R.I.P. Treat Williams

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Jefforey Smith
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Re: R.I.P. Treat Williams

Post by Jefforey Smith »

This is really sad.

Treat Williams sang a terrific version of "Satin Doll" in 1984's "Ellington: The Music Lives On" (PBS Great Performances series).

His performance made me realize his incredible talent.
dws1982
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Re: R.I.P. Treat Williams

Post by dws1982 »

Good, likable actor. One that I always hoped would get some late career recognition like JK Simmons. Glad to know that he was a good person as well.

His likability was used to a darker end in Smooth Talk, probably his best film performance, although he was always good, even in genre trash. Very good in Prince of the City as well, which could've launched him into a major career in different circumstances. I have softened on Lumet over the years, but I think one that may have kept it from mass popularity is the length of it. I think there is a very good to great two-hour movie in the nearly three hours of it. I never really watched Everwood but it had some very devoted followers back in the day.
Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Treat Williams

Post by Big Magilla »

The accident happened at 5 pm. He was taking his son's motorcycle for a test drive after plowing the field on his farm all day when a woman pulled out in front of him. His last Twitter post several hours earlier was of him "mowing" the field.

From his IMDb. biography:

The nickname "Treat" comes from one of his maternal relatives (though not a direct ancestor), Robert Treat Paine, whose signature appears on the Declaration of Independence. Through his mother, Treat is also the great-great-great-grandson of William Henry Barnum, a Democratic U.S. Senator from Connecticut, who served from 1876 to 1879.
Mister Tee
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Re: R.I.P. Treat Williams

Post by Mister Tee »

Well, this is particularly hurtful.

I'm not going to claim Treat was a close friend, but I've met him on a few occasions, because he was a good friend of my wife's back in her Grease days.

A lovely story I can tell you about him: My wife stayed with Grease longer than anyone else from the original cast, 5 years (then a record, long since passed). When the day of her final show came around, it was all new, younger folk in the cast, and none of them seemed to grasp what an emotional thing it was for her. But Treat did, and he found a way to mark the occasion. He had a pilot's license, and owned a small plane, so he flew Kathi up to New England that day -- and back in time for her final evening performance. She never forgot that kindness.

As far as his acting...like many, I found his Berger in Hair dynamic. And I thought he was flat terrific in Prince of the City, maybe Sidney Lumet's finest film. Unhappily, when that film didn't take off at the box office (likely due to its downbeat, almost tragic arc), his upward career trajectory stalled -- he was quite good in Smooth Talk (the movie that was Laura Dern's coming out party) and Once Upon a Time in America, but some people only get one shot at rising to full star status, and his didn't quite work out. He certainly worked constantly, accumulating well over 100 IMDB credits, and, I assume, finding full-on security from his Everwood series. But he maybe didn't get the brass ring he'd sought.

Good actor, though. And good man. Sad to see him gone.
Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Treat Williams

Post by Big Magilla »

This one is a shocker.

I just finished binging Brothers and Sisters, which I had seen in its initial run, and White Collar which I had never seen before.

Williams had recurring guest starring roles on both as did Tom Skerritt and Beau Bridges. He was Sally Field's first date after the death of her husband in Brothers and Sisters. He played an important role in star Matt Bomer's life in White Collar.

He was, of course, in many TV shows, but having just finished White Collar which seemed so fresh it could have been filmed yesterday instead of having ended its run in 2014, I thought he might pick up the role in the series possible reboot which seems more unlikely with each passing year.
danfrank
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Re: R.I.P. Treat Williams

Post by danfrank »

Well, that’s s sad. I know a few too many people killed in motorcycle accidents.

When I first saw Hair (at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood), Williams had so much charm and screen command that I thought he would become a big star. He didn’t quite do that but certainly had a solid career. Rest In peace.
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R.I.P. Treat Williams

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