Where Are They Now - Friday, January 9, 2015

Hello fans,

Van Williams is the actor known for playing the Green Hornet on the television series of the same name during the 1966-67 season. Where has his career taken him since then? Read on to find out more.

Take care,
Melissa

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Questions? Comments? Email Melissa

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View Past Issues: Where Are They Now Archives

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--DEAD OR ALIVE?--
See if you know if the following celebrities have had a visit from the "Grim Reaper":

Paul Sorvino: He has appeared in "GoodFellas", "Cruising", "Panic in Needle Park" and other movies, he was a regular on the TV series "Law & Order" for one season

Anna Maria Alberghetti: Singing star of the 1950s, also appeared in movies, on TV and on Broadway

G. Gordon Liddy: He planned the Watergate burglary that led to the downfall of US president Richard Nixon, served time in prison

(Answer at the bottom)
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Van Williams
Learn More About Van Williams on Celebrity Nooz

BIRTH NAME: Van Zandt Jarvis Williams

BIRTH DATE: February 27, 1934, Fort Worth, Texas

CLAIM TO FAME: He is best known for his world-famous television role as Britt Reid (aka The Green Hornet) on the ABC television series during the 1966-67 season.

FAMILY LIFE: He has been married to Vicki Flaxman since 1959 and they have three children. He also has twin daughters from a prior marriage.

INFO: It was at the persuasion of producer Mike Todd that Williams became an actor. Williams was working as a diving instructor in Hawaii in 1956 when he was discovered by Todd, who urged him to try his hand at acting in Hollywood.

After taking vocal and acting lessons, Williams was signed to a contract by Warner Brothers in 1959. His first role was on the ABC television series Bourbon Street Beat, which aired during the 1959-1960 season.

He went on to work with Ronald W. Reagan in a General Electric production, and starred in a television pilot called The Leathernecks. He appeared in the films Tall Story and The Caretakers, and as Pat Burns on the ABC series The Tycoon with Walter Brennan.

In 1966, Williams won the role that would make him famous - playing the title character and his alter ego, newspaper editor Britt Reid, on the ABC series The Green Hornet. Although popular, the show was so costly to produce that it wrapped after only 26 episodes.

TRIVIA: Supposedly turned down a recurring role on Falcon Crest in the 1970s in order to focus on his business interests.

Is the only cast member of The Green Hornet (1966) still alive.

His neighbor in Ketchum, Idaho, is Batman star Adam West.

Provided the voice of the president in the 1967 Batman movie.

WHERE IS HE NOW: After The Green Hornet, Williams retired from acting to concentrate on his successful communications company. He also served for many years as a part-time sheriff's deputy in California. Today, Williams lives in the resort community of Ketchum, Idaho.

In 2010, the filmmakers of the 2011 Green Hornet film adaptation had wanted him to make a cameo appearance as a cemetery guard, but Williams was unavailable.

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CREDITS:

1993 Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story...Green Hornet Director

1979 The Rockford Files (TV Series)...Lt. Dwayne Kefir
- Love Is the Word (1979) ... Lt. Dwayne Kefir

1979 Mrs. Columbo (TV Series)...Fielding
- The Valley Strangler (1979) ... Fielding

1979 The Night Rider (TV Movie)...Jim Hollister

1979 Centennial (TV Mini-Series)...George
- The Scream of Eagles (1979) ... George

1978 Colorado C.I. (TV Movie)...Captain Cochran

1978 How the West Was Won (TV Mini-Series)...Capt. MacAllister
- Pilot (1978) ... Capt. MacAllister

1977 You Gotta Start Somewhere (TV Movie)

1977 The Red Hand Gang (TV Series)...OK Okins

1977 Barnaby Jones (TV Series)...Munson
- Circle of Treachery (1977) ... Munson

1977 Tales of the Unexpected (TV Mini-Series)...Sheriff
- Devil Pack (1977) ... Sheriff

1976 The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series)...Officer Morton
- The Thrill Killers: Part 2 (1976) ... Officer Morton
- The Thrill Killers: Part 1 (1976) ... Officer Morton

1976 Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (TV Series)...Junior Danvers
- Scag (1976) ... Junior Danvers

1975 The Runaways (TV Movie)...Joe Ringer

1975 The Manhunter (TV Series)
- To Kill a Tiger (1975)

1975 Westwind (TV Series)...Steve Andrews

1974 Gunsmoke (TV Series)...Quincy
- Thirty a Month and Found (1974) ... Quincy

1974 Apple's Way (TV Series)...Ritchie Case
- The Lamb (1974) ... Ritchie Case

1972 Mission: Impossible (TV Series)...Arnold Sanders
- The Deal (1972) ... Arnold Sanders

1971 Ironside (TV Series)...Sgt. Artie Hawkins
- The Gambling Game (1971) ... Sgt. Artie Hawkins

1970 Nanny and the Professor (TV Series)...Mr. Parsons
- The Visitor (1970) ... Mr. Parsons

1970 Love, American Style (TV Series)...Bill (segment "Love and the Minister")
- Love and the Minister/Love and the Geisha/Love and the Singles Apartment (1970) ... Bill (segment "Love and the Minister")

1970 Mannix (TV Series)...Kidnapper
- The Search for Darrell Andrews (1970) ... Kidnapper

1968 The Big Valley (TV Series)...Sheriff Dave Barrett
- Rimfire (1968) ... Sheriff Dave Barrett

1966-1967 The Green Hornet (TV Series)...The Green Hornet / Britt Reid

1966-1967 Batman (TV Series)...The Green Hornet / Green Hornet
- Batman's Satisfaction (1967) ... The Green Hornet
- A Piece of the Action (1967) ... The Green Hornet
- The Spell of Tut (1966) ... Green Hornet (uncredited)

1966 The Milton Berle Show (TV Series)...The Green Hornet
- Episode #1.2 (1966) ... The Green Hornet

1966 Preview Tonight (TV Series)...Commander Russ Enright
- Pursue and Destroy (1966) ... Commander Russ Enright

1966 Batman: The Movie...President Lyndon B. Johnson (voice, uncredited)

1965 The Beverly Hillbillies (TV Series)...Dean Peters
- The Courtship of Elly (1965) ... Dean Peters

1965 The Dick Van Dyke Show (TV Series)...Clark Rice
- No Rice at My Wedding (1965) ... Clark Rice

1964-1965 The Tycoon (TV Series)...Pat Burns

1964 Temple Houston (TV Series)...Joey Baker
- Ten Rounds for Baby (1964) ... Joey Baker

1963 The Caretakers...Dr. Larry Denning

1963 Hawaiian Eye (TV Series)...Don Munroe
- Two Million Too Much (1963) ... Don Munroe

1963 The Gallant Men (TV Series)...Lt. Dave Cameron
- The Leathernecks (1963) ... Lt. Dave Cameron

1961-1963 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series)...Wade Saunders / Ken Madison
- The Tarnished Idol (1963) ... Wade Saunders
- Hot Tamale Caper: Part I (1961) ... Ken Madison

1962 Red Nightmare (Short)...Air Force Sergeant (uncredited)

1962 Cheyenne (TV Series)...Ray Masters
- Vengeance Is Mine (1962) ... Ray Masters

1960-1962 Surfside 6 (TV Series)...Ken Madison

1959-1960 Bourbon Street Beat (TV Series)...Kenny Madison

1960 Tall Story...Young Man in Shower (uncredited)

1959 Colt .45 (TV Series)...Tom Rucker
- The Sanctuary (1959) ... Tom Rucker

1959 Lawman (TV Series)...Zachary Morgan
- The Young Toughs (1959) ... Zachary Morgan

1958-1959 General Electric Theater (TV Series)...Charlie / Ben
- Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home? (1959) ... Charlie
- The Castaway (1958) ... Ben

1954 King Richard II (TV Movie)...Exton's Servant

To see Then & Now pictures of Van Williams, visit: Celebrity Nooz

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--Answers to DEAD OR ALIVE--
Paul Sorvino - ALIVE
Born: 04/13/1939

Anna Maria Alberghetti - ALIVE
Born: 05/15/1936

G. Gordon Liddy - ALIVE
Born: 11/30/1930

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WHO PASSED ON THIS WEEK...
1/7
Subhas Anandan, 67, Indian-born Singaporean lawyer, heart failure.
Vlastimila Ceskova, 109, Czech centenarian, nation's oldest living person.
Jethro Pugh, 70, American professional football player (Dallas Cowboys).
Julio Scherer García, 88, Mexican journalist, septic shock.
Notable French people killed in the Charlie Hebdo shooting: Cabu, 76, cartoonist
Charb, 47, caricaturist and journalist
Philippe Honoré, 73, cartoonist
Bernard Maris, 68, economist and journalist
Tignous, 57, cartoonist
Georges Wolinski, 80, cartoonist

1/6
Vlastimil Bubník, 83, Czech ice hockey player and footballer, Olympic bronze medalist (1964).
Buffalo Tiger, 94, American politician, Chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida (1962-1985).
Joseph Djida, 69, Cameroonian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Ngaoundere (since 2000).
Michal Hernik (pl), 39, Polish motorcycle rally rider, race collision.
Bernard Jordan, 90, British World War II veteran and media personality.
Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla, 89, Colombian sports executive, member of the IOC (1988-2006), liver cancer.
Tim Roberts, 48, American professional wrestler (WWE, ECW).
Thunder Rumble, 26, American Thoroughbred racehorse, complications from colic.

1/5
Joy Ali, 36, Fijian middleweight boxer.
Jean-Pierre Beltoise, 77, French Formula One racing driver, winner of the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, stroke.
Khan Bonfils, English actor (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Batman Begins, Skyfall).
Jim Burton, 53, Canadian ice hockey player (Hershey Bears) and coach, heart attack.
Bobby Carter, 75, American politician, member of the Tennessee Senate (1995-2002).
Antonio Fuertes, 85, Spanish footballer (Valencia, Elche).
Albert Firth, 77, English rugby league footballer (Wakefield Trinity).
Milton Hebald, 97, American sculptor.
Francesca Hilton, 67, American actress and media personality, heart attack and stroke.
Martin Joseph, 65, Trinidadian politician, Minister of National Security (2003-2010), drowned.
Mustafa Kamal, 79, Bangladeshi judge, Chief Justice (1999), heart disease.
Joan Peters, 76, American author (From Time Immemorial).
King Sporty, 71, Jamaican-American reggae musician.
Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, 102, American Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo (1968-1988).
Ganesh Patro, 69, Indian playwright and screenwriter, cancer.

1/4
Chang Sung-hwan, 94, South Korean general and diplomat, Chief of Staff of the Air Force (1962-1964).
Pino Daniele, 59, Italian singer and songwriter, heart attack.
Chitresh Das, 70, Indian dancer, instructor and choreographer, aneurysm.
Lance Diamond, 68, American singer.
Jay Furman, 72, American real estate developer, cancer.
Joe Guercio, 87, American orchestra leader (Elvis Presley).
He Zhenliang, 85, Chinese politician and diplomat.
Azizullah Lodin, c. 75, Afghan politician.
Gasan Magomedov, 20, Russian footballer (Anzhi-2), shot.
John McPhee, 77, Scottish footballer (Blackpool, Motherwell).
Wesley Mensing, 27, American golf instructor, traffic collision.
Stu Miller, 87, American baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles).
Juan Isidro Moreno, 90, Dominican Republic poet.
Jack Parr, 78, American basketball player (Cincinnati Royals).
Natalino Pescarolo, 85, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Fossano (1992-2005) and Cuneo (1999-2005).
Hank Peters, 90, American baseball executive (Baltimore Orioles), complications from a stroke.
Ahuti Prasad, 57, Indian actor, colon cancer.
Stuart Scott, 49, American sports journalist (SportsCenter), cancer.
Michele Serros, 48, American novelist and poet, rare malignancy of the salivary glands.
Upendra Trivedi, 78, Indian actor and director.
Rene Vautier, 86, French film director (Avoir 20 ans dans les Aures).
Edmund Wnuk-Lipinski, 70, Polish academic.
Janos Zsombolyai, 75, Hungarian cinematographer, film director and screenwriter.

1/3
Jamal Uddin Ahmad, 85, Bangladeshi politician, Deputy Prime Minister (1977-1982).
Martin Anderson, 78, American economist, author and political adviser.
Per-Olof Åstrand, 92, Swedish physiologist.
Edward Brooke, 95, American politician, member of the U. S. Senate from Massachusetts (1967-1979).
Bryan Caldwell, 54, American football player (Houston Oilers), Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Paulinus Costa, 78, Bangladeshi Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Dhaka (2005-2011), heart attack.
Maher Hathout, 79, Egyptian-born American Islamic leader, cancer.
Rueben Philip Job, 86, American United Methodist prelate, Bishop of the Iowa Episcopal Area (1984-1992).
Olga Knyazeva, 60, Russian fencer, Olympic champion (1976).
Kurt Kuch (de), 42, Austrian journalist, lung cancer.
Bernice Madigan, 115, American supercentenarian, world's fifth-oldest person.
Denny Sakrie (id), 51, Indonesian music critic and radio host, heart attack.
Allie Sherman, 91, American football player (Philadelphia Eagles) and coach (New York Giants).
Jouko Tormanen, 60, Finnish ski jumper, Olympic champion (1980).

1/2
James A. Barlow, 91, American politician, member of the Wyoming House of Representatives (1983-1987).
Noel Cobb, 76, American-born British philosopher, psychologist and author.
Little Jimmy Dickens, 94, American country music singer ("May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"), cardiac arrest.
Bob Gilmore, 53, British musicologist.
Vasant Gowarikar, 81, Indian scientist and ISRO chairman, dengue and urinary tract infection.
Basil Hansen, 88, Australian Olympic ice hockey player (1960).
Bill Hart, 80, American actor and stuntman (The Wild Bunch, Army of Darkness, Glory).
Lloyd House, 83, American politician, member of the Arizona House of Representatives (1967-1968).
Roger Kitter, 64, British actor ('Allo 'Allo!).
Lam Po-chuen, 63, Hong Kong dubbing artist (Doraemon), diabetes.
Abu Anas al-Libi, 50, Libyan al-Qaeda member in United States custody.
Derek Minter, 82, British Grand Prix motorcycle and short-circuit road racer.
Arthur Neu, 81, American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1973-1979), member of the Iowa Senate (1967-1973).
Istvan Pasztor, 89, Hungarian Olympic cyclist.

1/1
Ulrich Beck, 70, German sociologist, heart attack.
Matthew Cogley, 30, British musician and songwriter (Failsafe).
Eric Cunningham, 65, Canadian politician, Ontario MPP for Wentworth North (1975-1984).
Mario Cuomo, 82, American politician, Governor of New York (1983-1994), heart failure.
Donna Douglas, 82, American actress (The Beverly Hillbillies, Frankie and Johnny, The Twilight Zone), pancreatic cancer.
Matthew Franjola, 72, American journalist (Associated Press) and photographer.
Jeff Golub, 59, American guitarist, progressive supranuclear palsy.
Omar Karami, 80, Lebanese politician, Prime Minister (1990-1992, 2004-2005).
Bill Keating, 70, American football player (Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins) and attorney.
Géry Leuliet, 104, French Roman Catholic prelate, world's oldest Catholic bishop, Bishop of Amiens (1963-1985).
Boris Morukov, 64, Russian physician and cosmonaut, STS-106 mission specialist.
Mrunalini Devi Puar, 83, Indian educator, Chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (since 1988).
Ninón Sevilla, 85, Cuban-born Mexican actress (Aventurera), heart attack.
Ralph Stablein, 61, New Zealand management academic (Massey University).
William Lloyd Standish, 84, American federal judge, District Court Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania (1987-2002).
Manasa Vaniqi, 62, Fijian civil servant and lieutenant colonel, Permanent Secretary for Sugar (since 2011).
Miller Williams, 84, American poet, Alzheimer's disease.