Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (born February 27, 1934) is a former actor best known for his television role as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet and his earlier leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series Bourbon Street Beat (1959) and its sequel, Surfside 6 (1960). He teamed for one season with the late Bruce Lee as his partner Kato, in the television series The Green Hornet, broadcast on ABC during the 1966–67 season.
As of 2010, was the last surviving cast member of The Green Hornet (1966).
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Allegedly turned down a recurring role on Falcon Crest (1981) in the 1970s in order to focus on his business interests.
3
Spent several months a year in Southern California as a reserve deputy with the Malibu station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
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He and his long-time wife Vicki have three children. They met in Hawaii where she was a surfing pro. He also has twin daughters from a prior marriage.
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His neighbor in Ketchum, Idaho, is Batman (1966) star Adam West. The two are good friends. In 1967, Williams and Bruce Lee guest-starred opposite West in the "Batman's Satisfaction" episode of Batman.
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During the run of The Green Hornet (1966), Williams pushed to give more screen time for co-star Bruce Lee, both to help his friend and martial-arts instructor and to help the show survive by playing up the most popular cast member of the show. The producers refused since they didn't want to take attention away from the star, especially to a nonwhite actor.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
1993
Green Hornet Director
The Rockford Files
1979
TV Series
Lt. Dwayne Kefir
Mrs. Columbo
1979
TV Series
Fielding
The Night Rider
1979
TV Movie
Jim Hollister
Centennial
1979
TV Mini-Series
George
Colorado C.I.
1978
TV Movie
Captain Cochran
How the West Was Won
1976-1978
TV Series
Captain MacAllister / Capt. MacAllister
You Gotta Start Somewhere
1977
TV Movie
The Red Hand Gang
1977
TV Series
OK Okins
Barnaby Jones
1977
TV Series
Munson
Tales of the Unexpected
1977
TV Mini-Series
Sheriff
The Streets of San Francisco
1976
TV Series
Officer Morton
Bert D'Angelo/Superstar
1976
TV Series
Junior Danvers
The Runaways
1975
TV Movie
Joe Ringer
The Manhunter
1975
TV Series
Westwind
1975
TV Series
Steve Andrews
Gunsmoke
1974
TV Series
Quincy
Apple's Way
1974
TV Series
Ritchie Case
Mission: Impossible
1972
TV Series
Arnold Sanders
Ironside
1971
TV Series
Sgt. Artie Hawkins
Nanny and the Professor
1970
TV Series
Mr. Parsons
Love, American Style
1970
TV Series
Bill (segment "Love and the Minister")
Mannix
1970
TV Series
Kidnapper
The Big Valley
1968
TV Series
Sheriff Dave Barrett
The Green Hornet
1966-1967
TV Series
The Green Hornet
Britt Reid
Batman
1966-1967
TV Series
The Green Hornet
The Milton Berle Show
1966
TV Series
The Green Hornet
Preview Tonight
1966
TV Series
Commander Russ Enright
Batman: The Movie
1966
President Lyndon B. Johnson (voice, uncredited)
The Beverly Hillbillies
1965
TV Series
Dean Peters
The Dick Van Dyke Show
1965
TV Series
Clark Rice
The Tycoon
1964-1965
TV Series
Pat Burns
Temple Houston
1964
TV Series
Joey Baker
The Caretakers
1963
Dr. Larry Denning
Hawaiian Eye
1963
TV Series
Don Munroe
The Gallant Men
1963
TV Series
Lt. Dave Cameron
77 Sunset Strip
1961-1963
TV Series
Wade Saunders / Ken Madison
Red Nightmare
1962
Short
Air Force Sergeant (uncredited)
Cheyenne
1962
TV Series
Ray Masters
Surfside 6
1960-1962
TV Series
Ken Madison
Bourbon Street Beat
1959-1960
TV Series
Kenny Madison
Tall Story
1960
Young Man in Shower (uncredited)
Colt .45
1959
TV Series
Tom Rucker
Lawman
1959
TV Series
Zachary Morgan
General Electric Theater
1958-1959
TV Series
Charlie / Ben
King Richard II
1954
TV Movie
Exton's Servant
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Gigantour
2006
Video
Himself
Bruce Lee, the Legend Continues
2001
Documentary
Himself
Famous Families
1999
TV Series documentary
Himself
Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On
1999
TV Movie
Himself / Britt Reid
The Life of Bruce Lee
1994
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Biography
1994
TV Series documentary
Himself
Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories
1991
TV Mini-Series documentary
Mr. Fitzgerald
Good Morning America
1983
TV Series
Himself
The Hollywood Squares
1967
TV Series
Himself
Where the Action Is
1966
TV Series
Himself
Here's Hollywood
1962
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Pioneers of Television
2014
TV Mini-Series documentary
Brit Reid - Green Hornet
I Am Bruce Lee
2012
TV Movie documentary
Britt Reid
The Green Hornet (segment The Green Hornet)
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
Video documentary
Himself
Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey
2000
Video documentary
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999
Video documentary
Britt Reid / the Green Hornet
Bruce Lee and Kung Fu Mania
1992
Documentary
Holy Batmania
1989
Video documentary short
The Green Hornet
Action Heroes of Movies & T.V.: A Campy Compilation