Treat Williams brings exuberance to musicals and a persuasive intensity to demanding dramatic leads. We rate that early work, and would not mistake the later supporting parts and television fathers for evidence that the actor had less to offer.
Fi1m perspective
As Berger in Hair (1979), Treat Williams puts an infectious energy into a musical lead. Miloš Forman makes good use of his exuberance. Under Sidney Lumet in Prince of the City (1981), he leads a corruption drama as Danny Ciello. The intensity of that performance makes a good case for giving him difficult men to play. Those early leads are worth remembering when the later fathers threaten to become the whole picture.
In Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Williams takes the supporting role of Jimmy O'Donnell. It is an absorbing crime drama, although the plotting can be arbitrary and Leone's fondness for his gangsters is harder to share. We were moved by the sadness Robert De Niro and Ennio Morricone's music bring to it. This is worth seeing, but it is not the place to start with Williams.
After the early film leads, the work shifted towards supporting parts and television. That can look like promise going unfulfilled if leading films is the only measure; we see little reason to treat it as a verdict on the acting. Everwood (2002–2006) gave him four seasons as Dr Andy Brown, a sustained leading role in a family drama.
Danny Boyle's 127 Hours (2010) casts Williams as Aron's Dad, another supporting part. James Franco supplies the humour and fear in a gripping survival drama built around one man's confinement. The restless technique sometimes crowds the central performance, and the physical suffering makes this a demanding watch. Williams's presence is a reason for someone following his work to take note, rather than a reason on its own to choose the film. Start with Prince of the City if it is Williams you want to see carry the evening.
Biography
Treat Williams was an American actor whose career spanned stage, film and television from the 1970s until his death. Born Richard Treat Williams on 1 December 1951 in Stamford, Connecticut, he trained at Franklin and Marshall College and began on Broadway, understudying and later playing Danny Zuko in Grease.
He gained prominence with the lead role of Berger in Miloš Forman’s film Hair (1979) and earned acclaim as Danny Ciello in Sidney Lumet’s Prince of the City (1981). Other notable film roles include Jimmy O’Donnell in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984). On television he starred as Dr Andy Brown in the series Everwood (2002–2006). Williams also worked as an author and aviator. He died on 12 June 2023 following a motorcycle accident in Vermont.
