William van der Bilt
General information
Full name	William van der Bilt I
Nickname(s)	–
Birthplace	Unknown
Birthday	Unknown
Occupation	Businessman and socialite
Relationships
Family	William van der Bilt II (son) Anne Archibald (daughter) William "Tripp" van der Bilt III (grandson, via William) Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald (grandson, via Anne) Howard Archibald (son-in-law, via Anne)
Romances	Unnamed woman (wife)
Friends	Unknown
Enemies	Buckley family
Series information
Status	Alive
Portrayed by	James Naughton
First appearance	"The Grandfather"
Last appearance	"?"

William van der Bilt I is a recurring character in the Gossip Girl television series.

Television seriesEdit

BackgroundEdit

William van der Bilt, through his daughter Anne, is the grandfather of Nate Archibald and patriarch of the influential van der Bilt family.

William van der Bilt is very proud of his family's political heritage and tries to convince Nate to follow the family business, having already convinced Tripp to do so. William appears to care for his family but is not above manipulating them to further his own agendas, such as when he asks Blair Waldorf to "talk" to Nate about going to Yale instead of Columbia.

Previously, he had refused to help Nate's mother when the Captain was charged with embezzlement, leading to a falling-out between his grandson and himself. In The Grandfather Nate reconnects with his Vanderbilt family and his grandfather exerts his considerable influence over him, contributing to tensions with Vanessa and Blair. So far Nate has resisted William's suggestions regarding his future political career.

FamilyEdit

TelevisionEdit

• Unnamed woman (wife)
  • William van der Bilt II (son)
    • William "Tripp" van der Bilt III (grandson)
    • Maureen van der Bilt (granddaughter-in-law)
  • Anne Archibald (daughter)
    • Howard Archibald (son-in-law)
    • Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald (grandson)