William Katt | |
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Born | William Theodore Katt February 16, 1951 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Other names | Billy Katt |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1970–present |
Spouses | Deborah Kahane (m. 1979;div. 1992)Danielle Hirsch (m. 1993) |
Children | 3 |
Parents |
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William Theodore Katt (born February 16, 1951) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Ralph Hinkley/Hanley on the ABC television series The Greatest American Hero (1981–83).
Katt first became known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie White in the original film version of Carrie (1976). He subsequently starred in films such as First Love (1977), Big Wednesday (1978) and Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979). Between 1985 and 1988, he starred in nine Perry Mason television films alongside his mother Barbara Hale, who reprised her role as Della Street from the television series Perry Mason .
Katt was born in Los Angeles to actors Bill Williams (birth name Herman August Wilhelm Katt) and Barbara Hale. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley and began acting as a teenager, sometimes appearing with his parents. [1] He graduated from Army and Navy Academy, Carlsbad, California.
Katt attended Orange Coast College before pursuing a career as a musician. Inspired by his father, he then started an acting career, appearing in summer stock theatre and in small television roles. His earliest film credits include the role of a jock, Tommy Ross in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film adaptation Carrie , which allowed Katt to make a name for himself. In 1978, he appeared as Barlow, a young surfer, in the John Milius drama film Big Wednesday opposite Jan-Michael Vincent and Gary Busey. His mother in that film was his real-life mother, Barbara Hale. The following year he took the role of Sundance Kid in the 1979 film Butch and Sundance: The Early Days . The role in Big Wednesday made him so well known in the surfing community that in 2004 he presented one of the Association of Surfing Professionals awards at their annual World Championship Tour ceremony to wild applause from the crowd of professional surfers. Katt explained in a 1979 interview with critic Roger Ebert that he was holding out only for parts that were personally interesting to him. [2]
In December 1975, Katt auditioned for the part of Luke Skywalker in 1977's science fiction blockbuster Star Wars , and footage of his audition has been featured in many Star Wars documentaries. He was seriously considered for the role, which went to Mark Hamill, and Katt instead starred that year in First Love , playing a college student who experiences his first romantic relationship.
In 1981, Katt was cast as the title role in a filmed version of the Broadway musical comedy Pippin , which received mixed reviews. He won his best remembered role that year, however, as Ralph Hinkley, a mild-mannered schoolteacher given a superpowered suit by aliens on the popular television series The Greatest American Hero , a role he played until the show was canceled in 1983. Also starring veteran actor Robert Culp, the show retains a cult fanbase. Its theme song, "Believe It or Not", penned by Mike Post, also became a hit in the music charts. In 1982, due to the success of the first season of The Greatest American Hero, Katt signed to MCA and released a soft rock album, Secret Smiles under the name Billy Katt.
After The Greatest American Hero, Katt starred in Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985), about explorers searching for apatosaurs in Africa, and the cult horror/comedy film House (1985); he later reprised his role for the third sequel, House IV , in 1992. Between 1985 and 1988, Katt starred in nine Perry Mason television films, playing the role of private detective Paul Drake Jr., son of Paul Drake, a fictional private detective in the Perry Mason television series and the Perry Mason series of detective stories written by Erle Stanley Gardner; Katt co-starred with his mother Barbara Hale, who reprised her role of Della Street from the Perry Mason television series. Katt starred in the 1989 TV series Top of the Hill and made a guest appearance on the first episode of the short-lived 1991 series Good Sports .
Katt continues to appear on television and in supporting film roles, and does voice acting as well. He appeared in an episode of House in 2006. 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 briefly appeared in Heroes season 3 in "The Butterfly Effect" as a nosy reporter investigating Ali Larter's character. He portrayed Jack Matheson in the thriller film Mirrors 2. [3] In 2010 during season 6, Katt guest starred as C.J. Payne's musician birth-father in the episode "Who's Your Daddy Now?" in the Tyler Perry comedy House of Payne .
Katt also has written a Greatest American Hero comic book and contributed to that series' Facebook page. [4]
In 2013, Katt played himself in the spoof film Paranormal Movie directed by Kevin Farley. In 2014, he appeared in The Unwanted . In 2020, he appeared in The 2nd .
Katt married Deborah Kahane in 1979 and they have two sons, Clayton and Emerson. They divorced in 1992. [5]
He married Danielle Hirsch in 1993 and has a daughter with her, Dakota, as well as a stepson, Andrew. [6]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 | |
1985 | 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 | |
1995 | Problem Child 3: Junior in Love | Ben Healy, Jr. | Direct-to-video |
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 | The Clean and Narrow | George | Director |
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 | Director |
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 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981-1983 | The Greatest American Hero | Ralph Hinkley | Lead role |
1994 | Animaniacs | Dr. Roma | Voice, episode: "No Face Like Home" [7] |
1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Zowie | Voice, episode: "Riddler's Reform" [7] |
2001 | Justice League | Scott Mason / Green Guardsman | Voice, episode: "Legends" [7] |
2006 | House | Walter | Episode: "House vs. God" |
2008 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Hawkman | Voice, episode: "The Golden Age of Justice!" [7] |
2010 | Numbers | Sven Regal | Episode: "And The Winner is" [8] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame | Hawkman | Voice [7] |
Raymond William Stacy Burr was a Canadian actor who had a lengthy Hollywood film career and portrayed the title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside.
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a client being charged with murder, usually involving a preliminary hearing or jury trial. Typically, Mason establishes his client's innocence by finding the real murderer. The character was inspired by famed Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Earl Rogers.
Paul Drake is a fictional private detective in the Perry Mason series of murder mystery novels by Erle Stanley Gardner. Drake is described as tall and slouching, nondescript, and frequently wearing an expression of droll humor. He often smoked cigarettes especially when he had a subject of interest under surveillance. He is friend and right-hand man to Mason, a highly successful criminal defense lawyer in Los Angeles.
Carrie-Anne Moss is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in The Matrix series (1999–present). She has starred in Memento (2000), for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Red Planet (2000), Chocolat (2000), Fido (2006), Snow Cake (2006), for which she won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Disturbia (2007), Unthinkable (2010), Silent Hill: Revelation (2012), and Pompeii (2014). She also portrayed Jeri Hogarth in several television series produced by Marvel Television for Netflix, most notably Jessica Jones (2015–2019).
Ned Thomas Beatty was an American actor. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 films. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest actor in Hollywood". His film appearances included Deliverance (1972), White Lightning (1973), All the President's Men (1976), Network (1976), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Back to School (1986), Rudy (1993), Shooter (2007), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Rango (2011). He also had the series regular role of Stanley Bolander in the first three seasons of the hit NBC TV drama Homicide: Life on the Street.
The Greatest American Hero is an American comedy-drama superhero television series that aired on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour pilot movie on March 18, 1981, and ran until February 2, 1983. The series features William Katt as teacher Ralph Hinkley, Robert Culp as FBI agent Bill Maxwell, and Connie Sellecca as lawyer Pam Davidson. The lead character's surname was changed from "Hinkley" to "Hanley" for the latter part of the first season, immediately after President Ronald Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981. The character's name was reverted to "Hinkley" after a few months had passed.
Alan Hale Jr. was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role as Captain Jonas Grumby, better known as The Skipper, on the 1960s CBS comedy series Gilligan's Island (1964–1967), a role he reprised in three Gilligan's Island television films and two spin-off cartoon series.
Robert Martin Culp was an American actor and screenwriter widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965–1968), the espionage television series in which co-star Bill Cosby and he played secret agents. Before this, he starred in the CBS/Four Star Western series Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman in 71 episodes from 1957 to 1959. The 1980s brought him back to television as FBI Agent Bill Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero. Later, he had a recurring role as Warren Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice actor for various computer games, including Half-Life 2. Culp gave hundreds of performances in a career spanning more than 50 years.
William Boyett was an American actor best known for his roles in law enforcement dramas on television from the 1950s through the 1990s.
Barbara Hale was an American actress who portrayed legal secretary Della Street in the dramatic television series Perry Mason (1957–1966), earning her a 1959 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She reprised the role in 30 Perry Mason made-for-television movies (1985–1995).
Henry Corden was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for assuming the voice of Fred Flintstone after the death of Alan Reed in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in a 1965 Hanna-Barbera record, Saving Mr. Flintstone, although he had previously provided the singing voice for Reed in the 1966 theatrical film The Man Called Flintstone and the Hanna-Barbera specials Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid like You Doing in a Place like This? (1966) and Energy: A National Issue (1977). He took over the role as Fred Flintstone full time starting with the syndicated weekday series Fred Flintstone and Friends for which he provided voice-overs on brief bumper clips shown in-between segments.
Big Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age buddy sports comedy-drama film directed by John Milius. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey as California surfers facing life and the Vietnam War against the backdrop of their love of surfing.
Herman August Wilhelm Katt, known professionally as Bill Williams, was an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the titular character in the western series The Adventures of Kit Carson, which aired in syndication from 1951 to 1955.
Murray Hamilton was an American stage, screen and television character actor who appeared in such films as Anatomy of a Murder, The Hustler, The Graduate, Jaws and The Amityville Horror.
Donald Poe Galloway was an American stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Detective Sergeant Ed Brown in the series Ironside (1967–1975). He reprised the role for a TV film in 1993. He was also a politically active libertarian and columnist.
Perry Mason is an American legal drama series originally broadcast on CBS television from September 21, 1957, to May 22, 1966. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner. Many episodes are based on stories written by Gardner.
James McEachin is an American author and retired actor. He is a veteran of the Korean War.
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days is a 1979 American Western film and prequel to the 1969 film. It stars Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid, with Jeff Corey reprising his role as Sheriff Bledsoe.
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A series of 30 Perry Mason television films aired on NBC from 1985 to 1995 as sequels to the CBS TV series Perry Mason. After a hiatus of nearly 20 years, Raymond Burr reprised his role as Los Angeles defense attorney Mason in 26 of the television films. Following Burr's death in 1993, Paul Sorvino and Hal Holbrook starred in the remaining four television films that aired from 1993 to 1995, with Sorvino playing lawyer Anthony Caruso in the first of these and Holbrook playing "Wild Bill" McKenzie in the last three.
External audio interview. https://www.spreaker.com/user/10945005/cbc-ep-358-william-katt-gah-commentary