Treat Williams, the actor who charmed audiences as a hippie in Hair and a neurosurgeon in Everwood, has died at 71. His longtime agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed to People that Williams died following a motorcycle crash on Monday. “I’m just devastated. He was the nicest guy. He was so talented,†McPherson said, noting that a car cut Williams off while he was making a turn. “He was an actor’s actor. Filmmakers loved him,†he continued. “He’s been the heart of the Hollywood since the late 1970s. He was really proud of his performance this year. He’s been so happy with the work that I got him. He’s had a balanced career.†Police confirmed in a press release that Williams was airlifted to a hospital in New York after the crash in Vermont at around 5 p.m. Investigators reportedly believe that the driver was turning and did not see the motorcycle.
Born in 1951 in Connecticut, Richard Treat Williams once told the New York Times that he knew he wanted to act since he was 5 years old. He eventually moved to New York in 1973, jumping in as an understudy in a stage production of Grease starring John Travolta. Williams later played Danny Zuko on Broadway for several years. Over the course of his decades-long career, he appeared in movies including The Deadly Game, The Eagle Has Landed, Hair, Steven Spielberg’s 1941, Prince of the City, Once Upon a Time in America, the 1984 remake of A Streetcar Named Desire, and 127 Hours. He also starred in TV shows such as Everwood, Chicago Fire, Chesapeake Shores, and Blue Bloods. Williams continued acting regularly until his death and also often shared snippets of his life on social media. On the day of the collision, he was posting on social media about mowing his lawn. Williams is survived by his wife and fellow actor Pam Van Sant, as well as their two children.