What We Know About Treat Williams' Wife, Pam Van Sant
Actor and Hallmark star Treat Williams died at 71 on June 12, 2023. His death was caused by injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash. Just hours before his death, he posted a photo and video on Instagram of the lawn of his home in Manchester, Vermont. Williams is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant. Williams and Van Sant had been married since 1988 and had two children together, Gill and Elinor.
According to US Weekly, the couple met while Van Sant was working as a waitress in New York (via Mary Ellen Mark). Although she does not have as many credits as Williams, Van Sant has a bit of acting experience as well, having guest-starred on an episode of the PBS show "American Masters" about Edgar Allan Poe. She was also listed as an assistant producer and the assistant to writer-director Joyce Chopra for that specific episode.
Van Sant was Williams' plus-one at many events
Prior to meeting Pam Van Sant, Treat Williams was romantically linked with fellow actors Laura Dern and Dana Delany. However, Williams found the one in Van Sant, calling her his "girl for life" in a March 2023 post in honor of International Women's Day. Van Sant attended many of the premieres and events that Williams was invited to over the years. The couple also brought their children to some of these star-studded events. For example, their son Gill Williams went to the 40th anniversary of "Hair" — for which Williams earned a Golden Globe nomination in 1979 — with his parents in 2019.
Although Van Sant's Instagram account is private, she has been featured in many photographs that Williams posted to his own account. In a Mother's Day tribute in 2022 featuring an old picture of the couple with their children, Williams wrote in the caption, "Thank you, Pam, for raising these wonderful humans into the great people they are today. Happy Mother's Day." Van Sant commented back and said, "Thank you, Honey. It's my greatest joy and honor to be their mother."
Williams' family and costars are honoring him
Treat Williams' family made an official statement to Deadline following his death. They started by explaining the motorcycle accident that killed him and then said, "As you can imagine, we are shocked and greatly bereaved at this time. Treat was full of love for his family, for his life, and for his craft, and was truly at the top of his game in all of it. ... Please know that Treat was dearly and deeply loved and respected by his family and everyone who knew him." His family members also asked for privacy at this time and for Williams' fans to "continue to keep him in your hearts and prayers."
In addition to his wife and children making their official statement, others have shared kind words about Williams following his death, such as his "White Collar" co-star Matt Bomer and "Everwood" co-star Emily VanCamp. In VanCamp's Instagram tribute, she described how great it was working with him and added, "Sending all my love to your family, Treat. Fly high, my friend."