William Smith (actor)
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For other people named William Smith, see William Smith (disambiguation).
William Smith
William smith actor 1973.png
Smith in Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)
Born March 24, 1933
Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
Died July 5, 2021 (aged 88)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names Big Bill Smith
Occupation Actor
Years active 1942–2020
Spouse(s) Michele Smith (m. 1969; div.)
Joanne Cervelli (m. 1989)
Children 2
Website williamsmith.us
William Smith (March 24, 1933 – July 5, 2021) was an American actor. In a Hollywood career spanning more than 75 years, he appeared in almost three hundred feature films and television productions in a wide variety of character roles,[1] 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.[1]
Contents
1 Life and career
2 Selected filmography
3 References
4 External links
Life and career
Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith began his acting career at the age of eight in 1942; he entered 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 is a record holder for reverse-curling his own body weight. His trademark arms measured as much as 19˝ inches. Smith held a 31-1 record as an amateur boxer.[citation needed]
During the Korean War he was a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over the Russian SFSR. He had both CIA and NSA clearance 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-between the period of 1961 to 2014, Smith established himself as a prolific and profoundly talented character actor with roles in a diverse range of genres - his large muscular frame, specifically his trademark arms and athletic agility and his intensity made him perfectly suited to TV and B-picture Westerns as outlaws, Native American Indian medicine men and cowboys. Simultaneously in biker films, Smith's athleticism saw him alternate as villains and tough guys.
Although typecast as an anti-social personality, Smith sporadically got the opportunity to prove effective in other kinds of role, namely as a member of law enforcement 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, Smith appeared in the episode "The Rope of Lies" as Bill, a ranch hand from the Shiloh Ranch of the syndicated television series The Virginian. 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.
Smith was cast as John Richard Parker, brother of Cynthia Ann Parker, both taken hostage in Texas by the Comanche, in the 1969 episode "The Understanding" of the syndicated television series Death Valley Days, which was hosted by Robert Taylor. 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).[2]
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.[3]
On Gunsmoke, Smith appeared[4] 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".[5]
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 Lord's prior series 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. Also that year, Smith was also 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 black, both with Fred Williamson.
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 nemesis 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 Disney mini-series Wildside, created by writer-producer Tom Greene, and another role as the bookmaker's enforcer known as "Panama Hat" in director Richard Brooks's final movie, Fever Pitch (1985) opposite Ryan O'Neal.
Although it was reported Smith retired from film in 2014 with his last screen appearance, he did make a cameo appearance in the Steve Carell comedy Irresistible in 2020.
On July 5, 2021, Smith died at the age of 88 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles.[6]
Selected filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1942 The Ghost of Frankenstein Village Boy in Courtroom Uncredited
1964 Combat! German Sergeant Episode: "Eyes of the Hunter"
1964 36 Hours Guy Uncredited
1968 Batman Adonis Episode: "Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires"
1970 C.C. and Company Moon
1972 Grave of the Vampire James Eastman
1973 Invasion of the Bee Girls Neil Agar
1974 Planet of the Apes Tolar Episode: "The Gladiators"
1979-80 Hawaii Five-O Det. James 'Kimo' Carew 19 Episodes
1980 Any Which Way You Can Jack Wilson
1982 Conan the Barbarian Conan's Father
1983 Rumble Fish Patterson the Cop
1983 The A-Team Jase Tataro Episode: "Pros and Cons"
1986 The Twilight Zone Guard Segment "Shadow Play"
1986 The A-Team Dimitri Shasta Kovich Episode: "The A-Team Is Coming, the A-Team Is Coming"
1988 Maniac Cop Captain Ripley
1989 L.A. Vice Capt. Joe Wilkes
1996 Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny Sable man Voice, Uncredited
2002 Justice League Draaga[7] Voice, Episode: "War World" Parts I & II
2005 Hell to Pay Emil Brax
2009 Wanted: Weapons of Fate Voice, Video game
2014 Rock n' Roll Cops Lite Rinaldi Archive Footage
Island of Witches Vladislav Titov
The Song of Bernadette (1943) as Townsman (uncredited)
Going My Way (1944) as Choir Member (uncredited)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) as Little Boy (uncredited)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) as Boy (uncredited)
Gilda (1946) as Man (uncredited)
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947) as Young Boy (uncredited)
The Boy with Green Hair (1948) as Boy (uncredited)
Saturday's Hero (1951) (uncredited)
High School Confidential (1958) as Minor Role (uncredited)
The Mating Game (1959) as Barney
Ask Any Girl (1959) as Young Man (uncredited)
Girls Town (1959) as Man (uncredited)
Never So Few (1959) as MP Officer #1 (uncredited)
The Gazebo (1959) as Actor (uncredited)
Go Naked in the World (1961) as Minor Role
Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961) as Captain of the Guard
Mail Order Bride (1964) as Lank
Three Guns for Texas (1968) as Texas Ranger Joe Riley
The Banditos (1968)
Run, Angel, Run! (1969) as Angel
Nam's Angels (1970) as Link Thomas
Angels Die Hard (1970) as Tim
Darker than Amber (1970) as Terry
C.C. and Company (1970) as Moon
Summertree (1971) as Draft Lawyer
Chrome and Hot Leather (1971) as T.J.
The Thing with Two Heads (1972) as Hysterical Condemned Man
Grave of the Vampire (1972) as James Eastman
Hammer (1972) as Brenner
Piranha, Piranha (1972) as Caribe
Runaway, Runaway (1972) as Frank
Gentle Savage (1973) as Camper John Allen
Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973) as Martelli
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) as Neil Agar
The Last American Hero (1973) as Kyle Kingman
The Deadly Trackers (1973) as Schoolboy
A Taste of Hell (1973) as Jack Lowell
Policewomen (1974) as The Karate Instructor / Karate Instructor
Black Samson (1974) as Johnny Nappa
Win, Place or Steal (1974) as Tom
”The Rockford Files” (1974) ‘Backlash of the Hunter’ as Jerry Grimes
Boss black (1975) as Jed Clayton
The Swinging Barmaids (1975) as Lt. Harry White
The Ultimate Warrior (1975) as Carrot
Dr. Minx (1975) as Gus Dolan
Scorchy (1976) as Carl Henrich
Hollywood Man (1976) as Rafe Stoker
Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) as Hoxey
Blood and Guts (1978) as Dan O'Neil
Blackjack (1978) as Andy Mayfield
Fast Company (1979) as Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
The Frisco Kid (1979) as Matt Diggs
Seven (1979) as Drew Savano
The Cop Killers (1981)
The Outsiders (1983) as Store Clerk
Red Dawn (1984) as Strelnikov
Wildside (1985, TV Series) as Brodie Hollister
The Mean Season (1985) as Albert O'Shaughnessy
When Nature Calls (1985) as The Husband ("Gena's Story" trailer)
Fever Pitch (1985) as "Panama Hat"
Eye of the Tiger (1986) as Blade
Commando Squad (1987) as Morgan Denny
Moon in Scorpio (1987) as Burt
The Badd One (1987) as Badd
Bulletproof (1988) as Russian Major
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
Platoon Leader (1988) as Major Flynn
Hell on the Battleground (1988) as Col. Meredith
Evil Altar (1988) as Reed Weller
The Kill Machine (1988) as Boris Katunik
Jungle Assault (1989) as General Mitchell
Slow Burn (1989) as Antonio Scarpelli
Action U.S.A. (1989) as Conover
Empire of Ash III (1989) as Lucas
Terror in Beverly Hills (1989) as President
Memorial Valley Massacre (1989) as Gen. Mintz
East L.A. Warriors (1989) as Martelli
B.O.R.N. (1989) as Dr. Farley
Deadly Breed (1989) as Captain
Instant Karma (1990) as Pop
Emperor of the Bronx (1990) as Fitz
Cartel (1990) as Mason
Chance (1990) as Captain Joe Wilkes
The Final Sanction (1990) as Maj. Galashkin
Highway Warrior (1990)
Forgotten Heroes (1990) as General Gregori Zelenkov
Spirit of the Eagle (1991) as Hatchett
The Roller Blade Seven (1991) as Pharaoh
Merchant of Evil (1991) as Victor Fortunetti
Kiss and Be Killed (1991) as Det. Murdoch
Hard Time Romance (1991)
Cybernator (1991) as Colonel Peck
Feast (1992) as Det. George Bordelli
The Last Riders (1992) as Hammer
American Me (1992) as Deacon
Shadow of the Dragon (1992) as Eric Brunner
The Legend of the Roller Blade Seven (1992) as Pharaoh
Legend of Skull Canyon (1992) as Conchos Charlie
Feast (1992) as Det. George Bordelli
Dark Secrets (1992) as Robert
A Mission to Kill (1992) as Boris Catuli
Return of the Roller Blade Seven (1993) as Pharaoh
Road to Revenge (1993) as Normad
Maverick (1994) as Riverboat Poker Player
Manosaurus (1994) as Sheriff Todd
Taken Alive (1995) as L.E.
Raw Energy (1995) as Sam Stompkins
Judee Strange (1995) as Judee
Big Sister 2000 (1995) as The Man
Uncle Sam (1996) as Major
Neon Signs (1996) as Clyde
Hollywood Cops (1997) as Rinaldi
The Shooter (1997) as Jerry Krants
Interview with a Zombie (1997) as Zombie
Ground Zero (1997)
Doublecross on Costa's Island (1997) as L. E.
Broken Vessels (1998) as Bo
Warriors of the Apocolypse (1998) as Moon
No Rest for the Wicked (1998) as Frank Love
Blood of His Own (1998)
Wasteland Justice (1999) as Moon
Vice (2000) as Spooky Harlow
Plastic Boy and the Jokers (2000) as Doctor Taylor
Never Look Back (2000)
The Elite (2001) as Colonel Shaw
Body Shop (2002) as Sheriff Taggart
God Has a Rap Sheet (2003) as Lucifer
Y.M.I. (2004) as Cal
Killer Story (2004) as Monty – 'The Wrap'
Voices from the Graves (2006) as Lester Jiggs
Inner Rage (2006) as Sam
Rapturious (2007) as Sheriff
The Boneyard Collection (2008)
Tiger Cage (2012) as Katulic
Irresistible (2020)
