Update on actor Treat Williams' deadly motor accident
On June 12, 2023, Treat Williams died in a motorcycle accident. The beloved actor was struck by a Honda SUV that was turning left into a parking lot, leaving no time for Williams to avoid the collision. The driver of the SUV has been identified as Ryan Koss, a creative director for the Dorset Theatre Festival in Vermont.
The family held a private celebration of life on June 19th at the family farm in Vermont. Williams’ funeral was held the following day.
Image: Treat Williams / Instagram
After investigations into the collision, Ryan Koss was charged with ‘grossly negligent operation with death resulting,’ as indicated by the Vermont State Police press release.
Image: Vermont State Police
The tragic coincidence was that Koss knew Treat Williams and considered him a friend in the acting community. In fact, as the Bennington Banner reported, Koss and his husband were the ones who called Williams' wife to tell her about the accident.
At his arraignment on September 25th, 2023, Ryan Koss pleaded not guilty to the charges. It is expected that there will be a status conference in the Spring of 2024 to determine if the case continues or proceeds to trial.
Image: Treat Williams / Instagram
Williams’ daughter Elinor honored her father’s memory on what would have been his 72nd birthday on December 1st.
Image: Elinor Williams / Instagram
Williams can be seen posthumously in the upcoming series ‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans’ which will air on FX. The highly anticipated project stars Naomi Watts, Demi Moore, Diane Lane, Chloe Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, and Molly Ringwald.
Image: Elinor Williams / Instagram
For his last acting role, Williams played the role of Bill Paley, the famous American businessman credited with building the CBS television network.
Image: FeudFX / Instagram
Williams married actress Patty Van Sant in 1988. They shared a son Gill, born in 1992, and a daughter Ellie, born in 1998. The family lived together in Vermont and also had a home in Park City, Utah.
The 1979 movie musical ‘Hair’ brought Williams into the spotlight at the age of 27. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. Afterward, he brought many notable characters to screen and stage and received various nominations and awards for his talent.
Williams organized the reunion of cast members from the classic film in New York for the 40th anniversary of the film.
In 1983, Williams earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing the role of ‘Stanley Kowalski’ in a television adaptation of the play written by Tennessee Williams.
The Warner Brothers series premiered in 2002 and ran until 2006. In this family drama, Williams played the role of a doctor who moved his family to a small town in Colorado after the passing of his wife.
In 2017, the cast of ‘Everwood’ participated in a 15th-anniversary reunion panel to reminisce about their experience on the show. 'Everwood' still has a loyal fan base.
Williams starred in ‘The Deep End of the Ocean’ alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in 1999. The film told the story of a family coping with the kidnapping of their young son who would be found nine years later.
Most recently, Treat Williams played the role of former police officer ‘Lenny Ross’ alongside Tom Selleck. ‘Blue Bloods’ is currently in its 14th season.
Williams wrote the book ‘Air Show!’ which chronicled the experience of attending an air show for children.
Treat Williams became a pilot when he was 21 years old. He was a commercial airline pilot, helicopter pilot, and certified flight instructor. He had a passion for aviation and owned several of his own aircraft.
Treat Williams continues to be remembered as a kind individual, with a great sense of humour, who loved his family deeply. He was gifted with many talents and by all accounts, used them to the best of his ability.