Guinn Terrell Williams Jr. (April 26, 1899 – June 6, 1962) was an American actor who appeared in memorable
westerns such as Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), and The Comancheros (1961). He was nicknamed "Big Boy" as he was 6' 2" and had a muscular build from years of working on ranches and playing semi-pro and professional baseball, and at the height of his movie career was frequently billed above the title simply as Big Boy Williams or as "Big Boy" Guinn Williams on posters and in the film itself.
Biography
His father,
Guinn Williams (1871–1948), a
Democratic congressman, represented the
13th Texas Congressional District in the
United States House of Representatives from 1922 to 1932.[1] When Williams Jr. returned from World War I as an Army officer, he found out his father had secured for him an appointment to
West Point that Williams Jr. saw no need to attend after his war service; he decided to become a baseball player instead. He was introduced by
Will Rogers into motion pictures and polo, where he became a champion player and was given the name "Big Boy" by Rogers.[2]
Williams made his screen debut in the 1919 comedy, Almost A Husband, with Will Rogers and
Cullen Landis, was the titular
leading man to singing comedienne
Fannie Brice in My Man (1928), and was featured in a large supporting role in
Frank Borzage's Lucky Star (1929) with
Janet Gaynor and
Charles Farrell. Throughout the 1920s, Williams would have a string of successful films, mostly Westerns in which he wore a
ten gallon hat.
He then appeared in The Great Meadow alongside
Johnny Mack Brown, which was Brown's breakout film. Throughout the 1930s, Williams acted in supporting roles, mostly in westerns, sports, or outdoor dramas. He was always employed, and was successful as both a B picture leading man and a supporting actor in A pictures. He often played alongside
Hoot Gibson and
Harry Carey during that period. In 1944, he was cast in a large role as
sidekick to
Robert Mitchum in Mitchum's first leading role (billed as "Introducing Bob Mitchum") in
Zane Grey's Nevada, a
remake of a 1927 film starring
Gary Cooper. In 1941, he became one of many actors cast by
Universal Pictures in their large film serial, Riders of Death Valley. From the late 1930s to the mid-1940s, Williams appeared in supporting roles in a number of A-pictures, sometimes with high billing, such as You Only Live Once, and in Columbia's first Technicolor film, The Desperadoes (1943).[3]
He was married to three actresses, the first being silent film actress
Kathleen Collins. For a time, he was married to
B-movie actress
Barbara Weeks. His last wife was
Dorothy Peterson, whom he first met in the 1940s. Prior to meeting her, he had been engaged to
Lupe Vélez, but she broke off the engagement at their friend
Errol Flynn's home by breaking a framed portrait of Williams over his head[5] and then urinating on the picture.[6]
Like his father, Williams was active in an array of notable and state related causes. He worked with the regional Agricultural Credit Association, The Production Credit Corporation, The Goat Raisers Association, The Texas Wool and Mohair Company, and the Bankers Association (all of which coincided both in his native Texas and adopted California).
Throughout his life, Williams was active both in community affairs and the
Methodist churches of Decatur, Texas, San Angelo, Texas, and Los Angeles, California.[7]