William Katt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Katt is an American film and television actor.
Katt was born February 16, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor Bill Williams (formerly "Katt") and actress Barbara Hale. He attended Orange Coast College, before pursuing a career as a musician. He then started acting, appearing in summer stock and in small television roles. His earlier film credits include the role of a jock in Brian DePalma's 1976 cult film Carrie, and the role of Sundance Kid in the 1978 film Butch and Sundance: The Early Days. Katt can also be seen auditioning for the part of Luke Skywalker for 1977's Star Wars on many Star Wars documentaries.
Katt then got the role of Ralph Hinkley, a mild-mannered schoolteacher who is given a flying suit by aliens on the television series The Greatest American Hero in 1981, and played the role till the show was cancelled in 1983. Although Katt felt silly in the costume, it would become his most famous role.
In 1981, he played the title role in Pippin. In 1986, Katt starred the cult Horror/Comedy film House. From 1987 onwards, Katt played the recurring role of detective Paul Drake Jr. in the periodic Perry Mason TV movies, co-starring his mother Barbara Hale, who resumed her "Della Street" role from the original show's run. He also played the lead role of a politician in the 1989 TV series Top of the Hill, as well as a role in the 1991 TV show Good Sports.
Katt is well known amongst the surfing community for his role as Barlow, in the film Big Wednesday which was released on May 26, 1978. In 2004, he appeared, to wild applause from the crowd of professional surfers, to present one of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) awards at their annual World championship tour (WCT) surfing awards ceremony.
He married his current wife, the former Deborah Kahne, on February 16, 1981, and has two sons, Clayton Alexander and Emerson Hunter.
