William Smith (actor)

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, often villainous or brutal, 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 1970s and 1990's.
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 their cattle ranch. 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 with a master's degree in the discipline from UCLA, 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. It had been while working on his doctorate that he was offered a contract from MGM, which would pave his career.
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 the opportunity to prove his effectiveness in 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. He appeared in the 1964 Wagon Train episode "The Bob Stuart Story", and also gave a moving performance as the orphaned Native American valet who rails against violence opposite Guy Stockwell in "The Richard Bloodgood Story" S8 E10 which aired on 11/28/1964. One of his earliest leading roles was as Joe Riley, a good-natured Texas Ranger with arms of steel on the NBC western series Laredo (1965–1967). In 1967, Smith guest starred as Jude Bonner on James Arness's long-lived western Gunsmoke in a 1972 episode, "Hostage!"; his character abducts, beats, and apparently rapes (off-screen) 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 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 an episode of Knight Rider as Harold Turner, the manipulative leader of a hellish biker gang whom Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) has to outsmart.
On the big screen, Smith became the star of several cult feature films in the early 1970s. He 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, the latter of which was directed by Seymour Robbie and written by Roger Smith. He starred in 1972's Grave of the Vampire as James Eastman and in 1973's Invasion of the Bee Girls, and 1975's The Swinging Barmaids.
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 appeared as a vindictive sergeant in Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), as a drag-racing legend in Fast Company (1979), as the title character's father in Conan the Barbarian (1982), as bad guy Matt Diggs in The Frisco Kid (1979), as Clint Eastwood's bare-knuckle opponent Jack Wilson in 1980's Any Which Way You Can, and had the top villainous role as a Soviet Spetsnaz commander in 1984's 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, he landed the starring role of Brodie Hollister in the short-lived Disney Western series Wildside, 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).
From the late 80's on and into the new millennium, Smith's icy stare, physique and continuous essaying of scene-stealing character villainy continued in a string of B-features and direct-to-video productions. Many were continuing collaborations with filmmakers he had worked with years prior, along with other character players whom also achieved cult status in own right. Such names include Robert Z'Dar, Joe Estevez, Tim Thomerson, James Drury, Lloyd Kaufman, Gary Graver, Wolf Larson and Jürgen Prochnow.
In 2002, Smith voiced Draaga, an alien gladiator, in the Justice League episode "War World".
Although it was reported that Smith retired in 2014, he made a cameo appearance in Irresistible (2020).
Post-retirement and death
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 The Deadly Trackers as Schoolboy
1973 A Taste of Hell as Jack Lowell
1974 Kung Fu 2:3 as Capt Luther Stagger
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
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
Official website
Facebook
1933 births
2021 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Actors from Columbia, Missouri
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Golden Boot Awards recipients
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
Male actors from Missouri
Male Western (genre) film actors
Military personnel from Missouri
Syracuse University alumni
United States Air Force airmen
United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
University of Paris alumni