Vermont locals remember Treat Williams, prolific actor killed in crash: ‘He sucked the marrow right out of life’

Over the course of his decades-long career, Williams was a prominent and widely respected actor known for his leading roles in the movie musical “Hair” and the TV show “Everwood.” But in Manchester, he lived a quiet life far from the bright lights of Hollywood, and was known as a passionate, generous, and jocular member of the community.

On Monday, Williams, 71, died in a motorcycle crash in Dorset, Vt., a few miles from Manchester. Just hours before his death, Williams had posted peaceful scenes of his farm on social media.

“Mowing today,” he wrote. “Wish I could bottle the scent.”

His sudden death sparked an outpouring of grief, and tributes poured in from friends and former co-stars. In Manchester, residents mourned someone who shared their love of life in Vermont.

“It’s a numbing shock,” said Cutler, the vice chair of Manchester’s select board. “You just can’t wrap your head around it.”

The crash happened just before 5 p.m. on Monday when an SUV turning left into a parking lot collided with the motorcycle Williams was driving, throwing him from his vehicle. Williams, who was wearing a helmet, was treated at the scene for critical injuries and flown to Albany Medical Center in New York, where he was pronounced dead.

State authorities said the collision remains under investigation and they have not determined which driver was at fault.

Cutler, who grew up watching Williams in movies, said he was a “very intense” person who adored both his profession and Vermont homestead.

“He loved to weave in his experiences with his craft of acting into conversation — often something would trigger a memory in conversations that I had with him,” he said. “Which was so much fun for me because then I’d wind up looking up something he had done and not realizing how much he had done, and I knew a lot of it.”

A few weeks ago, Cutler went out to dinner with Williams, an avid aviator who was about to embark on a flying tour on the West Coast. Cutler had always wanted to learn how to fly, and the two said they’d make plans to take to the skies together soon.

It was the last time Cutler would see Williams in person.

Williams debuted on Broadway in the 1970s as the understudy for male protagonist Danny Zuko in the original production of “Grease.” He made his first film appearance in the 1975 thriller “Deadly Hero,” and later shot to stardom in the 1979 movie “Hair,” for which he received his first of three career Golden Globe nominations.

He was best known in recent years for starring in the four-season run of “Everwood” as Dr. Andy Brown, who leaves Manhattan after his wife’s death to start anew in small-town Colorado, a role that earned him two nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

The show’s setting had parallels to aspects of the actor’s later life. Originally from Connecticut, Williams bought the house in Manchester with his wife three decades ago. But it wasn’t until much later, after “Everwood” was canceled in 2006 and after the 2008 financial crisis, that he relocated with his wife and their two children to southern Vermont.

“We kept our home in Utah until my son graduated from high school, and then we moved into what had been our weekend home when we were living in New York City,” Williams told The Daily Gazette in 2017.

“It’s the greatest thing that I ever did. I’ve never been happier. I just love it,” he told the Brattleboro Reformer in 2020.

Fans often got a glimpse into Williams’ serene life in the countryside on social media.

To his Twitter following of more than 90,000, Williams regularly shared photos and videos of his idyllic stomping grounds, various aircraft he flew around the country, and his dog Woody.

“Chasing sticks with Woody today,” he tweeted last Thursday. “Nothing more is necessary.”

It was perhaps his love of dogs that led Williams to support a police department proposal to launch a K-9 unit two years ago.

“He thought that the dog program was great,” said Benjamin Doucette, an officer and canine handler at the department. “He reached out to me and offered whatever help we needed with fundraising or help convincing people or the town to continue forward with the proposal.”

The department sought about $68,000 to launch the program, which required a new vehicle and equipment, Doucette said. A fund-raising dinner in November 2021, featuring an auction spearheaded by Williams and other supporters, brought in more than $100,000, he said.

For his part, Williams raffled off the chance to accompany him on a flight around Vermont and have lunch.

Surpassing its initial funding goal overnight, the police department was able to establish a K-9 unit and acquired a dog in December 2021. The dog, a male black Labrador named Moose, and Williams became fast friends.

“The dog loved to see [Williams]. He loved the dog,” Doucette said. “They always played together.”

“He was always hilarious — super comical guy,” he added. “He always wanted to take the dog up in his airplane. He would always ask me and we just never got the opportunity.”

Williams was also a fixture in the local arts scene, participating in projects through the Southern Vermont Arts Center and Dorset Theatre Festival, Cutler said.

“He was incredibly involved in all the philanthropic activity in and around what we call the North Shire,” Cutler said.

Anne Corso, executive director of the Southern Vermont Arts Center, said by e-mail that Williams and his wife, Pamela Van Sant, were “longtime supporters” of the center and “many other area arts and nonprofit organizations.”

“We will miss seeing Treat at our performances and events,” Corso said. “SVAC staff and board mourns his loss and our hearts go out to his many loved ones.”

Cutler fondly recalled his friend’s zeal for anything he put his mind to. No matter the pursuit, Williams brought his full enthusiasm.

“As it’s been said about others, he sucked the marrow right out of life,” Cutler said. “He was a wonderful, wonderful guy.”

Alex Koller can be reached at alex.koller@globe.com.