William "W.B." Barnett is the father of Steven Hyde and Angie Barnett as well as the ex-boyfriend of the former's mother Edna Hyde. He is played by Tim Reid.
Biography
Not much is known of his past, though he and Edna Hyde dated but she disappeared while she was pregnant with their son Steven Hyde. Edna later married Bud Hyde who was led to believe he was Steven's father while in reality, WB was the child's biological father. Due to this, Steven originally thought Bud Hyde was his biological father until the cliffhanger between the 6th and 7th seasons, where Kitty discovers from his birth certificate that Steven's real father is a man who lives in Milwaukee.
Steven and William soon met with his race being a shock to everyone else but Steven was not too surprised as he believes it explains his "coolness, afro and suspicion of the man" (it can also be noted that when Hyde asked him who killed Kennedy his father stated "I don't know, because they don't want me to know"). They caught up and though there was mild tension, the two soon got along better and William was welcomed into his son's life.
Sometimes people call William Barnett by his initials, WB. William Barnett is wealthy and owns Grooves, a chain of record stores.
William later put Steven in charge of the Point Place record store along with his daughter (and Hyde's half sister), Angie Barnett.
Barnett has a whimsy sort of personality, care-free and spontaneous and likes being in the circle. He is very accepting of his son and doesn't hesitate to dote on him as they had never spent quality time together
Appearances
Season 8 |
Photos
