Willard B. Koontz (August 28, 1917 – April 7, 1978),[2] also known as Bill Foster,[1] was an American actor and stuntman.[1][3]
Bill Coontz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Willard B. Koontz[1] (1917-08-28)August 28, 1917 Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 1978(1978-04-07) (aged 60) |
| Occupation | Actor, stuntman |
| Years active | 1949–1978 |
Born in Iowa.[1] Coontz began his career in 1949, first doing a stunt performance for the film Apache Chief, which starred Alan Curtis, Tom Neal, Russell Hayden, Carol Thurston and Fuzzy Knight. He then made appearances to films and television programs, in which he had served as a stunt double for actor Lee Van Cleef.[1] Coontz played numerous roles in numerous television programs including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Fugitive, Wagon Train, The Wild Wild West, The Big Valley, Johnny Ringo, The Californians, Tales of Wells Fargo, Mission: Impossible, Bat Masterson and Rawhide.[1][4]
Coontz appeared in numerous films such as Outlaw Gold (1950), starring Johnny Mack Brown; Gold Raiders (1951), starring George O'Brien and The Three Stooges; Night Stage to Galveston (1952), starring Gene Autry; The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954), starring Scott Brady and Betta St. John; Hidden Guns (1956), starring Bruce Bennett, Richard Arlen and John Carradine; The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957), starring Jim Davis; Gunsmoke in Tucson (1958), starring Mark Stevens, Forrest Tucker and Gale Robbins; Lone Texan (1959), starring Willard Parker; Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963), starring Audie Murphy and Heaven with a Gun (1969), starring Glenn Ford. His final credit was from the 1978 film Convoy, where he had played as the Old Iguana.[1]
Coontz starred in the 1973 film Guns of a Stranger,[5] where he played as Ace Gorenum. He was credited as William Foster.[6] Coontz died in April 1978 of cancer, at the age of 60.[1]