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News editor, Legacy.com. AIR Awareness Outreach; AIR Business Lunch & Learn; AIR Community of Kindness; AIR Dogs: Paws For Minds AIR Hero AIR & NJAMHAA Conference At the ranch, he would develop a love and admiration for horses and the classic Western lifestyle, according to his website. Smith was 88 years old. In addition to his wife, Mr. Smith is survived by his son, William E. Smith III, and his daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. Smith was such a hardworking actor that he had over 280 credits in his career, and his most recent one was as the Hofbrau Bar Fly in the 2020 film "Irresistible" (via IMDb). Smith was a fascinating guy who had many interests that extended beyond acting. Get breaking news alerts& today's headlines inyour inbox. A bodybuilder himself, The Rockford Files actor appeared in the cult classic Conan the Barbarian. All rights reserved. His other movie appearances include Darker Than Amber (1970), The Frisco Kid (1979), The Outsiders (1983), and Red Dawn (1984) in a career with more than 300 acting credits. He was in 1982sConan the Barbarian alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and had his last acting credit just last year as Hofbrau Bar Fly in 2020s Irresistible with Steve Carell and Rose Byrne. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. 'Laredo' actor William Smith dies at 88. . His family later moved to Southern California, and Mr. Smith immediately began to seek work in films, finding jobs as a child performer and later as a studio extra. He did many of his own stunts. The movie actor William Hopper died at the age of 55. William was born on his mother's 38th birthday. } Had one son (William Emmett Smith III) with first wife, Michele Smith, and one daughter (Sherri Anne Cervelli DOB: April 24, 1980) with his second wife, Joanne Cervelli. But in an earlier starring role, Texas Ranger Joe Riley on the popular TV show Laredo, Smith was a good guy known for his strength. RIP, Big Bill. William Smith, an action star from classic films like "Any Which Way You Can" and "Red Dawn," died on Monday. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died Monday, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. A. She did not reveal the cause of his death. William Smith, Action Actor and Star of 'Laredo' and 'Rich Man, Poor Man,' Dies at 88 The legendary tough guy appeared in biker movies and blaxpoitation pics and went toe-to-toe with Clint. Legal Statement. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He played Detective Jim Kimo Carew on the final season of Hawaii Five-O and made appearances on other TV shows including Batman, Dukes of Hazzard, and The A-Team. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Television and action star William Smithhas diedat 88,The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed on July 9. Tremendous screen presence. Laredo star William Smith died on Monday at the age of 88. The cause of death is unknown. Along with his wife of 31 years, Smith is survived by his two children, William E. Smith III and Sherri Anne Cervelli. Mr. Smith had more than 300 acting credits listed on IMDb from 1954 to 2020. A legend. So insanely violent for its time. He was 88. In addition to his Hollywood legacy, the Missouri native was also a bodybuilder, a champion discus thrower and a published poet. RIP#WilliamSmith#RIPWilliamSmith pic.twitter.com/KbTl0tuVe3. Hollywood actor William Smith, who has played the roles of bikers, brawlers, cowboys and tough guys in films and television shows like 'Laredo', 'Rich Man, Poor Man' and 'Any Which Way You Can' has died at the age of 88. He was 88. }); Not only was Smith an action star, but he was known as atough guy and appeared in two of the biggest brawls in movie history. Smith has been described as the "greatest bad-guy character actor of our time".[5]. He was 88. PerDeadline, Smith began his path to stardom as an extra in 1942's "The Ghost of Frankenstein," and although Smith didn't receive credit for the small role, he got more opportunities, acting in "The Song of Bernadette" and "Meet Me in St. Louis," shortly after, perIMDb. Tales from the Cult Film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema. He was 88. Smith often played villains as his did in the 1976 ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, playing the antagonist Anthony Falconetti. Mountain Climber Movie Actor Movie Actress Music Producer Non-fiction Author Novelist 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. How did Joy Vogelsang die? He spent his early days in Columbia, Missouri. } Beginning at eight years old, he earned small, uncredited roles in the movies The Ghost of Frankenstein and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Smith was a . View. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "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'. #RIP #WilliamSmith. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ But he is so much more than just an actor. ga('ads.send', { 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,[2] with his best known role being the menacing Anthony Falconetti in the 1970s television mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. Smith left Hollywood for a while when he enlisted in the Army to fight in the Korean War, during which he served as a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over the Russian SFSR. Your email address will not be published. The actor took his last breath at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on Monday, July 5, according to his wife Joanne Cervelli Smith. So insanely violent for its time. or redistributed. On the big screen, Smith became the star of several cult movies from the early seventies. In its obituary for William Smith,Deadline revealed that the "Hawaii Five-O" actor first wanted to pursue a career in government, but ended up acting after MGM gave him a contract. 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, . Besides being highly educated, Smith was known for his build and physique, earning recognition for his action sequences in multiple films. At UCLA where he earned his Masters Degree, he was an elite discus thrower. We are one of the worlds fastest growing R.I.P. Back in 1942, William started his professional career as an eight-year-old child actor in The Ghost of Frankenstein, according to Deadline. In Rich Man, Poor Man, he played the dangerous and eccentric character Anthony Falconetti, which he would later reprise in a follow-up to the series, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II.. She declined to give the cause of death. The fact that neither Smith nor Eastwood used body doubles for the scene was confirmed by Smith in a 2014 interview. 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. },false) 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. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS. Mr. Smith had more than 300 acting credits listed on IMDb from 1954 to 2020. Having both CIA and NSA clearance, Smith made up his mind to enter a classified position with the US government, but while he was working on his doctorate studies he took on an acting contract with MGM. Nicolas Cage's mom, 85, battled schizophrenia, How did Lisa Banes die? About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. }); She declined to give the cause of death. He was 88 years old. Good actor ! Action star William Smith, known for his roles in "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Laredo," died Monday, according to the New York Post. Action star William Smith, known for his roles in "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Laredo," died Monday, according to the New York Post. His trademark arms measured as much as .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}19+12 inches. He was 88. Who do you cast to play Conan The Barbarians daddy? "He was William (Big Bill) Smith, who played a lot of motorcycle gang leaders in films of the late 1960s and still looks as fearsome as ever. Actor William Smith, who played cowboys, brawlers and no-nonsense tough guys in nearly 300 films and television shows, has died at 88 . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ", A third fan added: "Godspeed, William Smith. Market data provided by Factset. Your email address will not be published. One of his earliest leading roles was as Joe Riley, a good-natured Texas Ranger on the NBC western series Laredo (19651967). His career spans 60 years of acting in some of the most popular films and television shows of all time. One of those great men you thought would live forever. His wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed that the action star passed away at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on July 5. Smith, whose acting career peaked in the late 1950s, died at his home here on Jan. 25 of what was probably a combination of cirrhosis and heart problems . The Conan the Barbarian actor played the title characters father and played his scenes opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. Smith's wife,Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed the news of his death to The Hollywood Reporter, but did not mention the cause. He was reportedly also fluent in French, German and Serbo-Croatian.[3]. He was 88. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. }); reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. No cause of death was immediately made public. let gads_event; 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. 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One of those great men you thought would live forever. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY. After returning to California, Smith continued acting and starred in films like 'Run, Angel, Run! ga('ads.send', { So insanely violent for its time. Smith served in the United States Air Force. He also played Conan the Barbarians (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) father in the 1982 film Conan. & Company, Chrome and Hot Leather, Gentle Savage andEye of the Tiger., He played Texas Ranger Joe Riley in TVs Laredo from 1965 to 1967, and later joined the original cast of Hawaii Five-O for its last season in 1980. 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. The actor took his last breath at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on Monday, July 5, according to his wife Joanne Cervelli Smith. William Smith is one of the most prolific and popular cult actors of our time and is considered one of the screen's all-time great villains. 10 years before this scene, Smith had another legendary fight scene with Rod Taylor inDarker Than Amber. He won the 200-pound (91kg) arm-wrestling championship of the world multiple times and also won the United States Air Force weightlifting championship. Joanne Cervelli Smith, his wife of 31 years, confirmed the actor's death to . [8], For other people named William Smith, see, Louis Paul (2007). William Smith was born on March 24, 1933, in Columbia, Missouri, on a Hereford cattle ranch owned by his family. William Smith, an actor known for his portrayals of villains and his onscreen movie brawls, died on July 5 in Woodland Hills, Calif. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's Country House and Hospital. Smith was involved in a fight scene alongside Clint Eastwood in the 1980 movie Any Which Way You Can. 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. In 2009, he published The Poetic Works of William Smith. Smith appeared as heavy Terry Bartell in Darker than Amber in 1970. Clint Eastwood fans will of course remember his outstanding performance as Jack Wilson in Any Which Way You Can (1980). For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online. Throughout his career, Smith was known for persevering in a cutthroat industry. eventAction: 'view' He also portrayed Texas Ranger Joe Riley in the two seasons of 'Laredo' and then joined the original cast of 'Hawaii Five-O' for its last season. The actor William Smith in 1978. Smith was infamously known for fighting with Clint Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can, a 1980 movie. He had previously appeared with Jack Lord in Stoney Burke. He did many of his own stunts, and sometimes those scenes got heated. Whos the baddest of the movie badmen? },false) Smith was also known to fight in two of the most memorable fight sequences in cinematic history going up against Clint Eastwood in 1980s 'Any Which Way You Can' and Rod Taylor in 1970s 'Darker than Amber'. }); (Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images). Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Here are three cold hard facts about William Smith. MovieWeb even states that Smith appeared in almost every TV series of the 1970s and 1980s, like"The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The A Team.". Fans took to Twitter and posted messages of condolence for the iconic actor remembering his great performances. And he played Detective James "Kimo" Carew in the final season of the original "Hawaii Five-O" on CBS in 1979 and 1980. It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles.. We've received your submission. 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 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. Larry Karaszewski, a writer on "American Crime Story," tweeted out that Smith was such a "bad***" that he "thought he'd never die." Biography - A Short Wiki '50s television icon who was immortalized for his role as Paul Drake on over 250 episodes of the series, Perry Mason. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Named 2017's Obituary Writer of the Year by the Society of Professional Obituary Writers. pic.twitter.com/rFPAKrQm1q, Just found out that one of my favorite, super talented character actors from my childhood passed away on Monday.William Smith was in films like The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, and Any Which Way You Can. Actor William Smith, known for playing bikers, cowboys and brawlers in a series of television shows and hit movies, has died.