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Hal Williams

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Hal Williams
Williams at The Waltons' 40th anniversary, 2012
Born
Halroy Candis Williams

(1938-12-14) December 14, 1938 (age 85)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor
Years active1968–present
Known forLester Jenkins – 227
Smitty – Sanford and Son
Spouse(s)
Gay Anderson
​
​
(m. 1975; div. 1976)​

Renee W. Himes
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 1984)​
Children3

Halroy Candis Williams (born December 14, 1938) is an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") on Sanford and Son (1972–1976), Harley Foster on The Waltons (1973-1980), and as the patriarch Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs's character, on the NBC sitcom 227 which originally aired from 1985 until 1990. His film credits include Private Benjamin (1980), Guess Who (2005), and Flight (2012).

Biography

Born Halroy Candis Williams on December 14, 1938[1][2][3]), Williams was raised in Columbus, Ohio. In the early 1960s, Williams began acting in community theater in Ohio. Williams worked as a postal worker and corrections officer before moving to Hollywood to pursue an acting career in 1968.[4]

Williams began pursuing his acting career full-time in 1970. Since then, Willams has appeared in movies such as Paul Schrader's Hardcore, Howard Zieff's Private Benjamin (he also portrayed the role of Sgt L.C. "Ted" Ross in the television series of the same name), and Clint Eastwood's The Rookie. In the early to mid-1990s, he starred in many of comic Sinbad's productions, including The Sinbad Show and The Cherokee Kid. In one of his latest films, Williams portrayed the grandfather in the Bernie Mac film Guess Who which was released in 2005.

Personal life

Williams has been married twice and has three children. On April 11, 1975, Williams married Gay Anderson, they later divorced in November 1976.[citation needed]

Selected credits

Theater

Year Production Role Theater(s) Notes
1981 Nevis Mountain Dew Boise McCanles Los Angeles Actors Theatre

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1972 Cool Breeze Harry, Policeman Uncredited
1974 Herbie Rides Again Ticketing Police Officer
1979 Hardcore Big Dick Blaque
1980 On the Nickel Paul
1980 Private Benjamin Sergeant L.C. Ross
1982 The Escape Artist Cop At Mayor's Office
1990 The Rookie Detective Powell
1996 The Cherokee Kid Reverend Peel
2005 Guess Who Howard Jones
2011 Night Club Resident Playing Cards At Casino Night
2012 Flight Whip's Dad Voice

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1971 That Girl Herbie Robinson 2 Episodes
1972–1976 Sanford and Son Officer 'Smitty' Smith 20 episodes
1973 Kung Fu Caleb Brown Season 2, Episode 1 - "The Well"
1973-1980 The Waltons Harley Foster 7 episodes
1975 Gunsmoke Widge Season 14, Episode 20 - "Hard Labor"
1975 S.W.A.T. Bo Tate Season 1, Episode 12 - "Sole Survivor"
1975-1976 On the Rocks Lester DeMott 24 episodes
1977 Quincy, M.E. Cody Season 2, Episode 9 - "The Hot Dog Murder"
1979 Roots: The Next Generations Aleck Haley Season 1, Episode 3 - "Part III (1914-1918)"
1979 What's Happening!! Mr. Logan Season 3, Episode 17 - "The Eviction"
1979 The White Shadow Henry Judd Season 2, Episode 3 - "Sudden Death"
1980 Knots Landing Magazine Owner 2 episodes
1980-1981 Sanford Officer 'Smitty' Smith 5 episodes
1982 TJ Hooker Officer Bryan Season 1, Episode 1 - "The Protectors"
1981–1983 Private Benjamin Sergeant Ted Ross 39 episodes
1984 The Dukes of Hazzard Jonas Jones Season 6, Episode 21 - "Cooter's Confession"
1984 Webster Principal Jenkins Season 2, Episode 2 - "Webster Long: Part 3"
1984 The Jeffersons Kent Tobin Season 11, Episode 5 - "Some Enchanted Evening"
1984 Gimme a Break! Dr. Phil Gray Season 4, Episode 10 - "Julie's Lie"
1985–1990 227 Lester Jenkins 115 episodes
1986 Hill Street Blues Ken Edwards Season 6, Episode 15 - "I Want My Hill Street Blues"
1988 Magnum, P.I. Dave, the DJ 2 episodes
1993-1994 The Sinbad Show Rudy Bryan 18 episodes
2019 A Black Lady Sketch Show Himself Season 1, Episode 3 - "3rd & Bonaparte Is Always in the Shade"

References

  1. ^ Hal Williams (1938-), Historical Dictionary of African American Theater, By Anthony D. Hill, 2018
  2. ^ Television Guest Stars, An Illustrated Career Chronicle for 678 Performers of the Sixties and Seventies, By Jack Ward · 1993
  3. ^ On This Date A DayByDay Look at Historic, By Brian Merrill · 2006
  4. ^ "Small role led Hal Williams to big part on NBC's hit '227'". Frederick News Post. Associated Press. 3 September 1987. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
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