Actor Treat Williams dies at 71 after motorcycle accident

Treat Williams, a prima of stage, tv and film, has died successful a motorcycle accident, his household said Monday evening. He was 71.

"It is with large sadness that we study that our beloved Treat Williams has passed distant contiguous successful Dorset, Vermont aft a fatal motorcycle accident," his household said successful a statement. "As you tin imagine, we are shocked and greatly bereaved astatine this time."

Vermont State Police said successful a connection that Williams was critically injured successful Dorset astir 4:53 p.m. Monday erstwhile a Honda SUV turned successful beforehand of him, ending successful a collision that threw Williams from his 1986 Honda motorcycle.

He was taken to Albany Medical Center successful Albany, New York, wherever helium was pronounced dead, authorities constabulary said.

The operator of the SUV, who was uninjured, was not cited; an probe into the collision was ongoing, constabulary said.

Williams precocious impermanent starred successful HBO's "We Own This City," a play astir corruption successful Baltimore that was aired and streamed this spring. In 2016, helium played the rubric quality successful the theatrical and streaming merchandise of "The Congressman."

He developed arsenic an actor's histrion by starting arsenic an understudy for the Broadway deed "Grease" successful the 1970s earlier helium took the pb relation arsenic Danny Zuko. But his existent breakthrough was arsenic manager Miloš Forman's hippie quality George Berger successful a defining movie of the counterculture, "Hair," successful 1979.

That opened the doorway to roles successful countless films, including Steven Spielberg's "1941," Sidney Lumet's "Prince of the City," Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time successful America" and John Erman's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' classical "A Streetcar Named Desire."

In his tv career, Williams had roles connected "Law & Order," "Blue Bloods" and different shows, often arsenic a benevolent-seeming patriarch with conscionable a hint of corruption beneath the surface.

More precocious helium portrayed Dr. Andrew Brown successful the WB bid "Everwood" and Brian Grabler, a retired Baltimore constabulary detective, successful "We Own This City." In the second series, helium teaches astatine the constabulary academy and, according to HBO's quality release, "recognizes overmuch of what has gone wrong" with the city's force.

Williams was calved successful Rowayton, Connecticut, to Marian and Richard Norman Williams, according to his IMDb bio. He went from prep schoolhouse to Pennsylvania's Franklin and Marshall College, wherever helium dived into the satellite of signifier and screen.

His summers were spent immersed successful signifier classics astatine Fulton Theatre successful Lancaster, the bio says. Williams' aboriginal occurrence meant escaped clip could beryllium spent flying, and helium became a licensed aviator and instructor.

In their statement, his household said his loved ones were "beyond devastated."

"Treat was afloat of emotion for his family, for his beingness and for his craft, and was genuinely astatine the apical of his crippled successful each of it," the household said. "It is each truthful shocking close now, but delight cognize that Treat was dearly and profoundly loved and respected by his household and everyone who knew him."

Former Baltimore Sun writer David Simon, the creator of "We Own This City," said helium was honored erstwhile Williams signed connected to the show.

"After years of bull reporting, 'Prince Of The City' was the lone movie that made maine judge anyone other knew the information astir the cause war," he tweeted. "So honored erstwhile Treat Williams signed connected to present our own, aboriginal critique of the disaster. RIP to a legendary histrion and a fine, gracious man."

Williams rejoiced successful his earliest movie work, saying successful a 2011 interrogation with A.V. Club that "Hair" was "the top movie acquisition of my life."

"It was conscionable really, truly fun," helium said. "I loved John Savage and Beverly D'Angelo, and Milos Forman is 1 of the large filmmakers of each time. That was truly an grant to beryllium a portion of."

He is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant, and their children, Gill Williams and Elinor Williams.