Van Williams - Life and Career

Life and Career

A diving instructor in Hawaii in 1956, Williams was discovered there in 1957 by producer Mike Todd, who urged him to come to Hollywood to try his hand at acting. Todd, husband of Elizabeth Taylor at the time, died in a plane crash, but Williams took vocal and acting lessons and was signed to a contract by Warner Bros. in 1959. His big break came as costar of the ABC television series Bourbon Street Beat, set in New Orleans. The program aired during the 1959-1960 season; his costars were Andrew Duggan and Richard Long. Williams later worked in a General Electric production with Ronald W. Reagan, and his Bourbon Street Beat character, Kenny Madison, was recycled into the Surfside 6 television series in exactly the same time slot, with Troy Donahue. Williams starred in a television pilot called The Leathernecks that was shown as an episode of The Gallant Men.

Williams also appeared in the films Tall Story (1960) and The Caretakers (1963) and as Pat Burns on the ABC series The Tycoon with Walter Brennan. After his Warner Brothers contract lapsed in 1964, Williams worked in TV commercials and guest appearances on various TV series.