Treat Williams Killed in Motorcycle Accident at Age 71

Treat Williams, the versatile and prolific actor best known for playing Dr. Andy Brown on Greg Berlanti’s Everwood during a nearly half-century career, has died. Williams was killed in a motorcycle accident in Dorset, VT. He was 71.

Williams’ family issued a statement to Deadline, which reads, “Treat was full of love for his family, for his life and for his craft, and was truly at the top of his game in all of it. … To all his fans, please know that Treat appreciated all of you and please continue to keep him in your hearts and prayers.” Read the full statement below. 

Jacob Gribble, the fire chief for Dorset, told People that the accident happened around 5 p.m. ET and involved Williams’ motorcycle and a single car, the driver of which apparently didn’t see Williams. He was the only person hurt in the crash. A helicopter was called to airlift him to a hospital.

Williams played the kindhearted lead on the WB’s "Everwood" for four seasons from 2002-06. He earned two SAG Award nominations for his work on the series. While the series never was a rating blockbuster, but it helped launch the careers of Chris Pratt, Emily VanCamp, and Gregory Smith.

The late actor was well-seasoned by the time the series came around: His first big break came when he auditioned for a road company for Grease.

“I came back and they put me on Broadway as the understudy to four of the male leads, including John Travolta and Jeff Conaway,” Williams told Vermont magazine. “I covered Teen Angel, Doody, Danny Zuko, and Roger. Within two weeks, I was on Broadway performing. It was a baptism by fire, but it was great.”

He ultimately would appear in a half-dozen Broadway shows from 1974-2001, including "Follies", "Love Letters", and the original production of "The Pirates of Penzance".

Williams made his film debut in the 1975 thriller "Deadly Hero". The following year he played a supporting role in Richard Lester’s "The Ritz" and also appeared in John Sturges’ "The Eagle Has Landed". His big-screen breakthrough came in 1979 when he starred as George Berger in Miloš Forman’s "Hair", based on the 1967 Broadway musical. Williams was nominated for a Golden Globe for that performance.

The actor’s many other big-screen credits include Steven Spielberg’s "1941" (1979), Sidney Lumet’s "Prince of the City" (1981), Sergio Leone’s "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984), "Dead Heat" (1988), "Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead" (1995) and "Deep Rising" (1998).

Williams posted online often about life in Vermont, sharing photos on social media of his farm and love for country life. His final tweet came less than an hour before his death.

“I’ve always had an enormous love for Vermont, both in winter and summer. There was something incredibly special about it to me, and the people here are incredibly honest, real, and good-humored,” he told an interviewer in 2022.

“There’s also always something new to discover somewhere on a dirt road that you’ve never traveled on before. Every day I wake up so grateful to see the view that I see out of my window and to be living up here.”

On the TV side, Williams’ career stretched back 40 years to a starring role in the 1983 telefilm "Dempsey", about the former heavyweight champ to whom the actor bore more than a passing resemblance. He followed up with two more TV movies: "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1984), in which he played Stanley Kowalski, and "J. Edgar Hoover" (1987), playing the titular G-man. Dozens more TV movies followed, including the 1996 "The Late Shift", which earned him an Emmy nomination for playing former uber agent Michael Ovitz, as well as the sitcom "Good Advice" with Shelley Long, which ran on CBS for two seasons from 1993-94, leading to "Everwood".

More recently Williams appeared in a six-episode arc on "Blue Bloods" as Lenny Ross, in the Hallmark Channel’s "Chesapeake Shores" from 2016-22, and in the HBO limited series "We Own This City".

He will soon be seen in Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series "Feud: Capote’s Women", in which he plays former CBS head and media tycoon Bill Paley.

Williams is survived by his wife, actress Pam Van Sant, and their two children, Gille and Ellie.

A Statement on the Passing of Treat Williams

It is with great sadness that we report that our beloved Treat Williams has passed away tonight in Dorset, Vermont after a fatal motorcycle accident. As you can imagine, we are shocked and greatly bereaved at this time.

Treat was full of love for his family, for his life and for his craft, and was truly at the top of his game in all of it. It is all so shocking right now, but please know that Treat was dearly and deeply loved and respected by his family and everyone who knew him.

We are beyond devastated and ask that you respect our privacy as we deal with our grief. To all his fans, please know that Treat appreciated all of you and please continue to keep him in your hearts and prayers.

The Williams Family