He Did
He

hen William
.tz Katt was in New
York rehearsing
4r for the Birming-
ham Theatre pro-
duction of I Do! I
,v Do!, he took time
off to fly to Califor-
nia and be part of
his oldest son's bar
mitzvah.
Although Mr. Katt
is not Jewish, he successively
has married two Jewish women
and is supportive of whatever
faith is chosen by his two sons
and daughter.
"I just want the children to
have an experience with a re-
ligion, whether it be Judaism,
Buddhism or Christianity," said
Mr. Katt, who has spent a lot of
time in the Jewish community
because of his marriages.
"I want them all to have that
experience to take with them
throughout their lives."
The theme of family values
carries over into his current
role, which was first acted on
Broadway by Robert Preston
performing opposite Mary Mar-
tin.
`The play takes place around
the turn of the century, and it
spans about 50 years in the
lives of the two main characters,
who get married when they are
quite young," he explained.

`"s7"

Actor William
Katt has some
direct ties
to the Jewish
community.

SUZANNE CHESSLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

"They have two chil-
dren, a boy and a girl.
After the children go
off and get married,
they have themselves.
"It's quite a delight-
ful tale of what mar-
ried life is about, and
it's quite a charming
evening of theater."
Mr. Katt considers
"My Cup Runneth
Over" as the most fa-
miliar song from the
musical, which runs
through March 13. He
brings to its interpre-
tation an acting career
brimming
William Katt: with a
Letting his
rich her-
kids decide. itage and
a variety
of stage, screen and TV roles.
His mother, Barbara Hale,
portrayed Della Street in the
"Perry Mason" TV series and
made-for-TV movies. His fa-
ther, the late Bill Williams, had
the title role in the TV series
"The Adventures of Kit Carson"
and he did a plethora of films in
the '50s and '60s.
"I did a bit of acting from the
time I was 18, but that was
more to pass the time, have
something to do William Katt:
and meet girls," he Enjoying
joked.
I Do,
"I dabbled in a 1 00.
lot of things. I was
majoring in music at Or-
ange Coast College and
was flying a lot, thinking I
would be a pilot. It wasn't
until I did the film Carrie,
which was my first big
break, that I decided I had
a shot at making a living
in the business, and I pur-
sued acting full time."
Mr. Katt, who has
studied the perform-
ing arts with private
teachers, started in
theater at South Coast
Repertory, a company
outside Los Angeles, and
worked in just about all
the theaters in the city.
He went on to films and
television.

Movie credits include Butch
and Sundance: The Early Days
with Tom Berenger, Big
Wednesday with Gary Busey
and First Love with Susan Dey.
TV audiences have watched
him as private investigator Paul
Drake Jr. in Perry Mason spe-
cials, in which he assisted the
fictional lawyer prove the inno-
cence of clients. Another recent
TV special cast him with Dick
Van Dyke in "Diagnosis: Mur-
der."
"Dick and I knew each other
because we used to work out at
the same gym, and it was fun
to see him and work with him
professionally," he said. "We
did a soft-shoe tap dance num-
ber in the show, and I had a lot
of fun."
One of Mr. Kates favorite
performing experiences was
working with Bob Fosse in a
New York production of Pippin.
His toughest role was in a
three-character play based on
the film The Days of Wine and
Roses, staged 18 months ago at
the Cleveland Playhouse.
"It dealt with a dark subject,
alcoholism, and that made it
very difficult," he said. "I had
to go to that very dark place and
find my way out of it every
night."
After his work in Michigan,

,

Mr. Katt will find himself home
in California, where he will star
in the one-act play Zoo Story.
He has done the play before and
will travel with it to New York.
Mr. Katt, who took his fa-
ther's actual last name just as
he took his career path, has giv-
en a lot of thought to the way
he will guide his children.
"Like my parents did with
me, try to steer them toward
getting an education before they
make any decisions," he said. "I
think, like most parents, I'd
much rather see them become
lawyers, or doctors or some-
thing other than actors.
"My parents were neutral,
and I'll stay neutral about gear-
ing them into show business. It
really depends on each child
and that child's drive. If they
want it and are willing to make
the sacrifices, that's fine."
While those choices seem a
long way off, Mr. Katt hopes his
own career will bring him an-
other show on Broadway, an-
other TV series and more time
to spend with his children.

Performances of "I Do! I Do!"
will continue through March 13
at The Birmingham Theatre.
Curtain times are 8 p.m. today
and tomorrow and 2 p.m. and
7 p.m. Sunday. For informa-
tion, call 644-3533.

❑