Hal Williams
Hal Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams at The Waltons' 40th anniversary, 2012. | |
| Born | Halroy Candis Williams December 14, 1934[1] Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Gay Anderson
(m. 1975; div. 1976)Renee W. Himes
(m. 1978; div. 1984) |
| Children | 3[citation needed] |
Halroy Candis Williams (born December 14, 1934)[1] is an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") on Sanford and Son (1972–1976) 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.
Biography
Born Halroy Candis Williams on December 14, 1934 (other sources cite his birth year as 1938[2][3][4][5]), 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.[6] Williams began pursing 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 1971, Willams was controversially fired from The Jimmy Stewart Show at the insistence of its star, James Stewart.[7] 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.[4] On April 11, 1975, Williams married Gay Anderson,[8] they later divorced in November 1976.[9] Williams married Renee W. Himes on December 16, 1978 in Los Angeles, California. Williams and Himes divorced in March 1984.[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 | ||
| 1979 | Hardcore | Big Dick Blaque | |
| 1980 | On the Nickel | Paul | |
| 1980 | Private Benjamin | Sgt. L.C. Ross | |
| 1982 | The Escape Artist | Cop at Mayor's Office | |
| 1990 | The Rookie | Powell | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–1976 | Sanford and Son | Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") | |
| 1973–1980 | The Waltons | Harley Foster | |
| 1975 | Gunsmoke | Widge | Season 14, Episode 20 - "Hard Labor" |
| 1981–1983 | Private Benjamin | Sgt. Ted Ross | |
| 1985–1990 | 227 | Lester Jenkins |
References
- ^ a b : 18 "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", Halroy Candis Williams, 2000.Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Hal Williams (1938-), Historical Dictionary of African American Theater, By Anthony D. Hill, 2018
- ^ Television Guest Stars, An Illustrated Career Chronicle for 678 Performers of the Sixties and Seventies, By Jack Ward · 1993
- ^ a b NNDB - Hal Williams
- ^ On This Date A DayByDay Look at Historic, By Brian Merrill · 2006
- ^ "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.
- ^ James Stewart: A Biography by Donald Dewey (Turner Publishing, Atlanta, 1996, page 454)
- ^ : 18 "Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005", database", Gay Anderson Shaw and Halroy Candis Williams, 1975.Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ : 18 California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, Gay Anderson Shaw and Halroy Candis Williams, 1975.Retrieved June 23, 2020.
External links
- Hal Williams at IMDb
- Williams talks about his role in Bernie Mac movie "Guess Who" on movies.about.com website
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