William Smith (actor)

William Emmett Smith (March 24, 1933 – July 5, 2021) was an American actor. In a Hollywood career spanning more than 79 years, he appeared in almost three hundred feature films and television productions in a wide variety of character roles, accumulating over 980 total credits, with his best known role being the menacing Anthony Falconetti in the 1970s television mini-series '' Rich Man, Poor Man''. Smith is also known for films like '' Any Which Way You Can'' (1980), ''Conan The Barbarian'' (1982), '' Rumble Fish'' (1983), and '' Red Dawn'' (1984), as well as lead roles in several exploitation films during the 1990s.

Early life and career

Smith was born on March 24, 1933, in Columbia, Missouri, to William Emmett Smith and Emily Richards Smith, and grew up on the cattle ranch owned by his parents. His family later moved to Southern California, where he began his acting career at the age of eight in 1942; entering films as a child actor in such films as ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'', '' The Song of Bernadette'' and ''Meet Me in St. Louis''.

Smith served in the United States Air Force. He won the 200-pound (91 kg) arm-wrestling championship of the world multiple times and also won the United States Air Force weightlifting championship. A lifelong bodybuilder, Smith was a record holder for reverse-curling his own body weight. His trademark arms measured as much as inches. Smith held a 31–1 record as an amateur boxer. A fluent Russian speaker, during the Korean War Smith was a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over the Russian SFSR. He was reportedly also fluent in French, German and Serbo-Croatian. He had both CIA and NSA clearances and intended to enter a classified position with the U.S. government, but while he was working on his doctorate studies he landed an acting contract with MGM.

In the years from 1961 to 2014, Smith established himself as a highly prolific and profoundly talented character actor with roles in a diverse range of genres. Although often typecast as an anti-social personality, he sporadically got other kinds of roles as a law enforcement officer or an anti-heroic protagonist. He was a regular on the 1961 ABC television series ''The Asphalt Jungle'', portraying police Sergeant Danny Keller. In 1964, he appeared in the episode "The Rope of Lies" as Bill, a ranch hand from the Shiloh Ranch in the syndicated television series ''The Virginian''. One of his earliest leading roles was as Joe Riley, a good-natured Texas Ranger on the NBC western series '' Laredo'' (1965–1967). In 1967, Smith guest starred as Jude Bonner on James Arness's long-lived western ''Gunsmoke''.

Smith was cast as John Richard Parker, brother of Cynthia Ann Parker, both taken hostage in Texas by the Comanche, in "The Understanding" (1969), an episode of ''Death Valley Days''. In the story line, Parker contracts the plague, is left for dead by his fellow Comanche warriors, and is rescued by his future Mexican wife, Yolanda (Emily Banks). He played the outlaw turned temporary sheriff Hendry Brown in the 1969 episode "The Restless Man". In that story line, Brown takes the job of sheriff to tame a lawless town, begins to court a young woman (again played by Emily Banks), but soon returns to his deadly outlaw ways in search of bigger thrills.

On ''Gunsmoke'', Smith appeared in a 1972 episode, "Hostage!"; his character beats and rapes Amanda Blake's character Miss Kitty Russell and shoots her twice in the back. Smith has been described as the "greatest bad-guy character actor of our time".

Smith joined the cast of the final season of ''Hawaii Five-O'' as Detective James "Kimo" Carew, a new officer in the Five-O unit. He had previously appeared with Jack Lord in '' Stoney Burke''. Smith starred in one episode each of the Adam West ''Batman'' TV series (in the episode "Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires" as Adonis, one of the minions of the title guest villainess portrayed by Zsa Zsa Gabor), ''I Dream of Jeannie'' (in the episode "Operation: First Couple on the Moon" as Turk Parker), ''Kung Fu'', and as The Treybor, a ruthless warlord, in the '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' episode "Buck's Duel to the Death". Smith also made guest appearances opposite James Garner in the 1974 two-hour pilot for ''The Rockford Files'' (titled "Backlash of the Hunter" and also featuring Lindsay Wagner and Bill Mumy), and George Peppard in ''The A-Team'' (in two appearances as different characters, in the first season's "Pros and Cons" and the fourth season's "The A-Team Is Coming, The A-Team Is Coming").

In the 1976 television miniseries '' Rich Man, Poor Man'', he portrayed Anthony Falconetti, nemesis of the Jordache family, and reprised the role in the sequel, ''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II''. Other 1970s TV appearances included the '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' episode "The Energy Eater", as an Indian medicine man who advises Kolchak, and an early ''Six Million Dollar Man'' episode "Survival of the Fittest" as Commander Maxwell. He also appeared in the 1979 miniseries '' The Rebels'' as John Waverly, in an episode of ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' as Jason Steele, a bounty hunter hired by Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane to frame the Duke Boys into jail, and in an episode of ''Knight Rider'' as Harold Turner, the manipulative leader of a hellish biker gang whom David Hasselhoff's character Michael Knight has to outsmart.

On the big screen, Smith became the star of several cult movies from the early seventies. Smith appeared as heavy Terry Bartell in ''Darker than Amber'' in 1970. In the fist fight scene that ends the film, Rod Taylor hit Smith (who was playing the villain) who retaliated in kind, and a staged-fight scene became a real fight as the cameras continued to roll. Smith later reported that Taylor was "a very tough guy" who broke three of his ribs while he broke Taylor's nose.

Also in 1970, Smith featured in two biker flicks ''Nam's Angels'' (originally released under the title "The Losers") co-starring Bernie Hamilton and ''C.C. and Company'' with Ann-Margret, Joe Namath, Jennifer Billingsley and genre favorite, Sid Haig, the latter of which was directed by Seymour Robbie and written by Ann-Margret's husband, actor Roger Smith. He starred in 1972's ''Grave of the Vampire'' as James Eastman (co-starring with Michael Pataki and Lyn Peters), and 1973's ''Invasion of the Bee Girls'' (co-starring Victoria Vetri, Anitra Ford and Katie Saylor, written by Nicholas Meyer and directed by Denis Sanders), and 1975's ''The Swinging Barmaids'' (starring Ms. Saylor, Bruce Watson and Laura Hippe, and directed by Gus Trikonis). In 1972 and 1975, respectively, he appeared in two popular Blaxploitation films, ''Hammer'' and the controversially titled ''Boss Nigger'', both with Fred Williamson. In 1972, he appeared in a Columbo episode "The Greenhouse Jungle" as Ken Nichols, a handsome swindler who may be a person of interest in Columbo's murder investigation. After that, he played a vindictive sergeant in ''Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977) with an all-star cast headed by Burt Lancaster and Richard Widmark, a drag-racing legend in ''Fast Company'' (1979) also co-starring Claudia Jennings and John Saxon, the main character's father in ''Conan the Barbarian'' (1982) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, bad guy Matt Diggs in ''The Frisco Kid'' (1979) opposite Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, and Clint Eastwood's bare-knuckle opponent Jack Wilson in 1980's '' Any Which Way You Can'' (a sequel to 1978's ''Every Which Way But Loose'' in which Smith did not appear), and also had a top villainous role of the Soviet commander in the hit 1984 theatrical film '' Red Dawn''.

In 1983, Smith appeared in two films from Francis Ford Coppola, in '' The Outsiders'' as a store clerk and in '' Rumble Fish'' as a police officer. In 1985, Smith landed the starring role of Brodie Hollister in the short-lived Disney Western series '' Wildside'', created by writer-producer Tom Greene, and another role as the bookmaker Dutchman's strongarm enforcer known simply as "Panama Hat", in director Richard Brooks's final movie, ''Fever Pitch'' (1985) opposite Ryan O'Neal. Although it was reported that Smith retired from film in 2014 with his last screen appearance, he did make a cameo appearance in the Steve Carell comedy, '' Irresistible'' (2020).

Post-retirement

In 2009, Smith published ''The Poetic Works of William Smith''.

Smith died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, on July 5, 2021, at the age of 88.

Selected filmography

* 1942 ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' as Village boy in courtroom (uncredited)
* 1943 '' The Song of Bernadette'' as Sleeping Boy (uncredited)
* 1944 ''Going My Way'' as Choir Member (uncredited)
* 1944 ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' as Little Boy (uncredited)
* 1945 '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' as Boy (uncredited)
* 1946 ''Gilda'' as Man (uncredited)
* 1947 ''I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now'' as Young Boy (uncredited)
* 1948 ''The Boy with Green Hair'' as Boy (uncredited)
* 1958 '' High School Confidential'' as Minor Role (uncredited)
* 1959 '' The Mating Game'' as Barney
* 1959 '' Ask Any Girl'' as Young Man (uncredited)
* 1959 '' Girls Town'' as Man (uncredited)
* 1959 ''Never So Few'' as MP Officer #1 (uncredited)
* 1959 ''The Gazebo'' as Actor (uncredited)
* 1961 ''Go Naked in the World'' as Minor Role
* 1961 ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (TV series) as Sergeant Danny Keller
* 1961 ''Atlantis, the Lost Continent'' as Captain of The Guard
* 1962 '' Zero One'' (TV series) as Jimmy Delaney
* 1964 '' 36 Hours'' as Guy (uncredited)
* 1964 ''Mail Order Bride'' as Lank
* 1965 '' Laredo'' (TV series) as Joe Riley
* 1968 ''Batman'' as Adonis - Episode: "Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires"
* 1968 ''Three Guns for Texas'' as Ranger Joe Riley
* 1969 ''The Over-the-Hill Gang'' as Amos
* 1969 ''Run, Angel, Run!'' as Angel
* 1970 ''Nam's Angels'' as Link Thomas
* 1970 ''Angels Die Hard'' as Tim
* 1970 ''Darker than Amber'' as Terry
* 1970 ''C.C. and Company'' as Moon
* 1970 ''Crowhaven Farm'' as Patrolman Hayes
* 1971 '' Summertree'' as Draft Lawyer
* 1971 ''Chrome and Hot Leather'' as T.J.
* 1972 ''The Thing with Two Heads'' as Hysterical Condemned Man
* 1972 ''Hammer'' as Brenner
* 1972 '' Piranha, Piranha'' as Caribe
* 1972 ''Grave of the Vampire'' as James Eastman
* 1972 ''The Runaway'' as Frank
* 1973 ''The Fuzz Brothers'' as Sonny
* 1973 ''Gentle Savage'' as John Allen, Camper
* 1973 '' Sweet Jesus, Preacherman'' as Martelli
* 1973 ''Invasion of the Bee Girls'' as Neil Agar
* 1973 ''The Last American Hero'' as Kyle Kingman
* 1973 ''Invasion of the Bee Girls'' as Neil Agar
* 1973 ''The Deadly Trackers'' as Schoolboy
* 1973 ''A Taste of Hell'' as Jack Lowell
* 1974 ''Policewomen'' as The Karate Instructor
* 1974 ''Black Samson'' as Giovanni "Johnny" Nappa
* 1974 ''Planet of the Apes'' as Tolar - Episode: "The Gladiators"
* 1974 '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' as Jim Elkhorn - Episode: "The Energy Eater"
* 1974 ''Win, Place or Steal'' as Tom
* 1974 ''The Rockford Files'' as Jerry Grimes - Episode: "Backlash of the Hunter"
* 1975 ''Boss Nigger'' as Jed Clayton
* 1975 ''The Swinging Barmaids'' as Lieutenant Harry White
* 1975 ''The Ultimate Warrior'' as "Carrot"
* 1975 '' Dr. Minx'' as Gus Dolan
* 1976 '' Scorchy'' as Carl Henrich
* 1976 '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' as Anthony Falconetti
* 1976 ''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' as Anthony Falconetti
* 1976 ''Hollywood Man'' as Rafe Stoker
* 1977 ''Twilight's Last Gleaming'' as Hoxey
* 1978 '' Blood and Guts'' as Dan O'Neil
* 1978 ''Blackjack'' as Andy Mayfield
* 1979 ''The Frisco Kid'' as Matt Diggs
* 1979 ''Seven'' as Drew Savano
* 1979 '' The Rebels'' as John Waverly
* 1979 ''Fast Company'' as Lonnie "Lucky Man" Johnson
* 1979 ''Hawaii Five-O'' - Detective James "Kimo" Carew
* 1980 '' Any Which Way You Can'' as Jack Wilson
* 1981 ''Dukes of Hazzard'' as Jason Steele - Episode: "10 Million Dollar Sheriff"
* 1982 ''Conan the Barbarian'' as Conan's father
* 1983 '' Rumble Fish'' as Officer Patterson
* 1983 The A-Team
Staffel 1
Folge 4
* 1983 '' The Outsiders'' as The Store Clerk
* 1984 '' Red Dawn'' as Colonel Strelnikov
* 1984 ''The Jerk, Too'' as Suicide
* 1985 '' Wildside'' (TV Series) as Brodie Hollister
* 1985 ''The Mean Season'' as Albert O'Shaughnessy
* 1985 '' When Nature Calls'' as The Husband ("Gena's Story" trailer)
* 1985 ''Fever Pitch'' as "Panama Hat"
* 1986 ''Eye of the Tiger'' as "Blade"
* 1987 ''Commando Squad'' as Morgan Denny
* 1987 ''Moon in Scorpio'' as Burt
* 1987 ''The Badd One'' as Badd
* 1988 ''Bulletproof'' as Russian Major
* 1988 ''Platoon Leader'' as Major Flynn
* 1988 ''Maniac Cop'' as Captain Ripley
* 1988 ''Hell on the Battleground'' as Colonel Meredith
* 1988 ''Hell Comes To Frogtown'' as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
* 1988 ''Evil Altar'' as Reed Weller
* 1989 ''Jungle Assault'' as General Mitchell
* 1989 '' Slow Burn'' as Antonio Scarpelli
* 1989 ''Action U.S.A.'' as Conover
* 1989 '' Empire of Ash III'' as Lucas
* 1989 ''Terror in Beverly Hills'' as The President
* 1989 ''Memorial Valley Massacre'' as General Mintz
* 1989 ''East L.A. Warriors'' as Martelli
* 1989 ''B.O.R.N.'' as Dr. Farley
* 1989 ''Deadly Breed'' as Captain
* 1990 '' Instant Karma'' as Pop
* 1990 ''Emperor of the Bronx'' as Fitz
* 1990 ''Cartel'' as Mason
* 1990 ''Chance'' as Captain Joe Wilkes
* 1990 '' The Final Sanction'' as Major Galashkin
* 1990 ''Forgotten Heroes'' as General Gregori Zelenkov
* 1991 ''Spirit of the Eagle'' as Hatchett
* 1991 ''Merchant of Evil'' as Victor Fortunetti
* 1991 ''Kiss and Be Killed'' as Detective Murdoch
* 1991 ''The Roller Blade Seven'' as Pharaoh
* 1991 '' Hard Time Romance''
* 1991 ''Cybernator'' as Colonel Peck
* 1992 ''The Last Riders'' as "Hammer"
* 1992 ''American Me'' as Deacon
* 1992 ''Shadow of the Dragon'' as Eric Brunner
* 1992 ''The Legend of the Roller Blade Seven'' as "Pharaoh"
* 1992 ''Legend of Skull Canyon'' as Charlie "Conchos Charlie"
* 1992 ''Feast'' as Detective George Bordelli
* 1992 ''Dark Secrets'' as Robert
* 1992 '' A Mission to Kill'' as Boris Catuli
* 1993 ''Road to Revenge'' as Normad
* 1994 ''Maverick'' as Riverboat Poker Player
* 1994 ''Manosaurus'' as Sheriff Todd
* 1995 ''Taken Alive'' as L.E.
* 1995 ''Raw Energy'' as Sam Stompkins
* 1995 ''Judee Strange'' as Judee
* 1995 ''Big Sister 2000'' as The Man
* 1996 ''Uncle Sam'' as Major
* 1996 ''Neon Signs'' as Clyde
* 1997 ''Hollywood Cops'' as Rinaldi
* 1997 '' The Shooter'' as Jerry Krants
* 1997 ''Interview with a Zombie'' as Zombie
* 1997 ''Doublecross on Costa's Island'' as L.E.
* 1998 '' Broken Vessels'' as Bo
* 1998 ''Warriors of the Apocolypse'' as Moon
* 1998 ''No Rest for the Wicked'' as Frank Love
* 1999 ''Wasteland Justice'' as Moon
* 2000 ''Vice'' as "Spooky" Harlow
* 2000 ''Plastic Boy and the Jokers'' as Dr. Taylor
* 2001 ''The Elite'' as Colonel Shaw
* 2002 ''Body Shop'' as Sheriff Taggart
* 2003 ''The Rock n' Roll Cops'' as Rinaldi
* 2003 ''God Has a Rap Sheet'' as Lucifer
* 2004 ''Y.M.I.'' as Cal
* 2004 ''Killer Story'' as Monty – 'The Wrap'
* 2006 ''Voices from the Graves'' as Lester Jiggs
* 2006 ''Inner Rage'' as Sam
* 2007 ''Rapturious'' as Sheriff
* 2012 ''Tiger Cage'' as Katulic
* 2014 ''Island of Witches'' as Vladislav Titov
* 2020 '' Irresistible'' as Hofbrau Bar Fly

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William
1933 births
2021 deaths
Male actors from Missouri
American male film actors
American male child actors
United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War
American male television actors
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
Actors from Columbia, Missouri
Syracuse University alumni
United States Air Force airmen
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
University of Paris alumni
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Male Western (genre) film actors
Golden Boot Awards recipients