Quick Facts
- Name
- Barry Williams
- Occupation
- Television Actor
- Birth Date
- September 30, 1954
- Place of Birth
- Santa Monica, California
- Full Name
- Barry Williams
- Originally
- Barry William Blenkhorn
Barry Williams is an American actor best known for playing eldest son Greg Brady on the popular 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch.
Synopsis
Actor Barry Williams was born Barry William Blenkhorn on September 30, 1954, in Santa Monica, California. As a young child, he appeared on television shows such as Dragnet, Mission: Impossible and The Mod Squad. In 1969, at age 14, he was cast as Greg Brady, the eldest of six children, on the popular sitcom The Brady Bunch. More recently, in 2013, Williams headlined 70s Music Celebration! at RFD-TV The Theatre in Branson, Missouri.Early Life
Barry Williams was born Barry William Blenkhorn on September 30, 1954, in Santa Monica, California. The youngest of three sons born to Frank and Doris Blenkhorn, he began acting as a young child, appearing on television shows such as Dragnet, Mission: Impossible and The Mod Squad. Growing up in Pacific Palisades on the West Coast, Williams loved the water and was an avid swimmer, surfer and certified diver. His father owned a chain of credit bureaus and his mother was a housewife.Williams was cast in his first role at the age of 11, appearing in the film Why Johnny Can't Read. Soon after, he changed his name to Barry Williams.
'The Brady Bunch'
In 1969, at the age of 14, Barry Williams landed the role for which he is best known: as Greg Brady, the eldest of six children in the blended suburban family of the fictional Carol and Mike Brady, on The Brady Bunch. Quickly becoming a teen heartthrob, Williams enjoyed his four years of fame on the show, sometimes getting the chance to sing and dance and play his favorite character and alter-ego, rocker "Johnny Bravo."The young cast members of The Brady Bunch recorded four record albums, went on concert tours and had their own cartoon show. In later years, the cast got back together for nearly a dozen TV reunions and shows.
In 1989, Williams won the Young Artist Foundation Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award. Three years later, he wrote Growing Up Brady ... I Was a Teenage Greg (1992), an autobiography that stayed on The New York Times' best-seller list for more than three months.
In 2001, Williams served as an executive producer after turning his book into a made-for-TV movie, which aired on NBC.
Life After 'The Brady Bunch'
After The Brady Bunch ended its four-year run in 1974, Williams was offered guest-starring and supporting roles on Three's Company, General Hospital and That '70s Show, and appeared in a number of Brady Bunch specials and reunions. He also spent years in musical theater, touring with Grease, West Side Story and The Sound of Music, and starred on Broadway in Pippin' and Romance/Romance.Williams married Diane Martin in 1990, and they divorced two years later. He married Elia Mary Matt in 1999, and they had a son, Brendon Eric. The couple divorced in 2005.
He and his companion, Elizabeth Kennedy, welcomed daughter Samantha Rose in April 2012.
Blogging, Spinning, Singing
Williams had a stint as a DJ on Sirius Satellite Radio, spinning '70s music. In 2011, he moved to Branson, Missouri, where he was showcased in a music revival production of '70s disco, folk and classic rock music.Williams blogs at www.thegregbradyproject.com.
Got a
news tip, Job, article or press release for us?
