do, because I loved football very much, but I didn’t think you could be a jock and be in the theatre company at the same time.”
The actor got his start understudying the Danny Zuko role inGreaseon Broadway in the mid-’70s, before being cast in his first filmDeadly Hero.His “first big Broadway show,“as he recently recalled on Instagram, was in the Andrews Sisters musical “Over Here!” in which he costarred with (from left) John Travolta, Marilu Henner and Ann Reinking — before returning toGreaseon Broadway to star as Danny Zuko until 1980.
02of 14Treat Williams' Early CareerMichael Ochs Archives/GettyWilliams would often find himself cast as a police officer or soldier in his early career, with roles including an undercover detective in a gay bathhouse in the Rita Moreno costarring vehicleThe Ritz(pictured), a G.I. in Steven Spielberg’s1941and a cop in Sidney Lumet’sPrince of the Cityin 1981, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best actor.
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Treat Williams' Early Career
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Williams would often find himself cast as a police officer or soldier in his early career, with roles including an undercover detective in a gay bathhouse in the Rita Moreno costarring vehicleThe Ritz(pictured), a G.I. in Steven Spielberg’s1941and a cop in Sidney Lumet’sPrince of the Cityin 1981, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best actor.
03of 14Treat Williams in ‘Hair’United Artists/GettyBut Williams’ true film breakout played completely against type when he was cast as hippie Berger in 1979’sHair.Did he know the role would change his life? “I think I was a little unconscious about that. I think I was trying to be good in a movie,“Williams told Connecticut Public Radiowhile celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary.
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Treat Williams in ‘Hair’
United Artists/Getty
But Williams' true film breakout played completely against type when he was cast as hippie Berger in 1979’sHair.Did he know the role would change his life? “I think I was a little unconscious about that. I think I was trying to be good in a movie,“Williams told Connecticut Public Radiowhile celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary.
04of 14Treat Williams' Dating LifeRon Galella Collection via GettyThe actor was part of the busy nightlife scene among 1980s actors, snapped rollerblading with Christopher Reeve at the Roxy and dating actresses includingDana Delany(pictured) and, reportedly, Laura Dern.
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Treat Williams' Dating Life
Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The actor was part of the busy nightlife scene among 1980s actors, snapped rollerblading with Christopher Reeve at the Roxy and dating actresses includingDana Delany(pictured) and, reportedly, Laura Dern.
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Marissa Roth/WWD/Penske Media via Getty.
06of 14Treat Williams' Wifetreat williams/instagramWilliamswed Pamela Van Sant in 1988, andoften posted tributes to her on his Instagram. “You are the love of my life. What joy you have given us. More adventures to come!“he wrote on this throwback photo of her with their children Gill and Ellie, posted on her birthday in February 2023.
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Treat Williams' Wife
treat williams/instagram
Williamswed Pamela Van Sant in 1988, andoften posted tributes to her on his Instagram. “You are the love of my life. What joy you have given us. More adventures to come!“he wrote on this throwback photo of her with their children Gill and Ellie, posted on her birthday in February 2023.
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Treat Williams' Emmy Nomination
Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty
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Treat Williams' Children
The actor was alsoa very proud parent to children Gill, born in 1992, and Ellie, born in 1998. He often posted photos of the happy times they spent together, andon Mother’s Day wrote a tribute to Pamthanking her for “raising these wonderful humans into the great people they are today.”
09of 14Treat Williams in ‘The Deep End of the Ocean’Columbia Pictures/Getty.Williams played a grieving father whose child has gone missing opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in this 1998 film; critics raved about his “magnetic” performance and said he “excel[ed]’ in the role.
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Treat Williams in ‘The Deep End of the Ocean’
Columbia Pictures/Getty.
Williams played a grieving father whose child has gone missing opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in this 1998 film; critics raved about his “magnetic” performance and said he “excel[ed]' in the role.
10of 14Treat Williams at CannesJ. Vespa/WireImageThe actor joined his costars and director Woody Allen at the Cannes premiere of Allen’s filmHollywood Ending.
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Treat Williams at Cannes
J. Vespa/WireImage
The actor joined his costars and director Woody Allen at the Cannes premiere of Allen’s filmHollywood Ending.
11of 14Treat Williams Was a Pilottreat williams/instagramThe actor (pictured with his wife and their dog Woody this year) first learned to fly in 1969 from his football coach, and it became one of his great passions. He had a commercial license, a certified flight instructor license and even owned an aviation company that served film and television sets for several years, and earned a Living Legends of Aviation recognition for his more than 10,000 hours in the air,according to the organization.In 2019, he joined a historic flight to Normandy in honor of D-Day on a vintage aircraft from World War II. “I keep saying to friends that the four greatest things in my life have been my marriage, the birth of my two children and now flying this aircraft over to England and then over to France and Normandy. It’s pretty exciting,”he said at the time.
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Treat Williams Was a Pilot
The actor (pictured with his wife and their dog Woody this year) first learned to fly in 1969 from his football coach, and it became one of his great passions. He had a commercial license, a certified flight instructor license and even owned an aviation company that served film and television sets for several years, and earned a Living Legends of Aviation recognition for his more than 10,000 hours in the air,according to the organization.
In 2019, he joined a historic flight to Normandy in honor of D-Day on a vintage aircraft from World War II. “I keep saying to friends that the four greatest things in my life have been my marriage, the birth of my two children and now flying this aircraft over to England and then over to France and Normandy. It’s pretty exciting,”he said at the time.
12of 14Treat Williams in ‘Everwood’The WB/EverettFrom 2002 to 2006, Williams became recognizable to a whole new generation of fans as Dr. Andrew “Andy” Brown, a widowed brain surgeon who moves his children to a small town in Colorado, on the WB showEverwood—which EW called “groundbreaking” in its oral history.
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Treat Williams in ‘Everwood’
The WB/Everett
From 2002 to 2006, Williams became recognizable to a whole new generation of fans as Dr. Andrew “Andy” Brown, a widowed brain surgeon who moves his children to a small town in Colorado, on the WB showEverwood—which EW called “groundbreaking” in its oral history.
13of 14Treat Williams on ‘Blue Bloods’John Paul Filo/CBS via GettyIn recent years, the actor became a Hallmark channel staple, starring in theChesapeake Shoresseries andChristmas Housefilms, and had a recurring role that was a throwback to his roots as an onscreen cop, filming episodes of CBS’Blue Bloodsas detective Lenny Ross, Frank Reagan’s first partner.
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Treat Williams on ‘Blue Bloods’
John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty
In recent years, the actor became a Hallmark channel staple, starring in theChesapeake Shoresseries andChristmas Housefilms, and had a recurring role that was a throwback to his roots as an onscreen cop, filming episodes of CBS’Blue Bloodsas detective Lenny Ross, Frank Reagan’s first partner.
14of 14Treat Williams’ LifeWalter McBride/GettyWhenTreat Williams died at age 71 on June 12, 2023, he was riding a motorcycle through his beloved home state of Vermont.“Every day I wake up so grateful to see the view that I see out of my window and to be living up here,“he toldVermont Magazinein 2022. “I think very few people are lucky as I am to say, ‘I love where I live.’ I don’t have any fantasies of being somewhere else. I have everything I want and need in Vermont. I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve never seen a place as beautiful as Vermont.”
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Treat Williams’ Life
Walter McBride/Getty
WhenTreat Williams died at age 71 on June 12, 2023, he was riding a motorcycle through his beloved home state of Vermont.
“Every day I wake up so grateful to see the view that I see out of my window and to be living up here,“he toldVermont Magazinein 2022. “I think very few people are lucky as I am to say, ‘I love where I live.’ I don’t have any fantasies of being somewhere else. I have everything I want and need in Vermont. I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve never seen a place as beautiful as Vermont.”
source: people.com
