Renowned Actor Treat Williams passed away in a motorcycle accident. Hollywood mourns the death of 71-year-old actor
Williams’ death was confirmed by his agent, Barry McPherson of APA, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. He was a performer’s performer. He was adored by filmmakers. Since the late 1970s, he has been the centre of Hollywood, said McPherson to People.
Williams’s role as a New York City neurosurgeon who relocates his family to Colorado on the WB series Everwood and in films like Sidney Lumet’s Prince of the City and Milos Forman’s Hair made him famous during his six-decade career. He most recently served as a series regular on the well-liked Chesapeake Shores Netflix drama.
“Treat and I spent months in Rome filming Once Upon a Time in America,” actor James Woods wrote on Twitter. On the road during a protracted shoot, it may get very lonely, but his tenacious good humour and sense of humour were a godsend. He was someone I truly liked, and I’m crushed by his passing. #TreatWilliams, R.I.P.
“I loved following the wonderful Treat Williams, who shared so many warm, lovely, and peaceful Tweets with us over the years,” noted renowned critic Richard Roeper in a tweet. My condolences are with his family at this time.
“What a surprise. Mark Harris, a writer, tweeted that “Treat Williams was a brilliant actor (and a lovely, kind presence here). Don’t miss his funny/surprising role in The Ritz, his star-making performance in Hair, and the three hours you should put aside to watch Sidney Lumet’s magnificent Prince of the City.
Best-selling author Don Winslow wrote in a tweet, “Treat Williams was an all-around nice guy. He was a buddy of mine, and we collaborated on a TV show. He gave one of the biggest performances I have ever seen in PRINCE OF THE CITY, and we kept in touch frequently. Adieu, brother.
Below are some more tributes to Williams.
Treat Williams was a passionate, adventurous, creative man. In a short period of time, he quickly befriended me & his adventurous spirit was infectious. We worked on just 1 film together but occasionally connected over the years. Kind and generous with advice and support. RIP pic.twitter.com/jjZN8VcLR8
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) June 13, 2023
The actor’s many other big-screen credits include Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979), Sidney Lumet’s Prince of the City (1981), Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Dead Heat (1988), Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) and Deep Rising (1998).
Williams posted online often about life in Vermont, sharing photos on social media of his farm and appreciation for country life. His final tweet came less than an hour before his death.
“I’ve always had an enormous love for Vermont, both in winter and summer. There was something incredibly special about it to me, and the people here are incredibly honest, real, and good-humored,” he told an interviewer in 2022. “There’s also always something new to discover somewhere on a dirt road that you’ve never traveled on before. Every day I wake up so grateful to see the view that I see out of my window and to be living up here.”
Williams’ 40-year television career began with a lead role in the telefilm Dempsey from 1983, which was about the former heavyweight champion to whom the actor had more than a passing similarity. He then appeared in two more TV films, J. Edgar Hoover (1987), in which he portrayed the title G-man, and A Streetcar Named Desire (1984), in which he played Stanley Kowalski.
Treat’s passing is a great lost to the acting community. Our prayers are with his loved ones. RIP #treatwilliams #rip #restinpeace pic.twitter.com/r2ARG5X0D9
— Malcolm McDowell (@McDowellMalc) June 13, 2023
Numerous further TV films followed, such as the 1996 film The Late Shift, for which he received an Emmy nomination for his performance as former Uber agency Michael Ovitz, and the CBS sitcom Good Advice with Shelley Long, which aired for two seasons from 1993 to 1994 and served as the foundation for the film Everwood.
More recently, Williams played Lenny Ross in a six-episode storyline on Blue Bloods. She also starred in Chesapeake Shores on the Hallmark Channel from 2016 to 22 and the HBO limited series We Own This City.
In Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series Feud: Capote’s Women, in which he portrays media mogul and former CBS president Bill Paley, he will soon be seen.
Williams is survived by his actress wife Pam Van Sant, their two daughters Gille and Ellie, and themselves.
A Statement on the Passing of Treat Williams
It is with great sadness that we report that our beloved Treat Williams has passed away tonight in Dorset, Vermont after a fatal motorcycle accident. As you can imagine, we are shocked and greatly bereaved at this time.
Treat was full of love for his family, for his life and for his craft, and was truly at the top of his game in all of it. It is all so shocking right now, but please know that Treat was dearly and deeply loved and respected by his family and everyone who knew him.
We are beyond devastated and ask that you respect our privacy as we deal with our grief. To all his fans, please know that Treat appreciated all of you and please continue to keep him in your hearts and prayers.
The Williams Family
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