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Adam Williams
Actor, Writer, Additional Credits
Born November 26, 1922Died December 4, 2006 (84 years)
Adam Williams (born Adam William Berg, November 26, 1922 – December 4, 2006) was an American film and television actor. A veteran "bad guy" actor of 1950s film and TV, he began his career after distinguished World War II military service as a United States Navy pilot, for which he received the Navy Cross. In 1952, Williams played the lead, a Los Angeles woman killer, in the film Without Warning! In 1953, he was cast as Larry, a car bomber, in The Big Heat. He had a leading role in the 1958 science fiction movie The Space Children. Other notable film roles include the psychiatrist in Fear Strikes Out (1957) and Valerian in North by Northwest (1959).
During the 1950s and 1960s, he appeared on dozens of television series, including the syndicated Sheriff of Cochise, set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield, and Have Gun – Will Travel in the episode "The Reasonable Man". He portrayed private detective and murderer Jason Beckmeyer in the 1957 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Runaway Corpse." In 1961, he was cast as Jim Gates in the episode "Frontier Week" on Joanne Dru's sitcom Guestward, Ho!, set on a dude ranch in New Mexico. In 1960, he played the role of a sailor hitching a ride in The Twilight Zone season 1 episode "The Hitch-Hiker", where he is picked up by a terrified driver played by Inger Stevens, who is compelled to pick him up so that he may offer protection and safety to her from a mysterious hitchhiker who shows up at various times and places along the road while she travels across country. Many reviewers have cited this episode as one of The Twilight Zone's "10 Greatest" of the series. He had also appeared in the Twilight Zone episode "A Most Unusual Camera". Between 1959 and 1967 he appeared in six episodes of The Rifleman and in four episodes of Bonanza, and in 1961 as Adam in "A Rope for Charlie Munday", in the ABC adventure series The Islanders. He was cast as Burley Keller in the 1961 episode "The Persecuted" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Lawman. He guest-starred in an episode of the 1961 NBC series The Americans, based on family conflicts stemming from the American Civil War, and in an episode of the 1961 series The Asphalt Jungle. One of his later roles was in the 1976 television movie Helter Skelter.
During the 1950s and 1960s, he appeared on dozens of television series, including the syndicated Sheriff of Cochise, set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield, and Have Gun – Will Travel in the episode "The Reasonable Man". He portrayed private detective and murderer Jason Beckmeyer in the 1957 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Runaway Corpse." In 1961, he was cast as Jim Gates in the episode "Frontier Week" on Joanne Dru's sitcom Guestward, Ho!, set on a dude ranch in New Mexico. In 1960, he played the role of a sailor hitching a ride in The Twilight Zone season 1 episode "The Hitch-Hiker", where he is picked up by a terrified driver played by Inger Stevens, who is compelled to pick him up so that he may offer protection and safety to her from a mysterious hitchhiker who shows up at various times and places along the road while she travels across country. Many reviewers have cited this episode as one of The Twilight Zone's "10 Greatest" of the series. He had also appeared in the Twilight Zone episode "A Most Unusual Camera". Between 1959 and 1967 he appeared in six episodes of The Rifleman and in four episodes of Bonanza, and in 1961 as Adam in "A Rope for Charlie Munday", in the ABC adventure series The Islanders. He was cast as Burley Keller in the 1961 episode "The Persecuted" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Lawman. He guest-starred in an episode of the 1961 NBC series The Americans, based on family conflicts stemming from the American Civil War, and in an episode of the 1961 series The Asphalt Jungle. One of his later roles was in the 1976 television movie Helter Skelter.
Filmography
| 2009 | The Rules of Film Noir · as Larry Gordon (clip From The Big Heat (1953)) |
| 1978 | Sword of Justice (TV Series) · as Jansen |
| 1977 | Carter Country (TV Series) · as Bus Driver |
| 1976 | Helter Skelter · as Terrence Milik |
| 1976 | Helter Skelter (TV Series) · as Terrence Milik |
| 1976 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV Series) · as Jess |
| 1975 | Switch (TV Series) · as Henry Corwin |
| 1973 | This Is a Hijack · as Smitty |
| 1971 | Cannon (TV Series) |
| 1969 | Room 222 (TV Series) · as Jack Ulmer |
| 1969 | Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series) · as Dr. Schmidt |
| 1968 | The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit · as Sergeant Roberts |
| 1967 | Mannix (TV Series) · as Prosecutor |
| 1967 | The High Chaparral (TV Series) · as Burton |
| 1967 | Custer (TV Series) · as Sergeant Carhew |
| 1966 | Follow Me, Boys! · as Sergeant (uncredited) |
| 1966 | The Felony Squad (TV Series) |
| 1965 | Honey West (TV Series) · as Gordon Forbes |
| 1965 | The F.B.I. (TV Series) · as David Brice |
| 1965 | I Spy (TV Series) · as Miller Stevens |
| 1965 | A Man Called Shenandoah (TV Series) · as Tate |
| 1965 | The Glory Guys · as Pvt. Lucas Crain |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone (TV Series) · as Mose |
| 1964 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV Series) · as Chief |
| 1964 | The New Interns · as Wolanski |
| 1963 | Gunfight at Comanche Creek · as Jed Hayden |
| 1963 | Kraft Suspense Theatre (TV Series) · as Ben Jorgenson |
| 1963 | Temple Houston (TV Series) · as Harmony Brown |
| 1963 | The Fugitive (TV Series) · as Truck Driver |
| 1963 | Arrest and Trial (TV Series) · as C.h. Littler |
| 1963 | The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV Series) · as Billy |
| 1962 | The Gallant Men (TV Series) |
| 1962 | Combat! (TV Series) · as Lt. Col. Nash |
| 1962 | The Virginian (TV Series) · as Roper |
| 1962 | Sam Benedict (TV Series) · as Burton Harper |
| 1962 | Convicts 4 · as Guard |
| 1961 | Dr. Kildare (TV Series) · as Ralph Walker |
| 1961 | The Last Sunset · as Calverton |
| 1961 | Whispering Smith (TV Series) · as Ben |
| 1961 | The Asphalt Jungle (TV Series) |
| 1961 | The Americans (TV Series) |
| 1960 | The Roaring 20's (TV Series) · as Sammie |
| 1960 | The Law and Mr. Jones (TV Series) · as Phillip Harvey |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West (TV Series) · as Arnie Ames |
| 1960 | SurfSide 6 (TV Series) · as Henry Gifford |
| 1960 | The Westerner (TV Series) · as Pauk |
| 1960 | Outlaws (TV Series) |
| 1960 | Guestward Ho! (TV Series) |
| 1960 | Thriller (TV Series) · as Hymie Kralik |
| 1960 | |
| 1959 | The Detectives (1959) (TV Series) · as Soley |
| 1959 | Hawaiian Eye (TV Series) · as Harry Gulliver |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone (TV Series) · as Sailor |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | North by Northwest · as Valerian |
| 1959 | David Niven Show (TV Series) · as George Hilton |
| 1959 | The Untouchables (TV Series) · as Paul Meadows |
| 1959 | Black Saddle (TV Series) · as Brad Pickard |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) · as Jeb |
| 1958 | The Badlanders · as Deputy Leslie |
| 1958 | U.S. Marshal (TV Series) · as Bert Reeves |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) · as Willie Lee Hanks |
| 1958 | Lawman (TV Series) · as Burley Keller |
| 1958 | The Rifleman (TV Series) · as Cory Platt |
| 1958 | The Texan (TV Series) · as Jebb Kilmer |
| 1958 | Northwest Passage (TV Series) · as Corporal Quill |
| 1958 | The Space Children · as Dave Brewster |
| 1958 | Darby's Rangers · as Heavy Hall |
| 1957 | Alcoa Theatre (TV Series) · as Wohlman |
| 1957 | Trackdown (TV Series) · as Cowboy |
| 1957 | Maverick (TV Series) · as Sam Elkins |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Jason Beckmeyer |
| 1957 | M Squad (TV Series) · as Denny Sutton |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel (TV Series) · as Beckett |
| 1957 | The Lonely Man · as Lon |
| 1957 | The Oklahoman · as Bob Randell |
| 1957 | The Garment Jungle · as Ox |
| 1957 | Fear Strikes Out · as Doctor Brown |
| 1956 | The Rack · as Sgt. Otto Pahnke |
| 1956 | Zane Grey Theater (TV Series) · as Harlan Breckenridge |
| 1956 | Playhouse 90 (TV Series) · as Kimbrough |
| 1956 | The Proud and Profane · as Eustace Press |
| 1956 | Telephone Time (TV Series) |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) · as Police Lt. King |
| 1955 | |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Slim Trent |
| 1955 | The Jane Wyman Show (TV Series) · as Larry |
| 1955 | The Sea Chase · as Kruger - Wireless Operator |
| 1955 | Science Fiction Theatre (TV Series) · as Lt. Frank Buchanan |
| 1955 | Crashout · as Fred Summerfield |
| 1955 | Stage 7 (TV Series) · as Danny Rawlings |
| 1955 | The Millionaire (TV Series) · as Todd Burke |
| 1954 | Climax! (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1954 | Medic (TV Series) · as Dr. Max Pierson |
| 1954 | The Yellow Tomahawk · as Cpl. Maddock |
| 1953 | Dragonfly Squadron · as Capt. Wyler |
| 1953 | The Big Heat · as Larry Gordon |
| 1953 | Meet Mr. McNutley (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1953 | Vice Squad · as Marty Kusalich |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) · as Glen |
| 1952 | Ford Theatre: All Star Theatre (TV Series) · as Private Littauer |
| 1952 | Four Star Playhouse (TV Series) · as George |
| 1952 | Without Warning! · as Carl Martin |
| 1951 | Flying Leathernecks · as Lt. Bert Malotke |
| 1951 | Queen for a Day · as Chuck |
| 1949 | Fireside Theatre (TV Series) · as Harry |