She began her career onstage in her hometown of Butte, Montana, where she was sponsored by local copper magnate William A. Clark to study acting in New York City.

[2] Williams displayed an early interest in becoming an actress during her youth in Butte, which led her to become a member of a community thespian group.

Williams attended Montana Wesleyan University in Helena during the late 1890s and graduated in 1901, where she excelled in elocution and voice, and her performances were highly praised.

In order to make ends meet, her mother made extra money by renting out homes in nearby Centerville, Montana.

[6] In 1900, her friends held a concert at Sutton's Theater for Katie, as she was affectionately called, to gather funds to help pay her college tuition.

By 1902, she joined a theater touring group called Norris & Hall and Company where she played Phyllis Ericson in When We Were Twenty One, mostly to good reviews.

[7] Williams began her career with Selig Polyscope Company in Chicago, Illinois and made her first film in 1908 under the direction of Francis Boggs.

After the death of her Norwegian born mother in December 1908 and the failure of her marriage, Williams decided to revive her acting career.

On February 25, 1922, her son, Victor, died suddenly at the age of 16 from complications of influenza at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, and his remains were cremated.

On December 29, 1949, Williams was involved in a deadly automobile accident, which claimed the life of her friend, Mrs. Mary E. Rose, while they were returning home from a social engagement in Las Vegas.

She bequeathed most of her assets, which amounted to nearly $287,000, to charitable institutions such as The McKinley Industrial Home for Boys, the Motion Picture Relief Fund, and to an orthopedic and children's hospital.