Biography
After attending Franklin and Marshall College, Treat Williams acted with the prestigious Fulton Repertory troupe. Williams made his Broadway debut in
Grease (1976) eventually taking over the leading role of Danny Zuko. His later Broadway credits included the musicals
Over Here and
Pirates of Penzance and the reader's-theatre exercise
Love Letters. In films from 1976, he scored his first significant success as the draft-resistant protagonist of
Milos Forman's
Hair (1979). He went on to play the title role in The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981), then gained positive critical notice for his work as reluctant interdepartmental police informant Daniel Ciello in
Prince of the City (1981). His later film roles included mob-connected labor organizer Jimmy O'Donnell in
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) and the seductive
James Dean clone in
Smooth Talk (1985). Famed for his willingness to tackle any sort of role, Williams' artistic ambitions are backed up by his versatility and astonishing vocal flexibility. On TV, Williams played Stanley Kowalski opposite
Ann-Margret's Blanche Dubois in
Streetcar Named Desire (1984) and was appropriately sharkish as superagent Mike Ovitz in
The Late Shift (1996). He also starred in the weekly series Eddie Dodd (1991) and
Good Advice (1995). Many of Treat Williams' recent film roles have exhibited a fondness for expansive, scenery-chewing villainy, notably megalomanic Xander Drax in
The Phantom (1995). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide