You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! RIP, Big Bill. He spent his early days in Columbia, Missouri. In addition to his wife, Mr. Smith is survived by his son, William E. Smith III, and his daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. #RIP #WilliamSmith JC, 'Very open to the idea': Julia Wandelt takes DNA test to verify if she is missing Swiss girl Livia Schepp, Kayla Lemieux: Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts suspended WITH PAY after pics show her dressed as man, 'We have lots to reveal': Madeleine McCann lookalike Julia Wandelt posts footage of meeting with PI probing claims, Lindsay Clancy case: Psychologist reveals psychosis red flags family members could have spotted, Horror at Larchwood Care! Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. 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?) Keep on reading to find out more about one of Smith's most memorable moments on set. What a badass legend. He also played Conan the Barbarians (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) father in the 1982 film Conan. She declined to give the cause of death. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ On the big screen, Smith became the star of several cult movies from the early seventies. Whos the baddest of the movie badmen? All rights reserved. This man was one of the best actors Ive ever seen. Market data provided by Factset. ga('ads.send', { Smith started in the 1940s as a child actor. The iconic actor also was a part of the first miniseries broadcast on American television, 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. Smith also was a part of the first miniseries broadcast on American television, Rich Man, Poor Man.. eventAction: 'click_ads' How did William Smith die? CHICK VENNERA, 'GOLDEN GIRLS' AND 'ANIMANIACS' ACTOR, DEAD AT 74, Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith would begin acting at age 8, playing small uncredited roles in 1940s films, including "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. He could speak six languages which made him a valuable asset during his military service. (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.". Fans took to Twitter and posted messages of condolence for the iconic actor remembering his great performances. Spoke fluent French, Italian, and Russian. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed the news of his death to The Hollywood Reporter, but did not mention the cause. Besides being highly educated, Smith was known for his build and physique, earning recognition for his action sequences in multiple films. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY. For iPhone click here, for Android click here. It was the final season. He did many of his own stunts, and sometimes those scenes got heated. Who do you cast to play Conan The Barbarians daddy? 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. [1], Smith died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, on July 5, 2021, at the age of 88. To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. Mr. Smith had more than 300 acting credits listed on IMDb from 1954 to 2020. pic.twitter.com/UJVpOSTted, Daily Grindhouse (@DailyGrindhouse) July 9, 2021. 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. Actor William Smith, known for playing bikers, cowboys and brawlers in a series of television shows and hit movies, has died. In excellent shape and healthy living. William Smith, god-tier among the grindhouse greats, has left us. 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. At the time, Smith was just 8 years old (via Deadline). His wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed that the action star passed away at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on July 5. The man has nearly 300 roles in both films and television. [1] 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. }); "It was to my immense delight that I immediately recognized the actor playing Jack Wilson," Ebert wrote. 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. ", "To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. An experience, though, that would forever shape Smith's legacy would be when he stepped into the role of a merciless bodybuilder in 1970's "Darker Than Amber," where he went head to head in the ring with Rod Taylor. Tremendous screen presence. Smith was 88 years old. Smith was known for his roles in western and biker-themed films and TV shows. Before he was known as a bodybuilder and tough guy, Smith was a child actor in Hollywood. 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. 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. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. For movie fans, Smith is best remembered for his 70's biker movies, and TV-series. }); With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Mr. Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, amassing nearly . The TV actor William Smith died at the age of 88. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. },false) #RIP #WilliamSmith. Your email address will not be published. Smith had three broken ribs, and Taylor had a broken nose. William Smith was in the Season 12 Classic HFO season 1979-1980. However, news of his death has saddened the industry which is already mourning the loss of a lot of great actors recently. Whos the baddest of the movie badmen? He was a polyglot, a bodybuilder, a champion discus thrower and an Air Force pilot during the Korean War, according to his website. The movie actor William Hopper died at the age of 55. }); In 1995, Smith received a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness. He did many of his own stunts. She declined to give the cause of death. ICONIC actor William Smith, who tussled with Clint Eastwood in the movies, has died at the age of 88. RIP: Famous actor and athlete William Smith, star of such titles as Laredo and Rich Man, Poor Man, has died at the age of 88; seen here circa 1975 Here is all you want to know, and more! if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ 2023 COLD WIRE MEDIA. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ pg.acq.push(function() { According to the outlet, Smith was known for his roles on television, including "Laredo,". William Smith was in the Season 12 Classic HFO season 1979-1980. 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 . She did not reveal the cause of his death. He played bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in "Any Which Way You Can," one of the top-grossing movies of 1980. At the ranch, he would develop a love and admiration for horses and the classic Western lifestyle, according to his website. pg.acq.push(function() { William Smith (19332021), actor known for Laredo, Rich Man, Poor Man. William Smith, an action star from classic movies like "Any Which Way You Can" and "Red Dawn," died Monday. William Smith, the iconic tough-guy actor in Hawaii Five-O and Laredo, died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills. William Smith, an action star from classic films like "Any Which Way You Can" and "Red Dawn," died on Monday. Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. One of the great ones. American actor William Smith passed away at the age of 88 years old on July 9, 2021. 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. William Smith was an actor known for roles in movies and TV shows including Laredo and Rich Man, Poor Man.. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ eventAction: 'load' 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. Deadline noted that Smithpursued higher educationin Syracuse, Munich, and Paris before he graduated Cum Laude from UCLA, earning a master's degree. Named 2017's Obituary Writer of the Year by the Society of Professional Obituary Writers. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Fans React To Chick-Fil-A Being Voted America's Favorite Restaurant, Spectrum Removes NFL Network From TV Packages For Authorized Incorrectly, Maria Andrejczyk Auctions Tokyo Olympic Medal For Charity, Bill Cosby To Invoke Fifth Amendment In Civil Case, Pat Hitchcock: Alfred Hitchcock's Daughter Dies (3 Things To Know), Alex Cord: Airwolf Star Dies At 88 (3 Things To Know), Markie Post: Night Court Actress Dies At 70 (3 Things To Know), Albert Dyrlund: Danish YouTuber Dies At 22 (Story), Chick Vennera: Veteran Actor Dies At 74 (3 Things To Know), Caitlyn Loane: TikTok Star Dies At 19 (Full Story), Matima Miller: TikTok Star Dies At 19 (Full Story), Stuart Damon: Soap Opera Actor Dies At 84 (3 Things To Know), Clarence Williams III: Actor Dies At 81 (3 Things To Know), Kentaro Miura: 'Berzerk' Manga Creator Dies At 54, Paul Mooney: Actor And Comedian Dies At 79 (3 Things To Know), Charles Grodin: Beloved Actor Dies At 86 (3 Things To Know), Norman Lloyd: Actor Dies At 106 (3 Things To Know), Lloyd Price: Music Pioneer Dead At 88 (3 Things To Know), Sunday Burquest: 'Survivor' Star Dies At 50 (3 Things To Know), Nikki Grahame Of Big Brother UK Dies At 38 (3 Things To Know), Andy Haman: Bodybuilder Dies At 54 (3 Things To Know), Yaphet Kotto: James Bond Villain Actor Dies At 81. Nicolas Cage's mom, 85, battled schizophrenia, How did Lisa Banes die? Smith was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. He was reportedly also fluent in French, German and Serbo-Croatian.[3]. Home. Cue his Darker than Amber fight with Rod Taylor in memoriam. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { Despite not receiving the best reviews, film critic Roger Ebert enjoyed the pair acting together. Inside Josh Duggar's lonely 35th birthday in prison solitary confinement, Honey Boo Boo, 17, & boyfriend, 21, found with gun & drugs in car in arrest, Today's Hoda Kotb looks solemn on stroll with daughter amid show absence, Jill Duggar reveals she's 'so proud' of husband's major career change in new pic, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, William fought Clint in Any Which Way You Can, William 'played a lot of motorcycle gang leaders in films', William posed with the rest of the Hawaii Five-O cast for a photo. You can reach her at Melissa.Roberto@fox.com. let gads_event; July 11, 2021 William Smith, an actor known for his portrayals of villains and his onscreen movie brawls, died on July 5 in Woodland Hills, Calif. Market data provided by Factset. Along with appearing in films, William Smith also made his mark in television. 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"). We are one of the worlds fastest growing RIP, Big Bill, A sad day for Classic HFO fans. 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.