Richard Treat Williams, known popularly as Treat Williams, was born December 1, 1951, in Rowayton, Connecticut. His parents were Richard Norman Williams and Marion Andrew, a corporate executive and antique dealer respectively. Williams attended Kent School located in his home state of Connecticut as well as Franklin and Marshall College.
He made his onscreen debut in 1976 with The Ritz, opposite Rita Moreno and Jerry Stiller. Over the next thirty-plus years, he would go on to take part in over seventy films and many additional television series.
His first major part was in a film adaptation of the highly popular stage musical Hair in 1979. Williams co-starred with John Savage and Beverly D Angelo and earned his first Golden Globe nomination. We went on to have a sizeable role in the Steven Spielberg directorial project 1941, with Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, and Christopher Lee.
His next Golden Globe nomination came in 1981 for Prince of the City, with Jerry Orbach, and his third nomination came just a few years later in 1984 for his starring role in the Tennessee Williams' miniseries adaptation A Streetcar Named Desire. Co-stars included Ann Margret and Randy Quaid.
He had another successful role in 1985 with the film Smooth Talk, opposite Laura Dern. While the film was met with a mediocre reception, Williams earned an Independent Spirit nomination for his portrayal of a sexually predatory older man. In 1988, Williams moved away from smaller productions into large scale, big budget films such as Dead Heat, with co-star Joe Piscopo, and a smaller role by Vincent Price.
Despite all the predictions Williams would take his place as Hollywood's next big leading man, this never quite happened for him. He appeared in a torrent of films for the remainder of the 80s and 90s but only a few were even noted by the public. This included Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead in 1995, with Andy Garcia, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Steve Buscemi, Fairuza Balk, and Christopher Walken. It also included The Late Shift, which won Williams yet another Emmy nomination. Kathy Bates, Ed Begley Jr, and Sandra Bernhard co-starred.
In 1996, Williams constituted one star among many in the gritty crime drama Mulholland Falls. The knockout cast boasted some of the biggest names in entertainment: Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Jennifer Connelly, and John Malkovich.
Williams continued to churn out movies at a breakneck pace, but it wasn't until his 2002 television series, Everwood, that he regained much of his star status. Starring as the leading man for four seasons, the show gained a large following and wide critical acclaim. At the show's conclusion, he secured a small but recurring role on the new drama Brothers & Sisters, with Calista Flockhart, Balthazar Getty, Sally Field, and Rob Lowe.
Williams can currently be seen on the medical drama Heartland.
In his personal life, Williams married Pam Van Sant in June of 1988. They have two children and are currently still together.
YUDDY
