Adam Williams (born Adam William Berg, November 26, 1922 – December 4, 2006) was an American film and television actor.

Life and career

Born Adam William Berg in

Wall Lake, Iowa Wall Lake is a city in Sac County, Iowa, United States. The population was 755 at the time of the 2020 census. History Wall Lake was platted in 1877. The city took its name from nearby Wall Lake. Geography Wall Lake is located at (42.271141, - ...

, and raised in New York City. 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 The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. In 1952, Williams played the lead, as a Los Angeles woman killer, in the film ''

Without Warning! ''Without Warning!'' is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Adam Williams, Meg Randall, and Ed Binns. The film is shot in a semidocumentary-style with police procedural voice-over narration in parts. ...

'' In 1953, he was cast as Larry, a car bomber, in ''

The Big Heat ''The Big Heat'' is a 1953 American film noir crime film directed by Fritz Lang starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Jocelyn Brando about a cop who takes on the crime syndicate that controls his city. William P. McGivern's serial in ''The ...

''. He had a leading role in the 1958 science fiction movie ''

The Space Children ''The Space Children'' is a 1958 independently made American science-fiction film, produced by William Alland, directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Michel Ray, Jackie Coogan, Russell Johnson, Johnny Crawford, Johnny Washbrook and Richard Shan ...

''. Other notable film roles include the psychiatrist in '' Fear Strikes Out'' (1957) and Valerian in ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture ...

'' (1959). An accomplished pilot, Williams also worked as an accident examiner for the FAA. During the 1950s and 1960s, he appeared on dozens of television series, including the syndicated '' The Sheriff of Cochise'', set in Arizona and starring

John Bromfield John Bromfield (born Farron Bromfield; June 11, 1922 – September 19, 2005) was an American actor and commercial fisherman. Early years Farron Bromfield was born in South Bend, Indiana. He played football and was a boxing champion at Saint Mar ...

, and ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'' in the episode "The Reasonable Man". He portrayed private detective and murderer Jason Beckmeyer in the 1957 ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode "The Case of the Runaway Corpse." In 1961, he was cast as Jim Gates in the episode "Frontier Week" on

Joanne Dru Joanne Dru (born Joan Letitia LaCock;Known as Joan Lacock in th1930 United States census/ref> January 31, 1922 – September 10, 1996) was an American film and television actress, known for such films as '' Red River'', ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbo ...

's sitcom '' Guestward, Ho!'', set on a

dude ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

in New Mexico. In 1960, he played the role of a sailor hitching a ride in ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' season 1 episode "

The Hitch-Hiker ''The Hitch-Hiker'' is a 1953 American film noir thriller co-written and directed by Ida Lupino, starring Edmond O'Brien, William Talman and Frank Lovejoy, about two friends taken hostage by a hitchhiker during an automobile trip to Mexico. ' ...

", where he is picked up by a terrified driver played by

Inger Stevens Inger Stevens (born Ingrid Stensland; October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970) was a Swedish-American film, stage and Golden Globe-winning television actress. Early life Inger Stevens was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the eldest child of Per ...

, 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 "A Most Unusual Camera" is episode 46 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone'', and was the tenth episode of the second season. It originally aired on December 16, 1960 on CBS, and was an episode written by the show's crea ...

". Between 1959 and 1967 he appeared in six episodes of ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The sho ...

'' and in four episodes of ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', 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 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

western series '' Lawman''. He guest-starred in an episode of the 1961 NBC series ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

'', based on family conflicts stemming from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, and in an episode of the 1961 series ''

The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and L ...

''. One of his later roles was in the 1976 television movie '' Helter Skelter''.

Death

On December 4, 2006, Williams died in Los Angeles of

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include en ...

at the age of 84. He was cremated.

Filmography

*''

Queen for a Day ''Queen for a Day'' is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. ''Queen for a Day'' originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, i ...

'' (1951) - Chuck, High Diver segment *''

Flying Leathernecks ''Flying Leathernecks'' is a 1951 American Technicolor action war film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, (who had produced ''Sands of Iwo Jima'') and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits an ...

'' (1951) - Lt. Bert Malotke *''

'' (1952) - Carl Martin *''

Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

'' (1953) - Marty Kusalich *''

'' (1953) - Larry Gordon *''

Dragonfly Squadron ''Dragonfly Squadron'' is a 1954 American war film directed by Lesley Selander and starring John Hodiak, Barbara Britton and Bruce Bennett. The film is set in the period shortly before and during the invasion of South Korea by North Korean troops. ...

'' (1954) - Capt. Wyler *'' The Yellow Tomahawk'' (1954) - Cpl. Maddock *''

Crashout ''Crashout'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis R. Foster and starring William Bendix, Arthur Kennedy, Luther Adler, William Talman, Gene Evans, Marshall Thompson, and Beverly Michaels.. Plot Convict Van Duff is the lead ...

'' (1955) - Fred Summerfield *''

The Sea Chase ''The Sea Chase'' is a 1955 World War II drama film starring John Wayne and Lana Turner, and featuring David Farrar, Lyle Bettger, and Tab Hunter. It was directed by John Farrow from a screenplay by James Warner Bellah and John Twist based on ...

'' (1955) - Kruger - Wireless Operator (uncredited) *''

The Proud and Profane ''The Proud and Profane'' is a dramatic war romance made by William Perlberg-George Seaton Productions for Paramount Pictures released in theaters on June 13, 1956. It was directed by George Seaton and produced by William Perlberg, from a screenp ...

'' (1956) - Eustace Press *''

The Rack The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one or both ends. The victim's ankles are fastened to one roller and the wrists are chained to the other. As the in ...

'' (1956) - Sgt. Otto Pahnke *'' Fear Strikes Out'' (1957) - Dr. Brown *''

The Garment Jungle ''The Garment Jungle'' is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Lee J. Cobb, Kerwin Mathews, Gia Scala, Richard Boone and Valerie French. Plot Alan Mitchell is a returning Korean War veteran who joins hi ...

'' (1957) - Ox *''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th large ...

'' (1957) - Bob Randell *''

The Lonely Man ''The Lonely Man'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Henry Levin and written by Harry Essex and Robert Smith. The film stars Jack Palance, Anthony Perkins, Elaine Aiken, Neville Brand, Robert Middleton, Elisha Cook, Jr., Claude Aki ...

'' (1957) - Lon *''

Darby's Rangers ''Darby's Rangers'' (released in the UK as ''The Young Invaders'') is a 1958 war film directed by William Wellman and starring James Garner as William Orlando Darby, who organizes and leads the first units of United States Army Rangers during Wor ...

'' (1958) - Heavy Hall *''

'' (1958) - Dave Brewster *'' The Badlanders'' (1958) - Leslie *''

'' (1959) - Valerian *'' The Last Sunset'' (1961) - Calverton *''

Convicts 4 ''Convicts 4'', also known as ''Reprieve,'' is a 1962 prison film drama starring Ben Gazzara and directed by Millard Kaufman. The film is a fictionalized version of the life of death row convict John Resko, who wrote his autobiography: ''Reprieve ...

'' (1962) - Guard #1 *'' Gunfight at Comanche Creek'' (1963) - Jed Hayden *''

The New Interns ''The New Interns'' is a 1964 American drama film directed by John Rich, and the sequel to the 1962 film '' The Interns'', itself based on the novel of the same name by Richard Frede. It stars Michael Callan and Dean Jones. For his performance, ...

'' (1964) - Wolanski *''

The Glory Guys ''The Glory Guys'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Arnold Laven and written by Sam Peckinpah, based on the 1956 novel ''The Dice of God'' by Hoffman Birney. Filmed by Levy-Gardner-Laven and released by United Artists, it stars Tom T ...

'' (1965) - Pvt. Lucas Crain *''

Follow Me, Boys! ''Follow Me, Boys!'' is a 1966 American drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is an adaptation of the 1954 novel ''God and My Country'' by MacKinlay Kantor and was the final live action film produced by Walt Disney, who died two week ...

'' (1966) - Sergeant (uncredited) *''

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit ''The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Norman Tokar, with a screenplay by Louis Pelletier and starring Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Ellen Janov, Kurt Russell and Lurene Tuttle, as well as Fred Clark in ...

'' (1968) - Sergeant Roberts *''This Is a Hijack'' (1973) - Smitty

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Adam 1922 births 2006 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Male actors from Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from lymphoma 20th-century American male actors Western (genre) television actors Jewish American male actors United States Navy pilots of World War II 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews

Life and career

Death

Filmography

Further reading

References

External links