January 14, 1924 – Actor and Disney Legend Guy Williams is Born
“‘Guy Williams’ was about as non-specific as I could imagine!”
On January 14, 1924, actor Guy Williams was born in New York City as Armand Joseph Catalano. Although he attended military school with the intention of entering West Point, he was discovered while walking down Fifth Avenue and took a screen test. The screen test eventually lead to a one-year contract with Universal Studios; he then adopted the name “Guy Williams” so he wouldn’t be typecast due to his Hispanic name. After struggling to find a footing in Hollywood for several years, he got his first break with the 1957 film I Was a Teenage Werewolf, playing the part of a policeman that shoots Michael Landon’s character. His big break occurred when Walt Disney was looking for an actor to play the character of Zorro, based on the pulp fiction stories first published in 1919 by Johnston McCulley. Williams was snatched up for the role, and the show was another major boon for the studio. Williams also made occasional appearances in Disneyland. After the series ended, Williams shot the film The Prince and the Pauper for the Disney Studio before his contract with Disney expired. Williams then found success in the CBS series Lost in Space, where he played the role of Professor John Robinson. He retired in 1973 to enjoy his wealth, splitting his time between residences in Argentina and California. He passed away on May 6, 1989, due to a brain aneurysm. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2011.
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