Barry Williams (actor)

Williams, the youngest of three boys, was born in 1954 in Santa Monica, California, to Doris May Moore and Canadian-born Frank Millar Blenkhorn, of English, Scottish, and German ancestry.{{Cite web |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/blenkhorn.htm |title=Family Tree |access-date=March 19, 2007 |archive-date=November 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106171312/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/blenkhorn.htm |url-status=dead }} Barry and siblings Craig and Scott Blenkhorn grew up in Pacific Palisades, California, where actor Peter Graves was a neighbor.{{cite web| url=http://www.thegregbradyproject.com/gregs-story/| first=Barry| last=Williams| title=Greg's Story| website=The Greg Brady Project| access-date=January 23, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815034602/http://www.thegregbradyproject.com/gregs-story| archive-date=August 15, 2013| url-status=live}}

File:Brady Bunch full cast 1973.JPG. Back (L-R): Christopher Knight (Peter), Barry Williams (Greg), Ann B. Davis (Alice). Second row (L-R): Eve Plumb (Jan), Florence Henderson (Carol), Robert Reed (Mike), Maureen McCormick (Marcia). Front (L-R): Susan Olsen (Cindy), Mike Lookinland (Bobby).]]

File:The Brady Bunch Barry Williams 1973.jpg.]]

Williams decided as a child that he wanted to be an actor, and in 1967 he made his television debut in a Christmas episode of Dragnet 1967. Williams continued to be cast in guest roles on other TV series including Adam-12, The Invaders, That Girl, Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, Here Come the Brides, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Marcus Welby, M.D., and Bartleby, the Scrivener{{cite encyclopedia| url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bartleby-the-Scrivener| title=Bartleby the Scrivener| encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica| access-date=March 24, 2022}} before being cast in 1969 as eldest son Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch. He was also the voice of Greg in the first season of the ABC Saturday morning cartoon The Brady Kids (1972–73).

Following The Brady Bunch's cancellation in 1974, Williams continued to appear in guest roles on television, and became involved in musical theater, touring with productions such as Grease, The Sound of Music, Pippin, and West Side Story.

In 1988, Williams appeared on Broadway in the musical Romance/Romance with Tony Award-nominee Alison Fraser. Williams took over the lead male role of "Alfred/Sam" when Scott Bakula left the production. Years later, Williams was able to capitalize on being typecast as Greg Brady. Amid a procession of appearances in TV and films that played up his famous teen role, he ended up landing a role that was a departure from the Brady image. He was tapped to play English con man Hannibal in 1984, who conspired with Holly Sutton Scorpio (Emma Samms) on the top-rated General Hospital.

Williams has appeared in various Brady Bunch reunions, including the variety series The Brady Bunch Hour (1976–77), the television film {{sortname|The|Brady Girls Get Married|The_Brady_Bunch#The_Brady_Girls_Get_Married_.2F_The_Brady_Brides}} (1981), the 1988 Christmas film, A Very Brady Christmas, and the drama series The Bradys (1990). In 1989, Williams was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role as Greg Brady.{{cite web| url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms10.htm| title=10th Annual Youth in Film Awards| access-date=March 31, 2011| website=YoungArtistAwards.org| url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716012647/http://youngartistawards.org/pastnoms10.htm| archive-date=July 16, 2015}} He also had a cameo role as a record producer in the 1995 feature film The Brady Bunch Movie. His 1992 autobiography, Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg, co-written with Chris Kreski, was a New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a 2000 television film titled Growing Up Brady starring Adam Brody as Williams. In 2000, Williams sang a parody of Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" called "The Real Greg Brady"; the song was co-written by Williams, comedy writer and radio producer, David Brody of Z100 NY WHTZ, and Jay Gilbert of WEBN Radio in Cincinnati.{{cite magazine |magazine=Gavin Report |title=Please Stand Up |date=August 25, 2000 |page=12 |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Gavin-IDX/IDX/00s/00/Gavin-2000-08-25-OCR-Page-0012.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2020}}

Other shows Williams has appeared in include Highway to Heaven, Murder, She Wrote, Full House, That 70s Show, and Scrubs. Williams appeared briefly as an audience member in the 2002 music video of Peter Gabriel's song, "The Barry Williams Show". The song is actually about a fictional Jerry Springer-like talk show host, not the actor; Gabriel later revealed that he did not know of the Brady Bunch star when he wrote the song. Williams has made multiple appearances as a paid featured dancer at the World's Largest Disco in Buffalo, New York. Between 2001 and 2002, he played Manager Dean "The Machine" Strickland in 13 episodes of the sitcom, Hollywood 7, which featured the British pop group S Club 7. Williams played himself in the 2003 film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. In 2008, Williams appeared in Episode 6 of the VH1 series, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Williams participated as a friend of one of the patients, Chyna, and explained to her during a group session how drinking had a negative impact on his own life and career.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080401100134/http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1581483&vid=209293 Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Season 1, Episode 6]. VH1. Retrieved February 28, 2011.

File:Barry Williams in Concert, Branson, Missouri 101414.jpg in October 2014]]

In January 2010, he took a role in The Asylum mockbuster, Mega Piranha,{{cite web| url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35441/first-pics-from-mega-piranha-stink-like-fish| title=First Pics From Megapiranha Stink Like Fish| work=Dread Central| access-date=March 1, 2015| archive-date=December 14, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214025230/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35441/first-pics-from-mega-piranha-stink-like-fish| url-status=dead}} who played alongside the former teen pop singer Tiffany.{{cite journal| url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/15455/megapiranha-artwork-everything-you-could-have-hoped-for/| title=Megapiranha Artwork Everything You Could Have Hoped For| journal=Dread Central| date=January 29, 2010| access-date=March 24, 2022}} With the death of Florence Henderson in 2016, Williams became the oldest living cast member of The Brady Bunch.

As of 2019, he makes Branson, Missouri, his home and tours with the musical group Barry Williams and the Traveliers. He also joined with the other Brady Bunch kids in the 2019 television series A Very Brady Renovation on HGTV.{{cite news| author=Lee, Luaine| title=Bradys go 'home' again for HGTV| newspaper=The Baltimore Sun| date=September 8, 2019| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98315471/the-baltimore-sun/| page=A&E 4}} In 2021, Williams starred in the Lifetime Christmas film, Blending Christmas, alongside his Brady Bunch co-stars Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Susan Olsen, and Robbie Rist.{{cite news| last=Jones|first=Marcus| date=May 19, 2021| title=Lifetime reunites High School Musical, Brady Bunch stars for holiday movies| url=https://ew.com/tv/lifetime-holiday-movies-reunite-high-school-musical-brady-bunch-stars/| url-status=live| access-date=December 22, 2021| magazine=Entertainment Weekly| language=en-US| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519181312/https://ew.com/tv/lifetime-holiday-movies-reunite-high-school-musical-brady-bunch-stars/| archive-date=May 19, 2021}}

In 2022, Williams, Knight, and Lookinland competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Mummies". They were eliminated on "TV Theme Night" alongside Daymond John as "Fortune Teller".{{Cite web |last=Huff |first=Lauren |title='The Masked Singer' Mummies revealed as 'Brady Bunch' brothers |url=https://ew.com/tv/the-masked-singer-mummies-revealed-brady-bunch/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=EW.com |language=en |publication-date=2022-10-06}}

In 2023, Williams was announced to be competing on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars, partnering with Peta Murgatroyd.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title='Dancing with the Stars' season 32: Celebrity cast revealed |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/dancing-stars-season-32-celebrity-cast-revealed/story?id=103089026 |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=ABC News |language=en}}

With second wife Eila Mary Matt, he had a son named Brandon Eric Williams in January 2003. With ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kennedy, he had a daughter named Samantha Rose Williams in April 2012.

In January 2001, Williams was fined $52,000 by Actors' Equity Association, the union representing stage actors, for starring as Captain Von Trapp in a non-union tour of The Sound of Music. According to Variety, the production was picketed in several cities. Williams responded by filing a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that the fine was illegal because he had resigned from the union in September 2000 before the tour began.{{cite news| title=Sound of Music 's Barry Williams Says Equity's $50K Fine Is Political| url=https://www.playbill.com/article/sound-of-music-s-barry-williams-says-equitys-50k-fine-is-political-com-94816| date=February 6, 2001| magazine=Playbill| access-date=March 24, 2022}} Equity alleged that Williams, who joined the union in 1974, was still a member when he began contract negotiations for the role.Jones, Chris (June 25, 2001). [https://variety.com/2001/biz/news/williams-battles-fine-by-equity-1117801886/ "Williams battles fine by Equity"]. Variety.

Williams was reinstated by Actor's Equity as a member in good standing in 2005 after he unionized a non-Equity production of A Christmas Carol in late 2004.{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}

• Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg (1992) - {{ISBN|9780060965884}} (with Chris Kreski)

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080226203109/http://daily.mahalo.com/2008/02/20/md061-the-greg-brady-project/ Interview with Barry Williams on "The Greg Brady Project"]
• {{IMDb name|0930064}}
• {{IBDB name}}
• {{iobdb name|35599|Barry Williams}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141026230834/http://www.hughes-brothers.com/the-shows/70s-music-celebration-starring-barry-williams-show-description.html Williams' 70s Music Celebration! show at the Hughes Brothers Theatre in Branson, Missouri]

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Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:American male child actors

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male stage actors

Category:American male television actors

Category:American male voice actors

Category:American people of Canadian descent

Category:American people of English descent

Category:American people of German descent

Category:American people of Scottish descent

Category:Male actors from Santa Monica, California

Category:Participants in American reality television series