Early life

Williams was born in Rowayton, Connecticut, the son of Marian (née Andrew), an antiques dealer, and Richard Norman Williams, a corporate executive. His maternal great-great-great-grandfather was Senator William Henry Barnum of Connecticut, the third cousin of the showman P. T. Barnum, and a distant relative was Robert Treat Paine, who was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. Williams graduated from the Kent School in Connecticut and Franklin and Marshall College. Williams was featured in the February 1980 edition of Playgirl.

Career

Williams made his film debut in the 1976 thriller film Deadly Hero. He came to world attention in 1979, when he starred in the Miloš Forman film Hair, which was based on the 1967 Broadway musical. He has gone on to appear in over 75 films and several television series, including, most notably, 1941 (1979), 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 was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his part in Hair as George Berger. He got a second Golden Globe nomination for starring in Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City (1981) and a third for his performance as Stanley Kowalski in the television presentation of A Streetcar Named Desire. In 1996, Williams was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy Award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for his work in The Late Shift, an HBO movie, in which he portrayed agent Michael Ovitz.

Williams has also worked as a director, winning two festival awards for directing Texan in Showtime's Chanticleer Films series.

In 1996, he played villain Xander Drax in Paramount's big budget comic book adaptation The Phantom, in which Williams' character did his best to take over the world and kill Billy Zane's mysterious superhero.

Williams' career includes numerous stage roles. He won a Drama League Award for his work in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, and another for starring in the off-Broadway production of Captains Courageous. Other notable Broadway shows include Grease, the Sherman Brothers' Over Here!, Once in a Lifetime, Pirates of Penzance and Love Letters, and off-Broadway, he has appeared in David Mamet's Oleanna and Oh, Hell (at Lincoln Center), Some Men Need Help and Randy Newman's Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong. He premiered the Los Angeles production of Love Letters and appeared in War Letters at the Canon Theatre in Los Angeles.

Williams may be best known for his leading role as Dr. Andrew Brown in the WB television series Everwood, about a New York City neurosurgeon who moves his family to Colorado. Although the show's ratings were never spectacular, it won critical acclaim and had a devoted following. Williams received two SAG Award nominations (2003 and 2004) for his role on the show.

Williams has recently made several guest appearances on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters playing David Morton, a friend and potential suitor of the Sally Field character. Williams starred in the short lived series Heartland on TNT as Nathaniel Grant, the head of a Pittsburgh organ transplant center, before it was canceled due to low ratings. He also starred in a Lifetime movie called the Staircase Murders, which aired April 15, 2007.

Williams starred in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, titled Beyond the Blackboard, with his former Everwood co-star, Emily VanCamp, which aired on CBS on April 24, 2011.

In early 2010, videos were posted on YouTube as well as edits made to Williams' Wikipedia page and a Facebook page made faking his death. These included a graphic and detailed explanation as to his illness and place of death. In August 2011, Williams responded to these rumors in an interview with Contact Music when speaking of more recent rumors linking him to the new Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained. Regarding the death hoax, Williams stated, "I did see that and I think those things are dangerous for your family and friends."

Williams has been cast in the CBS television pilot Peachtree Lines as mayor Lincoln Rylan. The serial is an examination of political, social, and cultural issues in Atlanta also starring Victoria Rowell (Naomi Grace), Ving Rhames (Ving Wesley), James Van Der Beek (Garrett Cindell), Jason Dohring (Travis Diring), and Jena Malone (Sierra Jayden).

Adding to his long list of accomplishments, Williams has now published a children's book titled Air Show! (Illustrated by Robert Neubecker, and published in 2010 by Disney/Hyperion Books). The target audience being children ages three to seven, the book playfully documents the airshow experience with simple text and bold illustrations of such aircraft as a Boeing B-17, a Pitts Special biplane, and the U.S. Navy's Blue Angel F/A-18.

Personal life

In 1969, Williams' high-school football coach, who was also a flight instructor, offered to train him in a Piper Super Cub. Williams became an FAA instrument-rated commercial pilot with privileges in both single engine and multi-engine airplanes, rotorcraft. He also is certified as a flight instructor. Williams holds a type-rating for Cessna Citation jets. He has owned a Clipped-wing Cub, Cherokee 180, Seneca II, and a Navajo Chieftain which is used for family travel between homes.

Williams lives with his wife, Pam Van Sant, and two children, Gill and Ellie, in Manchester, Vermont.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Ritz, TheThe Ritz	Michael Brick
1976	Marathon Man	Central Park Jogger	Uncredited
1976	Deadly Hero	Billings
1976	Eagle Has Landed, TheThe Eagle Has Landed	Capt. Harry Clark
1979	Hair	George Berger	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor
1979	1941	Cpl. Chuck "Stretch" Sitarski
1980	The Empire Strikes Back	Echo Base Trooper Cloud City trooper	Uncredited
1980	Why Would I Lie?	Cletus
1981	Prince of the City	Daniel Ciello	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1981	Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, TheThe Pursuit of D. B. Cooper	D. B. Cooper
1983	Neapolitan Sting	Ferdinando detto Giugiù
1983	Dempsey	Jack Dempsey	Television movie
1984	Streetcar Named Desire, AA Streetcar Named Desire	Stanley Kowalski	Television movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
1984	Once Upon a Time in America	James Conway O'Donnell
1984	Flashpoint	Ernie Wyatt
1985	Smooth Talk	Arnold Friend	Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
1986	Men's Club, TheThe Men's Club	Terry
1987	J. Edgar Hoover	J. Edgar Hoover	Television movie
1987	Echoes in the Darkness	Rick Guida	Television movie
1988	Sweet Lies	Peter
1988	The Third Solution	Mark Hendrix
1988	Night of the Sharks	David Ziegler
1988	Dead Heat	Det. Roger Mortis
1989	Heart of Dixie	Hoyt Cunningham
1989	Third Degree Burn	Scott Weston	Television movie
1990	Drug Wars: The Camarena Story	Ray Carson	Television movie
1990	Max and Helen	Max Rosenberg	Television movie
1990	Beyond the Ocean	Unknown
1991	Final Verdict	Earl Rogers	Television movie
1992	Till Death Us Do Part	Alan Palliko	Television movie
1992	Water Engine, TheThe Water Engine	Dave Murray	Television movie
1992	Deadly Matrimony	Alan Masters	Television movie
1993	Bonds of Love	Robby Smith	Television movie
1993	Where the Rivers Flow North	Champ's Manager
1994	Hand Gun	George McCallister
1994	Vault of Horror I	Unknown	Television movie
1994	Parallel Lives	Peter Barnum	Television movie
1994	Texan	Man in Chinos	Television short Chicago International Film Festival Award for Best Short
1995	Mister Dog	Unknown
1995	Taming Power of the Small, TheThe Taming Power of the Small	Unknown	Short film
1995	In the Shadow of Evil	Jack Brenner	Television movie
1995	Johnny's Girl	Johnny	Television movie
1995	Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead	Critical Bill
1996	Mulholland Falls	Col. Nathan Fitzgerald
1996	Late Shift, TheThe Late Shift	Michael Ovitz	Television movie Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1996	Phantom, TheThe Phantom	Xander Drax
1997	Devil's Own, TheThe Devil's Own	Billy Burke
1998	Deep Rising	John Finnegan
1998	Escape: Human Cargo	John McDonald	Television movie
1998	Substitute 2: School's Out, TheThe Substitute 2: School's Out	Karl Thomasson	Television movie
1998	Every Mother's Worst Fear	Mitch Carson	Television movie
1999	Deep End of the Ocean, TheThe Deep End of the Ocean	Pat Cappadora
1999	36 Hours to Die	Noah Stone	Television movie
1999	Substitute: Winner Takes All, TheThe Substitute: Winner Takes All	Karl Thomasson	Television movie
1999	Journey to the Center of the Earth	Theodore Lytton	Television movie
2000	Hopewell	David Jonas	Television movie
2001	Crash Point Zero	Agent Jason Ross
2001	Critical Mass	Mike Jeffers
2001	Skeletons in the Closet	Will	Video
2001	The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not an Option
2001	Venomous	Dr. David Henning	Video
2002	Guilty Hearts	Stephen Carrow	Television movie
2002	Gale Force	Sam Garrett	Video
2002	Hollywood Ending	Hal
2002	Circle, TheThe Circle	Mr. Spencer Runcie
2005	Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous	FBI Asst. Dir. Walter Collins
2007	Staircase Murders, TheThe Staircase Murders	Michael Peterson	Television movie
2007	Moola	Luis Gordon
2007	The Hideout	Father Amy
2008	What Happens in Vegas	Jack Fuller Sr.
2008	Good Behavior	Burt Valencia	Television movie
2008	Front of the Class	Norman Cohen	Television movie
2009	Chasing a Dream	Gary Stiles	Television movie
2009	Safe Harbor	Doug	Television movie
2010	Mask Maker	Mr. Tucker
2010	Howl	Mark Schorer
2010	127 Hours	Aron's Dad
2010	Martino's Summer	Captain Jeff Clark
2010	Boston's Finest	Jack Holt	Television movie
2011	Little Bit of Heaven, AA Little Bit of Heaven	Jack Corbett
2011	Oba: The Last Samurai	Col. Wessinger
2011	Beyond the Blackboard	Dr. Warren	Television movie
2012	Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader	Dr. Grey
2012	Deadfall	Becker
2013	In the Blood	Robert Grant	Post-production
2013	Age of Dinosaurs	Gabe	Filming
2013	Persecuted		Pre-production
2014	Barefoot	Mr. Wheeler

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	American Playhouse	Hudley T. Singleton III	Episode: "Some Men Need Help"
1987	Faerie Tale Theatre	Prince Andrew	Episode: "The Little Mermaid"
1991	Eddie Dodd	Eddie Dodd	6 episodes
1992	Tales from the Crypt	Howard Prince	Episode: "None But the Lonely Heart"
1992	Batman: The Animated Series	Dr. Achilles Milo (voice)	2 episodes
1993	Road to Avonlea	Zak Morgan	Episode: "Moving On"
1993-1994	Good Advice	Jack Harold	19 episodes
2002	UC: Undercover	Teddy Collins	Episode: "Teddy C"
2002	Going to California	Officer Terrence 'Terry' Miller	Episode: "The West Texas Round-up and Other Assorted Misdemeanors"
2002-2006	Everwood	Dr. Andrew 'Andy' Brown	89 episodes Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Parental Unit
2006	Brothers & Sisters	David Morton	3 episodes
2007	Heartland	Dr. Nathaniel "Nate" Grant	9 episodes
2009	Storm, TheThe Storm	Robert Terrell	2 episodes
2011	Against the Wall	Don Kowalski	13 episodes
2011	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Jake Stanton	Episode: "Spiraling Down"
2012	Leverage	Pete Rising	Episode: "The Blue Line Job"
2012	The Simpsons	Himself/William Sullivan	Episode: "A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again"
2012-2013	White Collar	Samuel Phelps / James Bennett	6 episodes
2013	Chicago Fire	Benny Severide	3 episodes
2013	Hawaii Five-0	Mick Logan	2 episodes
2013	Eve of Destruction	Max Salinger	2 episodes
2014	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Sam	1 episode
2015	American Odyssey	Colonel Stephen Glen	Main cast
2016	Blue Bloods	Lenny Ross	Episode: "Back in the Day"
2016	Chesapeake Shores	Muck O'Brien	Main role; in production

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Theatre
1972-1980	Grease	Danny Zuko
1974-1975	Over Here!	Utah
1978	Once in a Lifetime	Jerry Hyland
1981-1982	Pirates of Penzance, TheThe Pirates of Penzance	The Pirate King
1982	Some Men Need Help	Hudley T. Singleton III	47th Street Theatre
1989-1990	Love Letters	Andrew Makepiece Ladd III
1989	Bobby Gould in Hell	Bobby Gould	Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
1992-1994	Oleanna	John	Orpheum Theatre
1999	Captains Courageous, the Musical	Manuel	Manhattan Theatre Club
2001	Follies	Buddy Plummer

[ Source: Wikipedia ]