Armando Joseph (Catalano) Williams (1924 - 1989)

Born 14 Jan 1924 in Bronx, New York, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 Apr 1989 at age 65 in Buenos Aires City, Argentina

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Biography

Guy (Catalano) Williams is Notable.

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Out of the night, when the full moon is bright, comes a horseman known as Zorro. This bold renegade carves a 'Z' with his blade, a 'Z' that stands for Zorro!

Zorro, the fox so cunning and free. Zorro, who makes the sign of the 'Z'.

He is polite, but the wicked take flight, when they catch the sight of Zorro. He's friend of the weak, and the poor, and the meek, this very unique Senor Zorro.

Zorro, the fox so cunning and free. Zorro, who makes the sign of the 'Z'. Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro. . .

Guy, 6-foot, 3-inch second-generation Italian-American, whose real name was Armando Catalano, was chosen by Walt Disney Studios to portray Zorro on the small screen in a role made famous in motion pictures by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and later by Tyrone Power.

The television series recounted the adventures of Zorro and his alter-identity, Diego de la Vega, a seemingly spoiled son of a Spanish aristocrat.

Guy (Catalano) Williams was a New Yorker.

Guy was born Armando Catalano to Italian immigrant parents, Attilio Catalano and Clara Arcara, on 14 January 1924 in the Bronx, New York, USA.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} He grew up in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. As a teenager, he attended Peekskill Military Academy and graduated from George Washington High School. His career began as a model in New York. From there he branched out into stage work and then film.

It was while modeling that he met Janice Cooper, another model, whom he married in December 1948.^[6][7] During the 1950s they had a son and a daughter.^[7] He had the ironic distinction of portraying the policeman who slayed the werewolf in "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" which starred Michael Landon, with whom Guy later worked on Bonanza.

Gaining the title role in the Walt Disney "Zorro" series (1957-59) was the biggest break Guy ever got in his acting career.^[7] During the two years "Zorro" aired, he was one of the most popular actors on television.^[7] He made many public appearances -- in rodeos, at the Rose Bowl Parade, and at Disneyland. After two years as Diego/Zorro, the series was iced because of a financial dispute between Disney and ABC, the network that aired the program. Guy was kept on contract by Disney for two years while legal maneuvering around the series went on. By 1960, Disney decided to give up on winning the battle. Except for four Zorro "anthology" episodes aired on The Wonderful World of Disney, "Zorro" was over. Guy did one more project for Disney, portraying Miles Hendon in an award-winning live-action feature of "The Prince and the Pauper."

Guy went on to make a couple of films in Europe, "Captain Sindbad" and "Damon and Pythias," in the early 1960's. He then returned to Los Angeles where he took up, briefly, a role as a Cartwright cousin in "Bonanza."

In 1965 he was cast as Professor John Robinson in Irwin Allen’s "Lost in Space" television series.^[7] He continued that role through the three-year life of the series.

After that, he made occasional appearances on a few tv game shows but was not again cast in any film or television roles. Based on later interviews that he gave, we speculate that by this point in his career, he was pretty disgusted with Hollywood.

For a full listing of Guy's television and movie credits, visit his filmography on the Internet Movie Database.

In 1973, he made his first trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, as a guest of a television station there that was airing the Disney "Zorro" series. This led to many more visits to Argentina, and eventually to Guy’s decision to make Buenos Aires his home. He collaborated in the development of, and performed extensively in, a "Zorro" segment in a traveling circus there, allowed his image to be used in marketing certain products, and made many personal appearances which provided him with a reasonable livelihood. He also made good friends and developed a great attachment to the people and lifestyle that Buenos Aires offered. By around 1983 he largely considered Buenos Aires his home. However, he never gave up his ties to Los Angeles and traveled back and forth between Argentina and the United States after he established his residence in BA.

Guy Williams died sometime between April 30 and May 6, 1989, in his apartment in Buenos Aires.^[5][8][7][9] The cause was determined to be a brain aneurysm. He had had previous health problems of this nature. Many people wonder why his death went undiscovered for several days. The authors of this site believe that his fatal stroke came shortly before he was set to depart for a short trip, and in a place and era before cell phones and instant electronic communication. Death goes by no rules of fairness.

Guy’s close friends in Buenos Aires arranged a funeral service for him there. His family in Los Angeles held a memorial service for him at a Roman Catholic church in West Hollywood. His ashes were scattered by members of his family in the Pacific off the southern California coast. He loved the ocean.

Guy's immediate family survives him and continues to reside in southern California. Janice Cooper Williams, Guy Steven, born in 1952, and Toni, born in 1958, are welcome guests at gatherings of Guy's loyal fans. Toni now has a young son named after his grandfather. Guy, Jr. represents his father at various events and celebrity conventions, sometimes carrying on the family tradition by donning the Zorro costume and wielding Zorro's sword. The entire family, as well as close friends of Guy's from Argentina, and many of his co-stars in his television series, were present at the Hollywood Walk of Fame unveiling of the Star for Guy Williams.

Sources

1. ↑ "New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965", database w/images (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 17 Jul 2021) New York City Department of Health Ancestry Record 61457 #111424 Name: Joseph Catalane Birth Date: 14 Jan 1924 Birth Place: Bronx, New York City, New York, USA Certificate Number: 1011 Ancestry Sharing Image (free)
2. ↑ "New York State Census, 1925," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS7C-TRT : 8 November 2014), Armand Catalano, New York, A.D. 23, E.D. 47, New York, New York, United States; records extracted by Ancestry and images digitized by FamilySearch; citing p. 21, line 30, New York State Archives, Albany.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4P7-Q5F : accessed 22 October 2021), Armand Catalano in household of Attilio Catalano, Manhattan (Districts 1001-1249), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1136, sheet 10A, line 1, family 228, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1581; FHL microfilm 2,341,316.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQGF-VMN : 16 May 2020), Armand Catalano in household of Attilio Catalano, Assembly District 23, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-2029, sheet 8A, line 40, family 253, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2674.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Social Security Claims Index", database (https://www.aad.archives.gov/ : accessed 4 Aug 2021) Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), created, 1936 - 2007, documenting the period 1936 - 2007 - Record Group 47 > Application (SS-5) Files, 1936 - 2007 (Last Names C through d) Name: Armand Joseph Catalano [Guy Williams] Gender: Male Race: White Birth Date: 14 Jan 1924 Birth Place: NY, New York [NY NY, New York] Death Date: May 1989 Father: Attilio Catalano Mother: Claire Arcara
6. ↑ "New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018", database w/images (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 17 Jul 2021) Index to Marriages, New York City Clerk's Office, New York, New York. New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 54 Ancestry Record 61406 #2131546 Name: Cermand Catalano Gender: Male Marriage License Date: 1 Dec 1948 Marriage License Place: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA Spouse: Janice Cooper License Number: 37413 Ancestry Sharing Image (free)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5} "Ask American Profile" database w/images (https://www.newspapers.com/ : accessed 20 Apr 2021) The Sun-Advocate (Price, Utah) 02 May 2002, Thu • Page 18
8. ↑ Raimon, Marcelo. "La pirueta final del auténtico Zorro" [The final pirouette of the authentic Zorro]. (May 7, 1999) Página/12 (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
9. ↑ "Actor Guy Williams, 65, TV Zorro" database w/images (https://www.newspapers.com/ : accessed 20 Apr 2021) Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 08 May 1989, Mon Page 26

• "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947", database w/images (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 17 Apr 2021) Draft Registration Cards for New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947. 1376 boxes. NAI: 7644743. Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975, Record Group 147. National Archives and Records Administration, St Louis, Missouri. National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147 Ancestry Record 2238 #194892247 Name: Armand J Catalano Race: White Age: 18 Birth Date: 14 Jan 1924 Birth Place: New York, New York Registration Date: 30 Jun 1942 Registration Place: New York City, New York Employer: Belding Heminway Co Height: 6 2 Weight: 165 Complexion: Light Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Other Next of Kin: Attilio Catalano Ancestry Sharing Image (free)
• Wikidata: Item Q562093, en:Wikipedia
• Guy Williams on IMDb