William Katt
| William Katt | |
|---|---|
 At the 2008 Comic-Con |
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| Born | William Theodore Katt February 16, 1951 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Other names | Bill Katt |
| Years active | 1970–Present |
| Spouse |
Danielle Hirsch (m. 1993) |
William Theodore Katt (born February 16, 1951) is an American film and television actor, best known as the star of The Greatest American Hero. He is also known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie White in the film version of Carrie and Paul Drake Jr. in the Perry Mason TV movies. His mother is Barbara Hale, who played Della Street in the television series Perry Mason.
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[edit] Early life
Katt was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor, Bill Williams (real name Hermann Katt), and actress, Barbara Hale. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley and began acting while a teenager.[citation needed]
[edit] Career
Katt attended Orange Coast College before pursuing a career as a musician. He then started acting, appearing in summer stock 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, and the role of Sundance Kid in the 1979 film Butch and Sundance: The Early Days. The same year he also appeared as Barlow in the John Milius surf film Big Wednesday opposite Jan-Michael Vincent and Gary Busey. His mother in that film was his real-life mother, Barbara Hale. This role 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.
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 instead went to Mark Hamill, and Katt instead starred that year in First Love.
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 television series The Greatest American Hero, a role he played until the show was canceled in 1983.
After The Greatest American Hero, Katt starred in Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985), about explorers searching for apatosaurs in Africa; the cult horror/comedy film House (1986) (reprising his role for the third sequel, House IV in 1992), and played the recurring role of detective Paul Drake Jr. in the periodic Perry Mason TV movies of the late eighties. These co-starred his mother, Barbara Hale, who resumed her Della Street role from the original show, and Katt collaborated on some of the later scripts. Katt starred in the 1989 TV series Top of the Hill, and acted in the short-lived 1991 series Good Sports.
Katt continues to appear on television and in supporting film roles, and also has branched out into voice acting. 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, "The Butterfly Effect", as a nosy reporter investigating Ali Larter's character. He portrayed Jack Matheson in the thriller film Mirrors 2.[1] In 2010 during season 6, Katt starred as C.J. Payne's musician, birth-father in the episode, "Who's Your Daddy, Now?", on the Tyler Perry comedy, House of Payne.
Katt also has written a Greatest American Hero comic book, and contributed to that series' Facebook page.[2]
[edit] Personal life
Katt married Deborah Kahane in 1979 and they had two sons, Chandler and Emerson. They divorced in 1986.[3] He married Danielle Hirsch in 1993 and has a daughter with her, Dakota, as well as a stepson, Andrew. [William Katt Interview! 3-21-11][2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Katt |
- Audio interview with William Katt at comic book site comiXology
- William Katt at the Internet Movie Database
- William Katt at AllRovi
