Treat Williams was born December 1, 1951 in Rowayton, Connecticut. His passion for acting began during his days at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He spent his summers acting in both classical and contemporary productions staged by the Fulton Repertory Theater in Lancaster. After graduation, he headed to Manhattan and worked in the Andrew Sisters musical Over There, and became the understudy for the Danny Zuko character in Grease. He later made his brief film debut as a cop in Deadly Hero, and returned to a starring role in Grease. It was there that director Milos Foreman saw him play the lead, later casting him in the 1979 film, Hair.
Catapulted into stardom, Treat Williams was soon seen on many other big roles. He portrayed a GI in Steven Spielberg’s 1941, and was the star of the romantic comedy Why Would I Lie? He next tackled the role of Danny Ciello in Sidney Lumet’s Prince of the City, which earned him his second Golden Globe Award nomination (the first was for Hair). In 1984, he got his third nomination for his performance in the TV production of A Streetcar Named Desire, which was followed by roles in The Men’s Club, Smooth Talk, Sweet Lies, Third Degree Burn, and Dead Heat. He was also noted for his work in Once Upon A Time in America, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, and Deep Rising.
Williams work on television has been marked by many dramas. He was cast in Dempsey, as well as in the WB series Everwood as Dr. Andy Brown. He played another doctor on the TNT series Hearland, as the dedicated Nathaniel Grant. Numerous guest appearances also came his way, and he was soon seen on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters and Going to California. On stage, Williams has won two Drama League Awards. One of these was for his work in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, and the other was for his starring role in the off-Broadway production of Captains Courageous. In 2008, he acted alongside Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher in What Happens in Vegas.
(Photo courtesy of TNT)