TinselTales: Where Did That Guy Run Off To?

I have written about the subject of today's post before, though eleven years have passed in the meantime! He figured in a lengthy tribute to three different Guys. The man in question is one Guy Williams, famed for his roles on Zorro and Lost in Space. It has always intrigued me the way Williams basically exited his career in 1968 and, in fact, exited the U.S. in 1977, returning only once before his unfortunate death in 1989. He basically severed regular contact with his family in the process. So today we're going to look into that a little bit further. 

Born on January 14th, 1924 to parents of Italian descent, Armando Catalano was schooled at a military academy before growing up into a 6'2" hunk. Working as a print model, he eventually segued into acting, with a Universal Studios contract. He poked around in bit roles before freelancing (appearing in the hooty Sincerely Yours, 1955, and in a variety of TV parts.)

Career salvation came when Walt Disney hand-picked him to portray the title role on Zorro, a hit TV series from 1957 to 1959. Kids couldn't get enough of the Spanish California hero who swashbuckled his way through various adventures.

The tall, handsome Williams inspired a generation of youngsters, but was easy on the eyes of many adults as well. The series enjoyed a healthy budget, making it a popular way for viewers to spend a half hour. The show ran into legal entanglements between Disney and ABC which caused a halt in production. By the time that was settled (after two years!), interest in the concept had cooled.

Regardless of his Italian surname, it was later discovered that his ancestry was likely made up of Spanish people who had migrated to Italy long before, so he was actually more in line with the role than even he knew at the time. The suave, debonair Williams was continuously approached by the ladies, who he may or may not have entertained privately.

Thing was, he was already a husband and father. Married to Janice in 1948, his son Steven was born in 1952 and daughter Toni came along in 1958. The picture perfect family was featured in many publications during his time on Zorro and, later, Lost in Space. Regardless of the smooth manner Williams projected professionally, he was reportedly a fiery, vivacious man in private and a considerable disciplinarian to his children. (Not in an abusive way, more of a constructive, instructive way. The household was a strict one.)

In the wake of Zorro's cancellation, Williams worked on the Disney flick The Prince and the Pauper (1962) and made the European films Damon and Pythias (1962) and, as seen above, Captain Sinbad (1963.)

Devilishly handsome (and sporting some nice legs) in Damon and Pythias.
After these projects, he returned to the U.S. with the promise of a new television venture...

The hit western Bonanza was about to lose one of its key cast members. The saga of a wealthy rancher and his three sons, one son - Pernell Roberts - wanted out of his contract. Williams was brought onto the series as a cousin and plans were made to work him into the mix as a replacement.

Audiences had grown very accustomed to the diverse trio of Cartwright sons and there was a public outcry over the possibility of Pernell's departure. Ultimately, he was retained to finish off his contract, leaving Williams in the lurch and out of a job. Roberts would eventually leave for real (and the show prospered without him for many years after.) DO check out Michael Landon's iconic taupe trousers in this publicity photo, by the way...!

Fortunately for Williams, another break was on the horizon. Irwin Allen hired him to headline a new science-fiction program called Lost in Space, all about a family named Robinson who find themselves, well, lost in outer space! It was a derivation of the famed Daniel Dafoe story Robinson Crusoe. Williams was the husband of June Lockhart and father to three children. Mark Goddard was his faithful assistant.

The initial Lost in Space pilot had only the Robinson Family (along with Goddard) in it. After it was completed, the decision was made to include an antagonist to the mix, which turned out to be Jonathan Harris as the devious and duplicitous Dr. Smith. As the main cast was already set, Smith was granted "Special Guest Star" billing throughout the series' run. The character was a constant fly in the ointment, causing all sorts of mayhem, intentional or otherwise.

During the course of the show, it was basically "stolen" by Harris, young Billy Mumy and the Robot. These three in one combination or another soon became the show's selling point and most of the time the rest of the cast were relegated to supporting roles no matter their billing. The show became campier and, after switching to color, more garish in tone.

Needless to say, this direction did not sit well with Williams who had been hired to headline the series along with Lockhart. He understandably began to lose interest in it, preferring to play the stock market during his plentiful free time. By the time the show was cancelled in 1968, he was through in more ways than one.

The charming Williams is seen here in a 1967 episode of Password in which the answer is "Space." His partner's clue was "Lost..." but it didn't register. Fellow guest Irene Ryan and her partner won. You can clearly see here the way Williams manipulated his hair to provide a false hairline.

Williams had watched "his" series devolve into kiddie-oriented drivel (one of the most humiliating episodes being one in which The Robinsons were held captive by a giant carrot who turned Dr. Smith into a celery stalk!) After its demise, he was able to live comfortably on his investments. But a whole new chapter of life was about to occur.

Argentina was a place that greatly adored Williams' old series Zorro and in 1973 he visited there to be greeted by teeming throngs of fans. He was coaxed at the airport into donning his old hat and there were hordes of autograph seekers and curious spectators at every turn. He returned to Argentina in 1977 with plans to create a new movie featuring his character. A 15-day trip turned into a permanent move...

Williams had plans to reignite the Zorro character, but the project faltered and never got off the ground. (Once George Hamilton's parody Zorro: The Gay Blade, 1981, was green lit, all plans for a legitimate reboot were abandoned by Williams.) He began making public appearances before crowds of thousands. An Argentine Olympian, Fernando Lúpiz, was hired to spar with him during these performances.

Lúpiz, 19 at the time, described his first meeting with Williams thusly: "We looked at each other and we fell in love." !! Needless to say, a revelation like that had my eyes bugging out. But it seems that the relationship was actually more like a father-son association. Williams had separated from his wife and was fairly estranged from his own son over some disagreement (reputedly political.) He and Lúpiz began performing at circuses and Williams lived with the young man's mother for 7 months until he became settled in his new homeland. (You can make out some of Lúpiz in the foreground of the prior photo at an airport as well.)

For 16 years, the two were close friends, traveling and working together as the character of Zorro and "Son of Zorro."

Hideous gossip that I am, I was truly believing that I was on to something here... Notoriously private actor leaves wife and children to move to another country, taking up with a young man and forging an entirely new existence out of U.S. eyes. But it does not seem to be the case - not as I had figured it. His young pal introduced him to a female friend of his, one who caught Williams' eye, and it led to a lengthy, if stormy and tenuous, relationship.

In 1983, Williams made a return to the U.S. in order to appear on a week of celebrity episodes of Family Feud. He also made an appearance on Good Morning America. While here, he finalized his divorce. But he also suffered a heart attack. He headed back to Argentina and was officially retired from performing.

But my instincts that he was in love with his new home for secret reasons were not to be borne out. He actually intended to marry the woman he'd been seeing off and on for several years. But, in a pique of anger over their most recent spat, she'd wed another man! (Not the man shown here! I don't know him.)

The woman, Araceli Lisazo, has described her time with Williams in positively glowing terms. Check out this quote and see if it doesn't melt your butter: "Ours was the love of a novel, from how we met to everything that happened to us, living with him was magical. Never has a man made me feel like this, he made love to me in a wonderful way, I discovered with him that I was multi-orgasmic, although even today no one believes it. He was a unique lover and companion. The first night we spent together we made love all night from eleven at night until eleven in the morning the next day, stopping only to drink champagne and eat nuts. Nobody believes it but he made me have 50 orgasms that time."

Sounds like quite the swordsman, no??! It must be said that when Williams' daughter and ex-wife were preparing a documentary on Williams, they heartily welcomed Lúpiz' involvement, but completely denied the participation of Lisazo. So we may never know exactly what all went down during this mysterious chapter in the actor's life. Living in a variety of furnished apartments, it's been said that he was broke and it's been said that he was rich. There is a lot of disparity in the accounts of his existence during those last years.

What is known is that he sadly died of a brain aneurysm at 65 in 1989. He'd been living a solitary existence for the most part and it wasn't until fellow residents detected a foul scent that his body was discovered by local police. It was an unfortunate end for someone who had given the world a significant slice of entertainment. Initially cremated and laid to rest in Argentina, his son two years later scattered his ashes in the Pacific Ocean, reportedly according to the late actor's wishes.