About
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...
Known for
IronsideSeries • 1967
The Rockford FilesSeries • 1974
Love, American StyleSeries • 1969
Mission: ImpossibleSeries • 1966
MannixSeries • 1967
BatmanSeries • 1966
The Beverly HillbilliesSeries • 1962
CheyenneSeries • 1955
The Dick Van Dyke ShowSeries • 1961
The Big ValleySeries • 1965
Barnaby JonesSeries • 1973
LawmanSeries • 1958
GunsmokeSeries • 1955
77 Sunset StripSeries • 1958
Hawaiian EyeSeries • 1959
The Streets of San FranciscoSeries • 1972
Surfside 6Series • 1960
Nanny and the ProfessorSeries • 1970
The Green HornetSeries • 1966
How the West Was WonSeries • 1977
The ManhunterSeries • 1974
Bourbon Street BeatSeries • 1959
Mrs. ColumboSeries • 1979
Dragon: The Bruce Lee StoryMovie • 1993