The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

Guy Williams (born Armando Joseph Catalano) (January 14, 1924 - May 7, 1989) was an American actor and former male fashion model, who played swashbuckling action heroes in the 1950s and 1960s, but never quite achieved movie star status[1], despite his appearance (including hazel eyes, 6'3" height, and 190 lb. weight) and charisma, which helped launch his early successful photographic model career. Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Swashbuckler is a term that came about in the 16th century and was applied to rough, noisy, boastful swordsman. To swash is to swagger and swing about, making a lot of noise and a buckler is a shield. The stock character Miles Glorioso is a swashbuckler. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... This article is about the tree; for other meanings of hazel, see Hazel (disambiguation). ... Photograph of the once famous model Dovima A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising. ...

Among his greatest achievements were the two memorable TV classics: Zorro (in black and white -- colorized years later by the Disney enterprise) and Lost in Space, as the father of the Robinson family. Zorro, a half-hour Walt Disney Productions TV series based on the well-known Zorro character, premiered October 10, 1957 on ABC. The final network broadcast was September 24, 1959. ... The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... shows cast members: Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Jonathan Harris, June Lockhart, Guy Williams & Bill Mumy. ...

Armando Catalano or Guy Williams (on the left)

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Early life

Born as Armando Catalano at the Fort George area in New York City, he was the son of Attilio (son of a wealthy timber grower in Messina who purchased land in New Jersey), who was working as insurance broker, and Clare Catalano. His parents, who arrived from Sicily (Italy), were by then living in poverty. He grew up in the Little Italy, Brooklyn neighborhood. When he was seven, he began taking fencing lessons from his father, who was a professional in a tradition inherited from his Italian ancestors. Fort George is a historic military structure at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, that was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812. ... New York, NY redirects here. ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated (or formerly populated) primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. ... Brooklyn (named after the Dutch city Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). ...

In NYC's P.S. 189, Armand stood out in mathematics. Later he attended George Washington High School, where he occasionally worked in its soda fountain. He then left to attend the Peekskill Military Academy, where he was an enthusiastic student. His interests included football and chess. Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, as imagined by by Raphael in this detail from The School of Athens. ... Soda fountain is a North American term referring to the carbonated drink dispensers found in fast food restaurants and convenience stores in the US and Canada. ... Peekskill is a city located in Westchester County, New York. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ...

First artist steps

Williams wanted to be an actor, spurred by his good looks and 6'3" height. When Armand decided not to continue studying, his mother (who later became an executive of a foreign film company) was very disappointed because they expected that he continue the traditional insurance broker career.

After working as welder, cost accountant and aircraft-parts inspector during World War II, Armand became a salesman in the luggage department at Wanamakers. While there, he decided to send his photos to an agency to start his model career. He quickly found great success in graphic media. Spanning newspapers, billboards, magazines (like Harper's Bazaar) and book covers, he received good payment and became famous. He then adopted the name Guy Williams. Photograph of the once famous model Dovima A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising. ... Roadside billboards frequently encourage passersby to visit local businesses. ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Harpers & Queen. ... A chained book in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side, and within protective covers. ...

In 1946 he signed a single-year contract offered by MGM and moved to Hollywood. He only appeared in a few films and soon moved back to New York. MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... ...

In 1948, to advertise cigarettes while skiing, Guy Williams did an extensive filming trip accompanied by Janice Cooper, a beautiful John Robert Powers model. During the long photographic sessions they felt in love, marrying on December 8, just after they returned to New York City. Several years later they had two children, Guy Steven Catalano (1953) and Toni Catalano (1956). John Robert Powers (April 16, 1892 - November, 1977) was an American actor and founder of a prominent New York City modelling agency. ... Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a sensor or film. ...

By 1950, Guy Williams had begun to film some of the pioneering television commercials in USA, so he became very popular. Unfortunately, his father died in 1951, never to witness his son's full rise to fame. Guy Williams then obtained a new one-year contract with Universal-International in 1952, and moved to Hollywood. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County between Los Angeles...

Early Hollywood (1952 to 1957)

Guy Williams did small supporting roles in the Universal productions, Including:

• Bonzo Goes to College --- as Ronald Calkins,
• The Mississippi Gambler --- as Andre,
• The Golden Blade --- as Baghdad's town crier,
• The Man from the Alamo --- as a sergeant,
• Take Me to Town --- as a small hero
• I Was A Teenage Werewolf--- as police officer

In 1953 Guy Williams suffered a serious accident when he fell from a horse and was dragged over 200 meters, resulting in a long scar on his left shoulder. Because of this, at some point he even returned to New York (acting and modeling there) and abandoning his career, but in 1953 he left the Universal and became a freelancer for movies produced by Allied Artists and Warner Brothers. Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The town Crier in Yate, near Bristol, England A town crier is a person who is employed by a town council to make public announcements in the streets. ... I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager and Whit Bissell as the primary adult. ... Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (AAPC) was a subsidiary of Monogram Pictures that was founded in 1946. ... Warner Bros. ...

Zorro (1957 to 1959)

In 1957 the Disney enterprise carried out a casting for Disney's Zorro, a new television series based on the character (created by Johnston McCulley) already famous on the silver screen performed by Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... Zorro, a half-hour Walt Disney Productions TV series based on the well-known Zorro character, premiered October 10, 1957 on ABC. The final network broadcast was September 24, 1959. ... Guy Williams, Disney/ABCs Zorro from 1957 to 1959, joking with Johnston McCulley Johnston McCulley (b. ... Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Fairbanks (May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer, who became noted for his swashbuckling roles in silent movies such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and The Black... Tyrone Power in Charles Laughtons production of John Browns Body, photo by Carl Van Vechten, March 3, 1953 Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. ...

To play Zorro, the chosen actor would have to be handsome and have some experience with fencing. Walt Disney himself interviewed Guy Williams, telling him (comically) to start growing a mustache "neither very long or thick". The exclusive contract paid Williams the then very high wage of $2,500 per week, as he had demanded. Williams resumed his professional training of fencing with the Belgian champion Fred Cavens (who also trained Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power), since the show used real epees without protection. He also took guitar lessons with the famous Vicente Gomez. Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The series of half-hour episodes finally debuted on the American "ABC" network on October 10 (1957). It was an instant hit in the USA, attaining the highest rating of its era. The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ...

The show spanned 78 episodes (two seasons, from 1957 to 1959) and a movie edited from TV episodes: The Sign of Zorro (1958) with its theme-song (composed by Norman Foster and George Bruns) reaching #17 of the Hit Parade, performed by The Mellomen. Film director and movie actor Norman Foster (December 13, 1900 - July 7, 1976) may be best remembered for being married twice - both times to leading ladies. ... Burns in the 1950s. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Mellomen were a popular singing quartet active from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. ...

The release of this series created an epidemic of "Z" graffitiing on school desks across America. Some examples of this can still be seen on desks from the time. Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian — graffiti being the plural) are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. ...

After the finishing of the contract with Disney enterprise, Guy Williams went to Europe to film two movies. Damon and Pythias (MGM production filmed in Italy in 1962, directed by Curtis Bernhardt), as Damon, classic Greek tale of Damon who offers his life as warrant of the word of Pythias, his friend who was condemned to death for political reasons. Captain Sindbad (MGM super production filmed in Germany in 1962, directed by the American adventures director Byron Haskin, based on the classic tale of the Arabian Nights), as Sindbad. World map showing the location of Europe. ... In Greek mythology, the legend of Damon and Pythias (or Phintias) symbolizes trust and loyalty in a true friendship. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Curtis Bernhardt (April 15, 1899 - February 22, 1981) was a German film director born in Worms, Germany. ... In Greek mythology, the legend of Damon and Pythias (or Phintias) symbolizes trust and loyalty in a true friendship. ... In Greek mythology, Pythias was a friend of Damon. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director. ... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ... Sindbad the Sailor (also spelled Sinbad, from Persian سندباد—As-Sindibad, 三保 Sānbǎo, from Chinese ) is the name of a legendary sailor who has numerous fantastic adventures during his voyages throughout the seas east of Africa and south of Asia. ...

Bonanza (1964)

In 1964 Guy Williams returned to Hollywood to resume his career, being added to the cast of the NBC's smash-hit TV series Bonanza (1959-1973) as Hispanic cousin Will Cartwright. NBC (an acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... The Bonanza logo was superimposed upon a map of a wild west frontier area. ...

Williams found himself unexpectedly forced out of the series by circumstances after only 5 episodes despite being originally slated to become one of the four permanent leads. Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright), who had planned to leave the show at the end of that season while overlapping with Williams, who was essentially going to be Roberts' replacement in the four-Cartwright format, decided late in the season to stay for one more year before departing, so the woman Adam was originally going to marry wound up unexpectedly choosing to leave with Will Cartwright instead, with Adam's selfless blessing. Williams lost his berth on the popular series, which ran for nine more years, because of Roberts' decision to remain for one more season. Pernell Roberts (born 18 May 1928 in Waycross, Georgia, USA) is an American actor. ...

Lost in Space (1965 to 1968)

In 1965, Guy Williams returned to weekly television in the extremely popular CBS science-fiction children's series Lost In Space. CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... shows cast members: Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Jonathan Harris, June Lockhart, Guy Williams & Bill Mumy. ...

Guy Williams played Professor John Robinson, expert in astrophysics and geology, who commanded the mission of the Jupiter 2 spaceship, taking his family in a voyage to colonize the Alpha Centauri star system. Spiral Galaxy ESO 269-57 Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition) of celestial objects such as stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Alpha Centauri (α Cen / α Centauri, also known to astronomers as Rigil Kentaurus), is the brightest star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. ...

After the series Guy Williams decided to retire in order to better enjoy his wealth, which had been largely generated by investments in several businesses. Invest redirects here. ...

Retirement in Argentina (1973 to 1989)

In subsequent years, Guy Williams also brought to Argentina some of the original cast-members of the Zorro, including Henry Calvin -- the fat Sgt. Garcia. Williams even formed a circus (Circo Real Madrid), with the local fencing champion Fernando Lupiz, traveling all along South America (1977). The Big Top of Billy Smarts Circus Cambridge 2004. ...

Later in 1989, while spending solitary months in Argentina, Guy Williams (65 years old) suddenly disappeared. The local police searched his apartment in La Recoleta on 29 of April, finding his dead body. He had suffered a brain aneurysm a week before that day. He was still wearing the characteristic Zorro's sideburns and mustache when they found him. Recoleta in the map of Buenos Aires Recoleta is a barrio or neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... A cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. ... General Ambrose Burnside, after whom sideburns may be named Sideburns or sideboards are patches of facial hair on the sides of a mans face, in front of the ears. ...

Following his wishes, Guy Williams' ashes were spread over the Pacific Ocean at Malibu, California. The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ... Location of Malibu in California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1991-03-28 [2] Government  - Mayor Ken Kearsley [1] Area  - City  100. ...

Homages

1. In 2000, Guy Williams was the first local celebrity in the Bronx Walk of Fame, of New York City.
2. In 2001, (August 2) Guy Williams was incorporated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7080 Hollywood Blvd (La Brea's corner), after massive petitions of thousands of manifesting admirers in front of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (the previous year).
3. In 2002, (August 2) the family of Guy Williams dedicated to him a bench of the New York's Central Park.
4. In 2003, (August 2 --also--), Disney enterprise placed a commemorative badge in the mansion of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia at Oceanside, California, where the Zorro series was filmed in 1957.
5. The impression of an US Postage Stamp commemorative of Guy Williams is canceled due to the change of the US Postal Service's protocol. Though the fans were in campaign for this since 1998.

A band plays on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ... ... La Brea may mean: La Brea Tar Pits La Brea, Trinidad and Tobago La Brea District in Peru This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Classic garden bench For metonymic and other uses see Bench (metonymy) and Bench A bench is a piece of furniture, which mostly offers several persons seating. ... A Central Park landscape Central Park is a large public, urban park (843 acres or 3. ... Mission San Luís Rey de Francia, circa 1910. ... Oceanside is the name of some places in the United States of America: Oceanside, California Oceanside, New York Oceanside, Oregon This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A selection of Hong Kong postage stamps A postage stamp is evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services. ... A USPS Truck at Night A U.S. Post Office sign The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the United States government organization responsible for providing postal service in the United States and is generally referred to as the post office. ...

Books

1. Zorro Television Companion. A meticulously researched book on the making of the The Walt Disney Company series. ISBN 0-7864-2058-8
2. Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask. A thorough bio of the actor. ISBN 1-59393-016-X

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ...

External links

• Official Guy Williams Family Page
• Guy Williams Webshrine
• Guy Williams in Argentina
• Guy Williams - The Actor; The Man (1924-1989)