GLEE STAR HEATHER MORRIS HONORS NAYA RIVERA WITH TRIBUTE TATTOO: TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED, American actor William Smith, circa 1975. He had been scheduled to appear in a touring production of Death of a Salesman, with opening night in Northampton only three days later. Good actor ! window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { eventAction: 'click_ads' All rights reserved. Rumors that actor Will Smith has passed away started surfacing online in 2022, but the actor is not dead. He had previously appeared with Jack Lord in Stoney Burke. 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. William Smith was an actor known for roles in movies and TV shows including "Laredo" and "Rich Man, Poor Man." Died: July 5, 2021 ( Who else died on July 5?) A Washington . }); Actor William Smith, who was famous for starring in television shows like 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Laredo', has died. On Gunsmoke, Smith appeared[4] in a 1972 episode, "Hostage! And during the course of his life, he put his thoughts and feelings down on paper in the form of poetry. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 2023 COLD WIRE MEDIA. In addition to wife Joanne, Smith leaves behind a daughter, Sherri, and a son,William III. The iconic actor also was a part of the first miniseries broadcast on American television, 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. Smith has been described as the "greatest bad-guy character actor of our time".[5]. The Hollywood star William Smith who starred in TV shows including Hawaii Five-O and Rich Man, Poor Man and films including Any Which Way You Can and Conan The Barbarian has died aged 88. He was 31-1 in amateur boxing bouts and was also an accomplished arm wrestler, winning multiple championships in the 200-pound weight class. Browning's daughter described him as . 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She also penned onFacebook, "My heart hurts so badly.". Besides being highly educated, Smith was known for his build and physique, earning recognition for his action sequences in multiple films. The coroner said Smith's death "has He was so convincing as a villain that people attacked him in the streets!R.I.P William Smith & thanks for the memories pic.twitter.com/YjOkgnHUUa. Back in his heyday, the bodybuilder was a champion discus thrower at UCLA, an arm-wrestling and boxing champion and a martial arts black belt. Smith was also an accomplished athlete, receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness in 1995. He had 18-inch biceps and could do 5,100 continuous sit-ups and reverse-curl 163 pounds all of which helped solidify the 6-foot-2-inch man as one of Hollywoods legendary tough guys, along with the list of his 289 credits on Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com). To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. 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". Beginning at eight years old, he earned small, uncredited roles in the movies The Ghost of Frankenstein and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. He won the 200-pound (91kg) arm-wrestling championship of the world multiple times and also won the United States Air Force weightlifting championship. Smith is survived by Joanne, his wife of 31 years, and his son, William E. Smith III and daughter, Sherri Anne Cervell. Television and action star William Smith has died at 88, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on July 9. After he and his family moved to Southern California, an eight-year-old Smith appeared as an uncredited child extra on "The Ghost of Frankenstein" with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr., and he also had roles in "The Song of Bernadette," "Going My Way," "Meet Me in St. Louis," and "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" (via WFTV 9). He was 88. Television and action star William Smithhas diedat 88,The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed on July 9. let gads_event; 226, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 01:32, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, "William Smith, Action Star Known for His Onscreen Brawls, Dies at 88", "William Smith | Brilliant Classroom Characters: The Top 10 Wicked Smart Actors", "William Smith: My fight with Clint Eastwood was longest two-man fight scene on screen", "William Smith, Action Actor and Star of 'Laredo' and 'Rich Man, Poor Man,' Dies at 88", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Smith_(actor)&oldid=1142010105, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 01:32. She did not disclose his cause of death. The Hollywood screen icon had over 270 credits to his name in film and television (via IMDb), including his legendary role as boxer Jack Wilson in "Any Which Way You Can," opposite Clint Eastwood, as well as "Conan the Barbarian" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.He also starred in the likes of "Rich Man, Poor Man . He was 88. pg.acq.push(function() { So insanely violent for its time. This story has been shared 101,080 times. Nicolas Cage's mom, 85, battled schizophrenia, How did Lisa Banes die? Horror film legend Ricou Browning who 'played all the bad guys' and starred as Gill-man in Creature from the Black Lagoon dies aged 93 from natural causes. Actor William Smith, who was famous for starring in television shows like 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Laredo', has died. Smith was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness and inducted into the Muscle Beach Venice Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in 2010. Those uncredited roles early in his career served as motivation for him to make it big, but Smith also did not give up on his schooling. william traylor actor cause of death. Loved his performances as Joe Riley in the TV series #Laredo ('65-'67), & in particular in the season 2 episode, 'The Bitter Yen of General Ti,' with Irene Tsu." William Emmett Smith (March 24, 1933 - July 5, 2021) was an American actor. The Poetic Works of William Smith is a collection of his poetry, photos spanning his life and films, his filmography and a biography of one of the . The roles he is most known for are Anthony Falconetti in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man,and he appeared in the original Hawaii Five-O television series from 1979-1980 as Detective James Kimo Carew. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, ", Greatest TV villain ever, as a kid in the 70's everyone and their aunt hated the character of Falconetti that he brought to life in 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. Smith had three broken ribs, and Taylor had a broken nose. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. During the Korean War in the early '50s, Smith was "flying on secret missions over Russia and other Eastern Bloc countries" (via his official site), and could speak fluently in Russian, German, French, and Serbo-Croatian. "It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles," Smith said about the fight scene with Clint Eastwood in 'Any Which Way You Can'. William Smith, the rugged actor who starred on "Laredo" and "Rich Man, Poor Man" and had memorable movie brawls with Rod Taylor and Clint Eastwood, died Monday, his wife said. The . if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ William Smith was probably best known for his portrayal as "Falconetti" in Rich Man, Poor Man (1976). Reports: Chick Vennera, 'Golden Girls' and 'Thank God It's Friday' actor, dies at 74. The fact that neither Smith nor Eastwood used body doubles for the scene was confirmed by Smith in a 2014 interview. The scene was long but choreographed well. According to a report by Deadline, the late actor's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed he had passed away July 5th at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Smith was known for his roles in western and biker-themed films and TV shows. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Later in his career, he was the "go-to-guy" for biker films, like "The Losers" and "Chrome and Hot Leather," in the 1970s. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He also played Conan the Barbarians (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) father in the 1982 film Conan. 7 months ago. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images), "It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles," Smith said in an interview for the 2014 book "Tales From the Cult Film Trenches.". However, his first role was an uncredited one where he played a village boy in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" in 1942. Smith was a fascinating person with a diverse background. }); His wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed that the action star passed away at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on July 5. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Actor: Any Which Way You Can. However, news of his death has saddened the industry which is already mourning the loss of a lot of great actors recently. The actor was famously known for his stint as Falconetti in 1976s 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. July 9, 2021, 10:50 PM Actor William Smith, who played bikers, brawlers, cowboys and no-nonsense tough guys in films and television shows including "Laredo," "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Any. Returning to California, Smith continued working steadily throughout the 60s and 70s, becoming an obvious choice when casting cult hit biker films such as Run, Angel, Run!, The Losers, Angels Die Hard, C.C. He came from a prominent theatrical family as his mother had been a popular stage actress as well as a model while his father was a theater ticket broker. BBC News Heartbeat actor William Simons, who charmed Sunday evening viewers for nearly two decades as easygoing veteran PC Alf Ventress, has died aged 79. ", CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER, He would also play Arnold Schwarzenegger's father in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian," after being considered for the title role, and a Soviet general in 1984's "Red Dawn.". RIP, Big Bill. William E. Simon's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) November 27, 1927 Death Date June 3, 2000 Age of Death 72 years Cause of Death Pulmonary Fibrosis Profession Politician The . Smith was best known for his portrayal of Falconetti in the groundbreaking 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. The actor also fought in two of the most memorable brawls in cinematic history, going up against Clint Eastwood in 1980s Any Which Way You Can and Rod Taylor in 1970s Darker Than Amber.. Fans took to Twitter and posted messages of condolence for the iconic actor remembering his great performances. William Smith, an actor with an impressively diverse 78-year career in Hollywood, died July 5 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. LOS ANGELES (AP) Actor William Smith, who played bikers, brawlers, cowboys and no-nonsense tough guys in films and television shows including "Laredo," "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Any Which Way You Can," has died at 88. (Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images). William Emmett Smith (March 24, 1933 July 5, 2021) was an American actor. 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