Guy Williams

A tribute

Guy Williams was born with the wonderful name of Armand Joseph Catalano (he was nicknamed "Armando" by family) on January 14th, 1924 in New York City and grew up in the Washington Heights area. His parents had come to the U.S. a short time before. Guy's grandfather, a wealthy land owner from Palermo, Italy, had given Guy's father, Attilio, some farmland in upstate New York. Attilio settled in New York City and became an insurance broker.

He was eager for his son to join him in the business world, but young Armando had other ideas. He attended Peekskill Military Academy in his junior years. After graduation, Guy ended his formal education. He was a voracious reader, a whiz at math and was much more knowledgeable than many an Ivy-Leaguer. He pursued such intellectual hobbies as chess and astronomy.

Guy started out in the modeling profession. He decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to become an actor when the time came. Not long after, he was chosen to play the legendary masked hero Zorro for Walt Disney. When that ended only two years later, Guy went on to film a few movies; Damon and Pythias, Captain Sindbad, and The Prince and the Pauper being his most visible roles. He later was hired to play cousin Will Cartwright in five great episodes of the long running western series, Bonanza. From there it was on to Lost in Space as the father of the space family Robinson. These roles and more are all highlighted here on this tribute site, so new generations of fans can learn about Mr. Guy Williams. Sadly, Guy passed away at his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina in May of 1989. I want this website to focus on Guy's life, his career and his family, so that is all I will say about his death. Guy is gone, but he will never be forgotten. He still has thousands of devoted fans all around the world. Fans who have come together to celebrate special events given posthumously in Guy's honor.

(Special thanks to Antoinette Lane, author of "Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask").


Statistics
 
Birthname:  Armand Joseph Catalano.
Birthdate:  January 14th, 1924.
Birthplace:  Fort George, New York City.
Parents: 
Attilio and Claire Catalano.
Siblings:  Younger sister Valerie.
Height:  6 feet 3 inches.
Eyes:  Gray-green.
Hair:  Dark brown.
Status: 
Marriage to Janice Cooper.
Children: 
Son Steve (Guy Williams, Jr.), daughter Toni.
Education: 
George Washington High School, Peekskill Military Academy.
Hobbies: 
An avid fencer and chess player, he also played the guitar, was a wonderful cook and was an expert on tropical fish. He was an amateur astronomer and loved to read and listen to all kinds of music, mostly classical. His favorite pastime was sailing his 40-foot ketch, The Oceana.