Van Williams

You could probably shoehorn actor 'Van Williams' (qv) right in there with the other impossibly handsome film and TV heartthrobs and hunks 'Tom Tryon' (qv), 'Robert Logan' (qv), 'Gardner McKay' (qv), 'Brian Kelly' (qv), 'Roger Smith' (qv) and 'John Gavin' (qv) of the late 1950s/early 1960s who conveyed a bland, heroic image. All were too often handed colorless hunks to play on film and/or TV -- roles that played off their photogenic prowess, manly charisma and charm but seldom tested their obvious dramatic mettle.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' (qv) and husband/producer 'Mike Todd' (qv), 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 Van, but the young hopeful ventured on anyway, taking some acting/voice lessons, and was almost immediately cast in dramatic TV roles.Warner Brothers had a keen eye for this type of photogenic hunk and smartly signed Van. Fitting in perfectly, he was soon showing just how irresistible he was as a clean-cut private eye on the series _Bourbon Street Beat (1959)_ (qv). Although the show lasted only one season, Warners carried his Kenny Madison character into the more popular adventure drama _Surfside 6 (1960)_ (qv) opposite fellow pin-up / blond beefcake bookend 'Troy Donahue' (qv). Series-wise, Van tried comedy next opposite 'Walter Brennan' (qv) in _The Tycoon (1964)_ (qv) . After his contract expired at Warners, 20th Century-Fox handed him his most vividly recalled role, that of the emerald-suited superhero _The Green Hornet (1966)_ (qv) with the late 'Bruce Lee' (qv) as his partner Kato. The show, inspired by the huge cult hit _Batman (1966)_ (qv) enjoyed a fast start but, like its predecessor, met an equally untimely finish.Never a strong draw in films, Van revealed quite a bit of himself (literally) in his debut in _Tall Story (1960)_ (qv) coming out of a shower. He was handed a typically staid second lead in _The Caretakers (1963)_ (qv). Continuing well into the 1970s to guest sporadically on the TV scene in classics like _The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)_ (qv), _Love, American Style (1969)_ (qv), _Mission: Impossible (1966)_ (qv), _The Big Valley (1965)_ (qv)", _Nanny and the Professor (1970)_ (qv), _Barnaby Jones (1973)_ (qv), and _The Rockford Files (1974)_ (qv). Another starring series attempt with _Westwind (1975)_ (qv) failed to make the grade and he soon let his career go.Van let his career subside and went quite successfully into business with telecommunications, real estate and law enforcement supplies among his lucrative ventures. With his glossy, pretty-boy years far behind him, he had no need to look back at his show biz success with the exception of an occasional autograph convention. He died of renal failure in Scottsdale, Arizona, on November 28, 2016, at age 82.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net