Person:Herman Katt (1)

Brief Biography

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

William Herman Katt (born Herman August Wilhelm Katt; May 15, 1915 – September 21, 1992), known as Bill Williams, was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early television series The Adventures of Kit Carson, which aired in syndication from 1951 to 1955.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Obituary for Bill Williams (aka William Katt), in Register Star (Rockford, Illinois)
   12, 24 Sep 1992.

   Bill Williams, 77. Actor.
   LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Actor Bill Williams a.k.a. William Katt Sr., 77, died Monday, Sept. 21, 1992, in St. Joseph Hospital, Burbank, Calif., after an extended illness. Born May 21, 1915, in Greenpoint, N.Y. Married Barbara Hale, co-star of Perry Mason, in The Old Stone Church, Rockton, in 1946. Played starring roles in hit TV series Kit Carson, Assignment Underwater and Date with the Angels; appeared in numerous motion pictures including Rio Lobo with John Wayne. Survivors: wife Barbara; ... Services at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in Church of the Hills, Hollywood Hills. Burial in Forest Lawn Cemetery. ...

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Bill Williams (actor), in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
   last accessed Mar 2017.

   William Herman Katt (born Herman August Wilhelm Katt; May 15, 1915 – September 21, 1992), known as Bill Williams, was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early television series The Adventures of Kit Carson, which aired in syndication from 1951 to 1955. ...

3. ↑ Hermann Augustwilhel Katt (FamilySearch database), in California. Department of Public Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death Index, 1940-1997
   26 November 2014.

   Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
   -----
   Name Hermann Augustwilhel Katt
   Event Type Death
   Event Date 21 Sep 1992
   Event Place Los Angeles, California, United States
   Birth Date 21 May 1915
   Birthplace New York
   Gender Male
   Mother's Name Meyers

4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line].

   Name: William Herman Katt [Bill Williams] [Herman Katt] [William Katt]
   SSN: xxx
   Gender: Male
   Race: White
   Birth Date: 21 May 1915
   Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York
   Death Date: 21 Sep 1992
   Father: Herman T Katt
   Mother: Johanna Meyer
   Type of Claim: Original SSN.
   Notes:
   Oct 1937: Name listed as WILLIAM HERMAN KATT;
   Mar 1946: Name listed as BILL WILLIAMS;
   Jun 1960: Name listed as HERMAN AUGUST KATT; :
   Name listed as WILLIAM HER KATT;
   16 Oct 1992: Name listed as WILLIAM H KATT

5. ↑ Bill Williams (Original name: Herman August Wilhelm Katt), in Find A Grave: Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
   Memorial# 6080034, Jan 09, 2002.

   Birth: May 21, 1915, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA
   Death: Sep. 21, 1992, Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, USA
   Burial: Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA
   Plot: Enduring Faith, Lot 2580, Space 1

   Actor. He appeared in motion pictures and and on television from the 1930s to the 1980s, with many character roles in popular movies and television shows. His best known role was that of American Frontiersman Christopher "Kit" Carson in "The Adventures of Kit Carson", a series that ran from 1951 to 1955, and featured a fictionalize depiction of the life of Carson and his times. He was married to actress Barbara Hale, and was the father of actor William Katt.

6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Beyond Kit Carson: Remembering the Charm and Talents of Bill Williams, in Talking Classics: Golden Hollywood Gems
   21 Sep 2012.

   Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 21, 1915 as Hermann Wilhelm Katt, Bill Williams started his career in Vaudeville, touring the US and Europe as an adagio dancer until he joined the army in WWII. Following an honorable medical discharge, he returned to show business, starting out as an extra in Hollywood and playing small, uncredited parts before he finally landed a deal with RKO in the mid 1940s. As a contract player, he was slowly cast as a budding co-star, opposite popular colleagues such as Spencer Tracy in Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, Robert Young in Those Endearing Young Charms, Robert Mitchum in Till the End of Time and Susan Hayward in Deadline at Dawn while in private life he quietly divorced his first, long estranged wife. In 1946, two years after shooting West of the Pecos, a small Western featuring RKO starlet Barbara Hale whom he had previously been introduced to by acting coach Lillian Albertson, he got married to his former co-star gone studio sweetheart and saw a bright future laid out before him. Considered for a series of pictures following A Likely Story co-starring his young wife, Bill’s stream of luck ended with the sudden death of RKO president Charles Kroener and the structural changes that followed at the studio.
   
   After serving as good-will ambassador from Hollywood to the public in 1946 and 47 for several months, keeping his popularity afloat by touring he country, he was struck down by an old injury that would further interrupt his career while Mrs. Williams was expecting their first child. With A Likely Story under his belt, however, the press didn’t lose interest in him and focused on the private life of the growing Williams family instead, presenting them as happy, lovely and homey. After bowing out of The Window, his second would-be collaboration with wife Barbara, Bill regained his health and starred with her in The Clay Pigeon. Shortly thereafter, the couple faced a new challenge in their conjoined careers when Howard Hughes entered the scene to change the course of RKO by letting all the contract players go. While his wife managed to land a career-breaking part in Jolson Sings Again and a follow-up contract with Columbia Pictures, Bill Williams continued working as a freelance actor, starring in a number of small Westerns and memorable films like The Stratton Story until he got his big break on television in 1951. Landing the title role in The Adventures of Kit Carson, Bill breathed life into a character who soon turned into a kids’ favorite and guaranteed him long hours on set. Successful for four consecutive seasons, the show turned Bill into a household name and Western hero, a good fortune he tried to continue with Date with the Angels in 1957. Starring opposite TV darling Betty White, Bill was seen as a newlywed husband who showed splendid comedic timing. Although promising, entertaining and less strenuous to work on than his predecessor series, the show did not last longer than a season. Instead, his wife Barbara Hale started an unexpectedly long career on television when she agreed to star as Della Street on Perry Mason, a show that would last from 1957 to 66. After years of putting her family first, it was Bill now who spent more time at home with the three children. He did not return to the small screen until 1960 when he starred in Assignment: Underwater, an underwater adventure show modeled after Sea Hunt, a surprise hit Bill Williams himself had turned down in 1958. Following the show’s cancellation, Bill returned to being a working actor and guest starred on a variety of popular programs including his wife’s great success and her co-star Raymond Burr’s follow-up smash Ironside until he retired from acting for good in 1981.
   
   Although originally a city boy with a defining Brooklyn accent, Bill was frequently cast as a handsomely talented cowboy throughout his career. With his boyish grin, tender eyes and natural athleticism, he was the perfect ‘good guy’ when he was young and a credible character actor when he got older. Always deeply committed to his craft, he worked hard at doing most of his own stunts, oozed honesty and earthy charm. Not unlike his darling wife, Bill Williams is now often remembered for his one career-defining role as Kit Carson, but it would be a pity to forget all the other characters he breathed life into, including the many different men he played opposite Mrs. Williams – from their first feature West of the Pecos in 1945 to their last in 1976, Disney’s Flight of the Grey Wolf.
   
   Twenty years ago, on September 21, Bill Williams died in Burbank, California at the age of 77. He left his wife of 46 years, two grown daughters and his son, William Katt, a working actor who continued the tradition of keeping the business in the family by repeatedly working with his mother, Barbara Hale, on the same projects. By his fans, he is still remembered with great fondness, especially by those who grew up loving Westerns.

   Author’s note: Apparently, there’s some confusion about Bill Williams’ date of birth. (Thanks for the mention, Gina!) Wikipedia now lists May 15th as his birthday while imdb still mentions May 21st. As soon as I get confirmation on the validity of one of these dates, you’ll be the first ones to know.