William Katt

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William Katt

Born William Theodore Katt
February 16, 1951 (1951-02-16) (age 57)
Los Angeles, California
United States
Other name(s) Bill Katt
Spouse(s) Deborah Kahne (1981 - present)

William Theodore Katt (born February 16, 1951) is an American film and television actor, best known as the star of The Greatest American Hero.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Katt was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor Bill Williams (née William Theodore Katt) and actress Barbara Hale. On February 16, 1981, he married Deborah Kahne. They have two sons, Clayton Alexander and Emerson Hunter. He belongs to the Baha'i faith, having studied under the tutelage of divine messenger William Scott Hartman.

[edit] Career

Katt 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, Tommy Ross, in Brian DePalma's 1976 cult film Carrie, and the role of Sundance Kid in the 1978 film Butch and Sundance: The Early Days. The same year he also appeared as Barlow in the John Milius surf film Big Wednesday opposite Jan-Michael Vincent and Gary Busey. This role made him so well known in the surfing community that in 2004 he presented one of the Association of Surfing Professionals awards at their annual World championship tour ceremony, to wild applause from the crowd of professional surfers.

Katt auditioned for the part of Luke Skywalker in 1977's Star Wars, and footage of his audition has been featured in many Star Wars documentaries. The role went to Mark Hamill, and Katt instead starred that year in First Love.

In 1981, Katt was cast as the title role in a filmed version of the Broadway musical comedy Pippin, which film received mixed reviews. He won his best remembered role that year, however, as Ralph Hinkley, a mild-mannered schoolteacher given a superpowered suit by aliens on the television series The Greatest American Hero, a role he played until the show was cancelled in 1983.

After The Greatest American Hero, Katt starred in the cult Horror/Comedy film House (1986) (reprising his role for the third sequel, House IV, in 1992) and played the recurring role of detective Paul Drake Jr. in the periodic Perry Mason TV movies of the late eighties. These co-starred his mother Barbara Hale, who resumed her "Della Street" role from the original show, and Katt collaborated on some of the later scripts. Another notable role was the lead in the 1989 TV series Top of the Hill.

Katt continues to appear on television and in supporting film roles, and has also branched out into voice acting. In recent years he has returned to genre work, with appearances in Andromeda and Justice League and roles in the award-winning film Gamers (2006), The Man from Earth (2007) and Alien vs Hunter (2008).

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Persondata
NAME Katt, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Katt, William Theodore
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 16, 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles, California, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH