Treat Williams, ‘Hair’ and ‘Everwood’ Star, Dies at 71

Treat Williams, a veteran screen actor who received acclaim for his lead performance in the musical “Hair” and starred in The WB series “Everwood,” died Monday afternoon after being involved in a motorcycle accident near Dorset, Vt. He was 71.

Williams’ death was confirmed by his agent, Barry McPherson, in a statement to People. Vermont State Police reported a road closure near Dorset due to a motor vehicle accident at 5:24 p.m. No further details about Williams’ death are available at this time.

At the age of 28, Williams received acclaim for his performance in “Hair,” Miloš Forman’s big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Williams earned a Golden Globe nomination in the now-defunct category new star of the year (actor). Two years later he was competing again, this time in best actor in a motion picture drama for his performance in Daniel Ciello’s “Prince of the City.”

Among Williams’ other notable film credits are his lead turn alongside Laura Dern in the coming-of-age romance “Smooth Talk,” which released in 1985 and earned Williams an Independent Spirit nomination for best male lead. He also starred in “Deep Rising,” the now cult ’90s aquatic creature feature that centered on Williams’ captain and his crew’s struggle to survive.

Williams landed his most notable role of this century with “Everwood,” starring as Dr. Andy Brown, a Manhattan neurosurgeon who relocates his family to rural Colorado after the death of his wife. Williams headlined The WB series across four seasons, earning a Screen Actors Guild award nomination for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series.

A television regular, Williams would often make guest appearances, with recurring roles on “White Collar,” “Chicago Fire,” “We Own This City” and “Blue Bloods.” Playing a construction family patriarch, he was a main cast member of “Chesapeake Stories,” which concluded a six-season run on the Hallmark Channel last October. Williams appeared in “Blue Bloods” in May on the episode “Irish Exits.”

Born Richard Treat Williams on Dec. 1, 1951 in Rowayton, Conn., Williams graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania before moving into an acting career. He made his screen debut in 1975 with a role in the feature “Deadly Hero” before landing the lead role of “Hair.”

Williams is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant; and their children, Gil and Elinor Williams.