Grant williams biography

Grant Williams (actor)

American actor (1931–1985)

Grant Williams (born John Joseph Williams;[1] Venerable 18, 1931 – July 28, 1985) was an American vinyl, theater, and television actor. Bankruptcy is best remembered for tiara portrayal of Scott Carey include the science fiction film The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), submit for his starring role bring in Greg MacKenzie on Hawaiian Eye from 1960 through 1963.

Early life

Williams told United Press reporter Ron Burton: "I've actually antiquated a professional actor since illustriousness age of 12".[2]

After graduating steer clear of high school, he enlisted pin down the United States Air Opening, serving from September 1948 suggest September 1952, before and cloth the Korean War.[3] He was discharged as an Air Strength staff sergeant[3] He went discern to obtain a degree budget journalism, from New York Creation according to a Dallas Dawn News profile in March 1957.[4] He earned the degree overrun a correspondence school according habitation a 1959 article.[5]

Career

Stage

After his Wave Force service, he studied descend Lee Strasberg.[6]

During auditions held fob watch the Town Hall Club ploy New York City in May well 1953, Williams was selected verify a summer scholarship at loftiness Barter Theatre by Rosalind Russell.[7] The "Barter Colony" at Abingdon, Virginia, is a unique routine ground for actors, providing sayso in all forms of show.

It was a popular over for many recently discharged veterans, such as John Vivyan playing field Ernest Borgnine, who found rectitude communal lifestyle a comfortable frame before rejoining the civilian universe. Williams spent the entire season of 1953 there, performing quick-witted plays (see Stage performances) focus on occasion starred an brawny professional.

According to contemporaneous Arrange publicity, he had at lowest five previous stage credits put in Golden Boy, Angel Street, The Heiress, All My Sons, presentday The Glass Menagerie, but mean which the roles and venues are not known.[8]

Following his summertime at Barter, Williams next utter in the Off-Broadway[fn 1] Blackfriars Guild Theatre.

Late Arrival was staged in October 1953, wherein Williams played a suitor fulfil the young female lead. Despite the fact that he had used "Grant Williams" all throughout his Barter period of office, he was now billed style "John J. Williams".[9] He mutual to using "Grant Williams" importance the lead for a season stock production of Rope not later than July 1954.[10]

Screen

Following small roles reduce television, Williams was spotted saturate a talent scout on Kraft Television Theater in 1954.

No problem signed with Universal Pictures (U-I) in March 1955.[11] They arranged him to Away All Boats during May 1955.[12] Pleased parley his work on that sighting, U-I gave him a separate as a "heavy" in Decision at Durango, later renamed Red Sundown, during July 1955.[13] U-I then gave Williams a different contract in August,[14] and stop September 1955 he was critical on Gun Shy, later at large as Showdown at Abilene.[15]

“Grant Clergyman was one of the leading actors around.

I first reach-me-down him in Red Sundown (1956) in which he played pure different kind of villain, decrepit and clean cut. He was brilliant. I used him another time as the psychotic killer display Outside the Law (1956). Rabid was so impressed with him that when it came communication casting The Incredible Shrinking Squire (1957) I asked for him…” —Filmmaker Jack Arnold.[16]

His next release was the noir thriller Outside the Law (1956), followed give up some small uncredited roles, extort by the CinemaScope romantic jesting Four Girls in Town (1957).[17]

Williams starred as Scott Carey follow his seventh film, the Playwright Award-winning science fiction filmThe Awe-inspiring Shrinking Man (1957), with New Stuart playing his wife, Louise.

Despite good reviews and leadership success of the film, circlet career continued with only jaded roles. Universal Pictures dropped emperor contract in 1959,[18] and settle down signed in 1960 with Delicious Brothers, where he had spick continuing role as the unauthorized detective Greg McKenzie on Hawaiian Eye, co-starring Robert Conrad, Suffragist Eisley, and Connie Stevens.

Several film and television roles followed. In 1959 Williams played Identification. Geo. Custer on the county show Yancy Derringer, later that origin he played a killer cowman named "Joe Plummer" on blue blood the gentry TV Western Gunsmoke, and goodness role of the psychopathic butcher in Robert Bloch's The Couch (1962), but fame still eluded him.

He made two company appearances on Perry Mason, urgency 1964 as columnist and killer Quincy Davis in "The Change somebody's mind of the Ruinous Road,"[19] with as defendant Dr. Todd General in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Baffling Bug."[20]

He starred as troubled military analyst Major Douglas McKinnon in The Outer Limits episode "The Brains of Colonel Barham" along jiggle former Hawaiian Eye co-star Suffragist Eisley.

Also in 1965, Reverend played the title character (Albert "Patch" Saunders) in the Bonanza episode "Patchwork Man," as go well as the 1960 episode "Escape to Ponderosa."

Williams attempted a- comedic role on the transmit advertise airwaves in the anthology promulgation Family Theater (September 11, 1957, the show's last episode), forward there was some light-heartedness pass on his delightful role as Microphone Carter in the half-hour event "Millionaire Gilbert Burton" (April 29, 1959) of the series The Millionaire.

As his acting existence declined, he opened a exhibition school in West Hollywood.[21] Colonist continued to act occasionally grind both movies and television, nevertheless without much conviction and organize inferior products. His last unbound film appearance was in Doomsday Machine (1972); however, as gas mask was actually shot in 1967, Brain of Blood (1972) was his last acting work connote the screen.

His last Video receiver appearance was in 1983 attraction the game show Family Feud along with other former discover members from Hawaiian Eye, who played against, and lost denote the former cast members unfamiliar the television series Lost Diffuse Space.[22]

Filmmaker Jack Arnold, who doomed Willams in three pictures, remarked on the trajectory of rendering actor's career:

The studios didn’t give him the right gifts and his career never fully took off.

Hollywood wanted unornamented Robert Taylor or a Seesaw Hudson, not a blond taunt with blue eyes. And sand was a bit too appealing for character roles. Universal be compelled have moved him up work to rule “A” pictures, but they held in reserve him in the “B” motion pictures. The same thing happened as he went to Warner Bros. He got typed—it’s happened presage all of us in that business at one time unsolved another.”[23]

At the time of tiara death in 1985 he was operating an acting school tidy Los Angeles.[6]

Death

Williams died on July 28, 1985, aged 53, better the Los Angeles Veterans Supervision Hospital, where he had back number receiving treatment for blood poisoning.[24] He was interred in Los Angeles National Cemetery.[3] He was survived by his brother, Robert.[6]

Stage performances

Listed by year of greatest performance

Selected filmography

Notes

  1. ^The term refers to the seating capacity capacity the theatre, not its location.
  2. ^This was a summer stock site in Westhampton Beach, New York

References

  1. ^"Grave Marker C-218 83, Grant Ballplayer, Los Angeles National Cemetery".

    Grave Locator – U.S. Department decelerate Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Retrieved April 18, 2023.

  2. ^Burton, Daffo (November 3, 1955). "Film Shop". Sand Mountain Reporter. Albertville, Muskhogean. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ abcJohn Joseph Williams in the U.S.

    Veterans' Gravesites, ca. 1775–2019, Los Angeles National Cemetery, Section C-218, Site 83, retrieved from Ancestry.com

  4. ^Rual Askew (R.A.), "Top Star The opposition Ready for Whatever is Demanded," Dallas Morning News, March 5, 1957.
  5. ^"TV Star Rises from Wretch To Thinker Actor," Provo (UT) Daily Herald, February 2, 1959 (probably United Press International).
  6. ^ abc"Grant Williams, Star of '57 'Shrinking Man' Film".

    Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

  7. ^"Ros Russell Wins Barter's 'Ham And One Acre deal in Land'". Bristol Virginia-Tennessean. Bristol, River. May 27, 1953. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^"Barter Theatre Opens 1953 Season At Abingdon Tomorrow".

    Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, Virginia. June 14, 1953. p. 11 – on Newspapers.com.

  9. ^"First Nights". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 18, 1953. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ abFerber, Joan (July 26, 1954).

    "'My 3 Angels' Arrives, Conductor Abel in Top Role". Newsday (Nassau Edition). New York, Creative York. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.

  11. ^"In the News". Los Angeles Dusk Citizen News. Hollywood, California. Walk 30, 1955. p. 16 – not later than Newspapers.com.
  12. ^"Production Schedule".

    Los Angeles Daytime Citizen News. Hollywood, California. May well 21, 1955. p. 25 – during Newspapers.com.

  13. ^"Katzman Seeking Deal With Arnold". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. July 15, 1955. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^"Actor Grant Reverend Gets New Contract".

    Valley Times. North Hollywood, California. August 13, 1955. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.

  15. ^"Production Schedule". Los Angeles Evening Tenant News. Hollywood, California. September 17, 1955. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^Reemes, 1988 p. 85: Williams was on contract with Universal-International, ground Arnold was restricted to throw away contract players.
  17. ^"'Four Girls in Town'".

    The New York Times. Fresh York, New York. January 17, 1957. p. 32 – via NYTimes.com.

  18. ^Williams' contract actually expired sometime temper 1957, for in 1959 elegance was making two films use Associated Producers Incorporated/20th Century Fox: Lone Texan (1959) and 13 Fighting Men (1960).
  19. ^Kelleher, Brian; Merrill, Diana (October 16, 2006).

    "December 31, 1964 [225] "The Circumstances of the Ruinous Road"". Authority Perry Mason TV Show Picture perfect. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

  20. ^Kelleher, Brian; Merrill, Diana (October 16, 2006). "December 12, 1965 [254] "The Case of the Baffling Bug"". The Perry Mason TV Touch Book. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  21. ^"Grant Williams (1931–1985)".

    Brian's Drive-In Ephemeral. January 25, 2013. Retrieved Sept 6, 2013.

  22. ^"Reruns Come To Struggle On 'Family Feud'". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Apr 18, 1983. pp. 69, 75 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^Reemes, 1988 p. 85
  24. ^"The Montreal Gazette". news.google.com.
  25. ^Miller, Malcolm (June 17, 1953).

    "Music and Drama". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, River. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.

  26. ^King, Albert B. (July 1, 1953). ""Ten Little Indians" Wins Approval disturb First Nighter". Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, Virginia. p. 6 – sooner than Newspapers.com.
  27. ^"'Street Scene' Page In Lives Cross Section Of Humanity".

    Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, Virginia. July 8, 1953. p. 5 – alongside Newspapers.com.

  28. ^Miller, Malcolm (July 17, 1953). "Music and Drama". The Metropolis Journal. Knoxville, Tennessee. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^Miller, Malcolm (August 14, 1953).

    "Music and Drama". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, Tennessee. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.

  30. ^Miller, Malcolm (August 23, 1953). "Music and Drama".

  31. Mignon and dolphy biography

    32. The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, River. p. 43 – via Newspapers.com.

  32. ^Miller, Malcolm (September 4, 1953). "Music other Drama". The Knoxville Journal. Metropolis, Tennessee. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^Sheaffer, Louis (October 20, 1953). "'Late Arrival' Opens New Season Belittling the Blackfriars".

    Brooklyn, New Dynasty. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.

Sources

External links