Adam Williams was an American film and television actor.

A veteran "bad guy" actor of 1950s film and TV who began his career after distinguished WWII

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 military service as a U.S. Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 pilot, being awarded the Navy Cross

Navy Cross

The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

. Williams' notable roles included playing Larry, a car bomber, in The Big Heat

The Big Heat

The Big Heat is a 1953 film noir directed by Fritz Lang, starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Lee Marvin. It is about a cop who takes on the crime syndicate that controls his city after the brutal murder of his beloved wife. The film was written by former crime reporter Sydney Boehm based on a...

(1953). In 1952, Williams played the lead role as Los Angeles woman killer in Without Warning!

Without Warning! (1952 film)

Without Warning! is a black-and-white 1952 film noir directed by Arnold Laven. The film is shot in a semidocumentary-style with police procedural voice-over narration in parts. Without Warning! was released commercially for the first time on DVD in 2005...

. He had a leading role in the 1958 science fiction movie The Space Children

The Space Children

The Space Children is a 1958 film directed by Jack Arnold. The movie was mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1998 during season 9....

. Other notable roles include the psychiatrist in Fear Strikes Out

Fear Strikes Out

Fear Strikes Out is a dramatic film depicting the life and career of American baseball player Jimmy Piersall. It is based on Piersall's autobiography Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story. The film stars Anthony Perkins as Piersall and Karl Malden as his father, and it was directed by Robert...

(1957) and Valerian in North by Northwest

North by Northwest

North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...

(1959).

An accomplished pilot, Williams also worked as an examiner for the FAA

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

. One of his last roles was in the television movie Helter Skelter (1976). He also appeared on dozens of television programs in the 1950s and 1960s.

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