In the 1970s, the actors appeared in two storied Broadway shows together.
Treat Williams, a deceased friend and fellow Broadway performer who passed away on Monday at 71 in a motorcycle accident, is remembered by John Travolta.
A black and white image of the two performers onstage at a performance of the early 1970s film Over Here! was shared by Travolta, 69.
Travolta captioned the Instagram Story, “Treat and I got our start together in NYC playing in 2 Broadway shows: Grease and Over Here. Treat, I’m so sorry. I’m thinking of you and your family. We will miss you. Love, John.”
It is commonly acknowledged that the Broadway production of Over Here!, a musical set in the United States during World War II, began the careers of many well-known actors.
Travolta played Doody in the Broadway production of Grease, while Williams played Danny Zuko, a position Travolta eventually took on in the 1978 movie.
In Over Here! and Grease, Williams and Travolta were joined by fellow actress Marilu Henner. She speaks about the connection she established with Williams early on.
“We portrayed two wildly in love characters.” She recalls their performances in Over Here!, “We never stopped kissing the whole show.”
Williams assisted Henner, 71, in getting back on her feet at the career-defining event.
“When we first started out, he allowed me to stay at his apartment in New York,” according to the Taxi actor. “He allowed me to stay in his apartment while he was away working another gig after we had performed on Broadway and the musical was canceled before I had another job.”
Williams and Henner both become Hallmark Channel actors in the future.
Henner asserts, “We never lost touch.” “We looked out for one another and often checked in. He was a unique individual. He had such skill. We were members of the Hallmark family and an important part of one other’s life. He was extremely vivacious, liked acting, and, most of all, loved his family. Loved his life, too. All of us who loved him are devastated by this.”
Williams has a career spanning four decades with more than 120 credits to his name. In the suspense movie Deadly Hero, he debuted in 1975. From there, he started to take on more acting roles in movies, such as Hair, in 1979, which led to his first Golden Globe nomination for actor in a new star of the year. Later, he received a second Golden Globe nomination for his performance in 1981’s Prince of the City for best actor in a drama film.
He started playing the title role of Dr. Andrew “Andy” Brown on The WB’s Everwood in 2002. He played the lead role on the show for all four seasons, and in 2003–04, he was nominated for a SAG Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series.
He also worked on the following films and television shows: 1941 by Steven Spielberg, Heart of Dixie, Blue Bloods, The Late Shift, Chicago Fire, Chesapeake Shores, Hallmark’s The Christmas House, and Netflix’s The Noel Diary and Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.
Gill and Ellie, the actor’s two children, and his wife, actress Pam Van Sant, survive him.
