Of the three boys in the iconic 1970s blended-family sitcom
The Brady Bunch (1969-74),
Christopher Knight (Peter, middle) grew into a bodybuilder with a spectacular physique, and
Mike Lookinland (Bobby, right) grew into a hunk who could fill out a pair of tight jeans.
But Barry Williams (Greg, left) was hot right then, every Friday night during the 1972-73 school year, when you were working on your algebra homework and reading
Donald Duck comic books.
He had a face -- dreamy, cool, goofy, handsome all at the same time. And a killer body. He didn't display it often, but those few episodes where Greg drops his shirt or tries surfing in Hawaii are forever etched into the brains of heterosexual girls and gay boys of the Boomer generation.
He didn't get as many gay subtexts as his brother Peter -- in fact, every other episode seemed to be about Greg liking some girl -- but sometimes beefcake is more than enough.
Born in 1954, Barry Williams burst onto the television scene in 1968, with appearances on
The FBI, Lancer, That Girl, Gomer Pyle, Mod Squad -- you name it.
For the next two decades, he would be busy with
The Brady Bunch and its various sequels and spin-offs: a Saturday morning cartoon (1972-73),
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1976-77),
The Brady Girls Get Married (1981),
A Very Brady Christmas (1988),
The Bradys (1990). But he still had time for guest shots, on
Three's Company, Murder She Wrote, Highway to Heaven, and even
General Hospital.
And live theater, in
Pippin (1975).He's also done his share of stunt casting:
In 2002, he boxed with former
Partridge Family kid
Danny Bonaduce (Danny won).
On an episode of
That 70s Show (2006), Barry and his tv brother Christopher Knight played a gay couple who move in next to the 1970s Formans. They got a big audience reaction from their on-camera kiss.
In
Bigfoot (2012) Barry and Danny played a folk singer and music promoter, respectively, who go on the offensive after Bigfoot invades a rock festival.
See also:
Christopher Knight/Peter Brady
