John Travoltais paying tribute to his late friend and fellow Broadway performer, Treat Williams, who died Monday in a motorcycle accident at age 71.
Travolta, 69, posted a black and white photo of the two actors onstage during a performance ofOver Here!, which they both starred in during the early 1970s.
“Treat and I got our start together in NYC appearing in 2 Broadway shows:GreaseandOver Here,” Travolta captioned the Instagram Story. “I’m so sorry, Treat. My thoughts are with you and your family. You will be missed. Love, John.”
John Travolta, Treat Williams.Instagram/johntravolta
Instagram/johntravolta
Over Here!, a musical set in the U.S. during World War II, is widely credited as the Broadway show that launched many high-profile acting careers.
In the Broadway production ofGrease, Travolta played Doody, while Williams starred as Danny Zuko — a role Travolta later played in the 1978 film.
Emma McIntyre/Getty; Lars Niki/Getty
Fellow actressMarilu Henner also worked alongside Williamsand Travolta inOver Here!andGrease. She exclusively tells PEOPLE about the bond she shared with Williams from the very beginning.
“We played two characters who were madly in love. We never stopped kissing the whole show,” she recalls of their roles inOver Here!.
Williams helped Henner, 71, land on her feet at the exposition of her career.
“He let me stay at his place in New York when we were starting out,” theTaxistar shares. “We had done Broadway and the show got canceled before I had another job, and he let me stay in his apartment when he was off doing another gig.”
Henner and Williams both went on to star inHallmark Channel programs.
“We never lost touch,” Henner says. “We supported each other and we always checked in. He was an extraordinary person. He was so talented. We were a staple in each other’s lives and we were in the Hallmark family. He had great energy and he loved being an actor and he loved his family most of all. And loved his life. This is so painful to all of us who loved him.”
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With more than 120 credits to his name, Williams' career spanned four decades. He made his film debut in 1975 in the thrillerDeadly Hero. From there, he began to take on more film roles, including 1979’sHair, whichearned him his first Golden Globe nominationfor new star of the year — actor. He later earned another Golden Globe nom for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role in 1981’sPrince of the City.
Other credits of his include Steven Spielberg’s1941, Heart of Dixie, Blue Bloods, The Late Shift, Chicago Fire, Chesapeake Shores,Hallmark’sThe Christmas House, and Netflix’sDolly Parton’s Christmas on the SquareandThe Noel Diary.
source: people.com
