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Van Williams‌

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1934-02-27

Popularity

star8.5

Van Williams

Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Van Williams

Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1934-02-27

Popularity

star8.5

Biography

You could shoehorn actor Van Williams right in there between the other tall, dark and drop-jaw gorgeous heartthrobs Tom Tryon and John Gavin of the late 1950s/early 1960s who conveyed a similar bland, heroic image. All three were too often given colorless heroes to play on film and/or TV -- roles that played off their charm but seldom tested their talent. Born on February 27, 1934 as Van Zandt Jarvis Williams, he was the son of a cattle rancher. He majored in animal husbandry and business at Texas Christian University but moved to Hawaii which changed the course of his life. While operating a salvage company and a skin-diving school during the mid-1950s, he was approached by Elizabeth Taylor and husband/producer Mike Todd, who were filming there. Encouraged by Todd to try his luck, Van arrived in Hollywood with no experience. Todd perished in a plane crash before he was able to help Van, but the young hopeful ventured on anyway, taking some acting/voice lessons, and was almost immediately cast in dramatic TV roles. Warner Brothers had a keen eye for this type of photogenic hunk and smartly signed Van. Fitting in perfectly, he was soon showing just how irresistible he was as a clean-cut private eye on the series "Bourbon Street Beat (1959)". Although the show lasted only one season, Warners carried his Kenny Madison character into the more popular adventure drama Surfside 6 (1960) opposite fellow pin-up / blond beefcake bookend Troy Donahue. Series-wise, Van tried comedy next opposite "Walter Brennan in The Tycoon (1964)". After his contract expired at Warners, 20th Century-Fox handed him his most vividly recalled role, that of the emerald-suited superhero "The Green Hornet (1966)" with the late Bruce Lee as his partner Kato. The show, inspired by the huge cult hit "Batman (1966)" enjoyed a fast start but, like its predecessor, met an equally untimely finish. Never a strong draw in films, Van revealed quite a bit of himself (literally) in his debut in "Tall Story (1960)" coming out of a shower. He was handed a typically staid second lead in "The Caretakers (1963)". Continuing well into the 1970s to guest sporadically on the TV scene in classics like "The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)", "Love, American Style (1969)", "Mission: Impossible (1966)", "The Big Valley (1965)", "Nanny and the Professor (1970)", "Barnaby Jones (1973)", and "The Rockford Files (1974)". Another starring series attempt with "Westwind (1975)" failed to make the grade and he soon let his career go. Van went on quite successfully in business with telecommunications, real estate and law enforcement supplies among his ventures. With his glossy, pretty-boy years far behind him, he has not felt the need to look back except for an occasional autograph convention. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Movie Credits

Fury of the Dragon

Fury of the Dragon‌
star5.2
calendar 1976

The GREATEST : Bruce Lee

The GREATEST : Bruce Lee‌
star7.7
calendar 1998

The Caretakers

The Caretakers‌
star6.2
calendar 1963

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet‌
star6.8
calendar 1974

The Runaways

The Runaways‌
star0.0
calendar 1975

The Night Rider

The Night Rider‌
star3.5
calendar 1979

Red Nightmare

Red Nightmare‌
star6.0
calendar 1962

Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet

Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet‌
star8.0
calendar 2020

Batman

Batman‌
star6.4
calendar 1966

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story‌
star6.9
calendar 1993

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet‌
star0.0
calendar 2005

Colorado C.I.

Colorado C.I.‌
star0.0
calendar 1978

Tv Credits

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip‌
star6.7
calendar 1958

Mrs. Columbo

Mrs. Columbo‌
star6.7
calendar 1979

Bourbon Street Beat

Bourbon Street Beat‌
star5.0
calendar 1959

Batman

Batman‌
star7.3
calendar 1966

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show‌
star7.4
calendar 1961

The Beverly Hillbillies

The Beverly Hillbillies‌
star6.9
calendar 1962

The Streets of San Francisco

The Streets of San Francisco‌
star7.0
calendar 1972

Mannix

Mannix‌
star6.7
calendar 1967

Surfside 6

Surfside 6‌
star5.0
calendar 1960

Hawaiian Eye

Hawaiian Eye‌
star5.0
calendar 1959

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Hallmark Hall of Fame‌
star8.8
calendar 1951

Ironside

Ironside‌
star6.9
calendar 1967

Nanny and the Professor

Nanny and the Professor‌
star5.6
calendar 1970

The Big Valley

The Big Valley‌
star6.0
calendar 1965

Westwind

Westwind‌
star5.0
calendar 1975

Lawman

Lawman‌
star5.4
calendar 1958

The Manhunter

The Manhunter‌
star5.0
calendar 1974

Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected

Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected‌
star6.0
calendar 1977

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet‌
star7.2
calendar 1966

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke‌
star6.5
calendar 1955

Love, American Style

Love, American Style‌
star5.8
calendar 1969

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet‌
star7.2
calendar 1966

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet‌
star7.2
calendar 1966

Temple Houston

Temple Houston‌
star5.7
calendar 1963

Cheyenne

Cheyenne‌
star5.8
calendar 1955

The Streets of San Francisco

The Streets of San Francisco‌
star7.0
calendar 1972

Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible‌
star7.6
calendar 1966

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip‌
star6.7
calendar 1958

The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files‌
star7.5
calendar 1974

Barnaby Jones

Barnaby Jones‌
star6.9
calendar 1973