A civil introduction

June Casagrande

It was in the Lido Theater that Gregg Williams first knew he wanted

to be an actor. Dennis Quaid’s performance in “The Right Stuff” spoke

to the young Dover Shores resident in a way no other actor had.

“I didn’t understand it at the time, but what a great actor does

is make you not want to take your eyes off the screen, and that’s

what Dennis Quaid did in that movie and that’s what I wanted to do,”

Williams said.

But ambition has a way of taking people on strange journeys,

Williams has learned, and sometimes the detours on the way to a

specific goal can sometimes be the most important journeys of all.

Williams created the short film “Slainesville Boys” as a vehicle

to showcase his acting ability. Now that it’s part of the Newport

Beach Film Festival, Williams hopes it just might launch him into a

career as a writer and producer as well.

“Slainesville Boys” is the story of two brothers on the verge of

the Civil War whose conflicting loyalties threaten to tear them

apart. Williams, who acts under the name Grey Williams because his

name was already taken within the Screen Actors Guild, stars as one

of the brothers.

“He’s always loved the Civil War, he eats it up,” said Tom

Williams, Gregg’s father, whose infectious passion for Civil War

history inspired him to tour most of the major battle sites with his

son at his side. “Most families go to Disneyland, we went to

Gettysburg and every other sizable battle site you can imagine.”

Williams, son of deceased Conference and Visitors Bureau director

Rosalind Williams, financed the $18,000 himself, scrambling to

resolve issues like location, hiring camera operators and winning

over director Jonathan Brandis.

In a tragic twist, the former child star of “Seaquest” and other

programs finished directing “Slainesville Boys” just two months

before he committed suicide.

“It’s so tragic,” said Williams, who said Brandis had shown no

signs he might take his life. “This was going to be his calling card

for a new career. And he was so good.”

The Newport Beach Film Festival is the first venue to show the

14-minute short. Williams said he plans to apply to about 25 other

film festivals. It shows as part of a series of shorts at 6:30 p.m.

today and again at 4 p.m. Thursday at Edwards Island Cinema, theater

No. 4.

“The hope is that, through a festival, I’ll be able to make the

connections I need to make this into a feature film or expand my

acting opportunities,” Williams said.

But though he hopes to become a successful producer and writer,

acting will continue to be his first priority and his first love.

“That’s really what’s most important to me,” he said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.