William Smith
Born: 1933-03-24 in Columbia, Missouri, USA
Died: 2021-07-05
Known For: Acting
Biography
William Smith was an American film and television actor who appeared in more than 300 feature films and television productions, best known for playing Anthony Falconetti on the TV mini series "Rich Man, Poor Man". He held a BA from Syracuse and an MA in Russian Studies from UCLA. Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith began his acting career at the age of eight in 1942; he entered films as a child actor in such films as The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Song of Bernadette and Meet Me in St. Louis. He was a regular on the 1961 ABC television series The Asphalt Jungle, portraying police Sergeant Danny Keller. One of his earliest leading roles was as Joe Riley, a Texas Ranger on the NBC western series Laredo. In 1967, Smith guest starred as Jude Bonner on James Arness's long-lived western Gunsmoke. Smith was cast as John Richard Parker, brother of Cynthia Ann Parker, both taken hostage in Texas by the Comanche, in the 1969 episode "The Understanding" of the syndicated television series Death Valley Days, which was hosted by Robert Taylor. In the story line, Parker contracts the plague, is left for dead by his fellow Comanche warriors, and is rescued by his future Mexican wife, Yolanda (Emily Banks). He played outlaw turned temporary sheriff Hendry Brown in the 1969 episode "The Restless Man". In that story line, Brown takes the job of sheriff to tame a lawless town, begins to court a young woman (again played by Emily Banks), but soon returns to his deadly outlaw ways in search of bigger thrills. On Gunsmoke, Smith appeared in a 1972 episode, "Hostage!"; his character beats and rapes Amanda Blake's character Miss Kitty Russell and shoots her twice in the back. Smith has been described as the "greatest bad-guy character actor of our time".
Filmography
2020
- Irresistible as Hofbrau Bar Fly
2018
- Doses of Horror as Neil Agar ("A Dose of Bee Stings" segment) (archive footage) (uncredited)
2014
- Rock n' Roll Cops Lite as Rinaldi (archive footage)
2008
- The Boneyard Collection as Bill, the First Director (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
2007
- Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story as Man with Machine Gun
- Rapturious as Sheriff
2006
- Voices from the Graves as Lester Jiggs
- Inner Rage as Sam
2005
- Hell to Pay as Emil Brax
2004
- Killer Story as Monty
- Y.M.I. as Cal
2003
- Zombiegeddon as Lord Zombie
- The Rock 'n Roll Cops as Rinaldi
- A Mission to Kill
- God Has a Rap Sheet as Lucifer
2002
- Deadly Memories as Sheriff Taggart
2001
- Justice League as Draaga (voice)
- The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula as Count Dracula
- The Vampire Hunters Club as Johnny
2000
- Never Look Back as Lee Clayton
- Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan' as Conan's Father (archive footage)
- Vice as Spooky Harlow
1999
1998
- Broken Vessels as Bo
- Blood of His Own
- Heat of Las Vegas as Mario Verelli
1997
- Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction as Wes Tronker (segment "Devil's Tattoo")
- The Shooter as Jerry Krants
- Hollywood Cops as Rinaldi
- Doublecross on Costa's Island as L. E.
1996
- Nash Bridges as Boris Zarkov
- The Colony as Theo Maxwell
- Uncle Sam as Major
- Raw Energy as Sam Stompkins
- Neon Signs as Clyde
1995
- Big Sister 2000 as The Man
1994
- Due South as Harold Geiger
- Maverick as Riverboat Poker Player
- Taken Alive as L.E.
- Manosaurus as Sheriff Todd
1993
- Walker, Texas Ranger as Silas Quint
- GetEven as Normad
- Return of the Roller Blade Seven as Pharoah
- Legend of The Roller Blade Seven as Pharoah
1992
- American Me as Deacon
- Dark Secrets as Robert
- The Last Riders as Hammer
- Shadow of the Dragon as Eric Brunner
- Vinnie & Bobby as Warren Bean
- Feast as Det. George Bordelli
1991
- Cybernator as Colonel Peck
- Kiss and Be Killed as Det. Murdoch
- Spirit of the Eagle as Hatchett
- Hard Time Romance
- Merchant of Evil as Victor Fortunetti
- The Roller Blade Seven as Pharoah
1990
- Forgotten Heroes as General Gregori Zelenkov
- Cartel as Mason
- Instant Karma as Pop
- Shades of L.A.
- The Final Sanction as Maj. Galashkin
- Emperor of the Bronx as Fitz
- Empire of Ash III as Lucas
1989
- Deadly Breed as Captain
- Slow Burn as Antonio Scarpelli
- Action U.S.A. as Conover
- L.A. Vice as Capt. Joe Wilkes
- East L.A. Warriors as Martelli
- B.O.R.N. as Dr. Farley
- Terror In Beverly Hills as President
- Jungle Assault as General Mitchell
1988
- Bulletproof as Russian Major
- Evil Altar as Reed Weller
- Platoon Leader as Major Flynn
- Maniac Cop as Captain Ripley
- Memorial Valley Massacre as Gen. Mintz
- Red Nights as Phillip
- Supercarrier
- Hell Comes to Frogtown as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
- Eagle's Law
1987
- Commando Squad as Morgan Denny
- Moon in Scorpio as Burt
- The Phantom Empire as Dr. Chambers
- Hell on the Battleground as Colonel Meredith
- The Badd One as Badd
1986
- Eye of the Tiger as Blade
1985
- The Twilight Zone as (segment "Shadow Play")
- Fever Pitch as Panama Hat
- The Mean Season as Albert O'Shaughnessy
- Wildside
1984
- Murder, She Wrote as Clyde Thorson
- Highway to Heaven
- Airwolf as Steele
- Hunter as Sgt. Neville Sigerson
- Red Dawn as Strelnikov
- The Master as Alan Kane
- The Jerk, Too as Suicide
1983
- The A-Team as Jase Tataro
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- Hardcastle and McCormick
- The Outsiders as Store Clerk
- Rumble Fish as Patterson the Cop
- The Yellow Rose
- Masquerade
1982
- Knight Rider as Harold T. Turner
- T. J. Hooker as R.K. 'Blood' Henderson
- Conan the Barbarian as Conan's Father
- Matt Houston as J.D. Harris
- Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang as Monk Hardwick
1980
- The Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes as Tolar
- Any Which Way You Can as Jack Wilson
1979
- Trapper John, M.D. as Tugwell
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as The Trebor
- Benson
- Fast Company as Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
- The Rebels as John Waverly
- Seven as Drew
- B. J. and the Bear
- The Frisco Kid as Matt Diggs
1978
- Fantasy Island as Wyatt Earp
- Vega$
- Blackjack as Andy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
- Blood & Guts as Dan O'Neil
1977
- CHiPs as Stan
- Logan's Run as Patron / Modok
- Twilight's Last Gleaming as Hoxey
- The Oregon Trail
1976
- Hollywood Man as Rafe Stoker
- Rich Man, Poor Man as Falconetti
- Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II as Falconetti
- City of Angels
- Crackle of Death as Shaman Jim Elkhorn
- Scorchy as Carl Henrich
1975
- Dr. Minx as Gus Dolan
- Bronk
- Boss Nigger as Jed Clayton
- The Swinging Barmaids as Harry
- Death Among Friends as Sheldon Casey
- The Ultimate Warrior as Carrot
- Win, Place or Steal as Tom
1974
- The Six Million Dollar Man as Cmdr. Maxwell
- Police Woman
- Policewomen as Karate Instructor
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker as Jim Elkhorn
- Movin' On
- Planet of the Apes as Tolar
- Black Samson as Johnny Nappa
- The Sex Symbol as Butch Wischnewski
- The Rockford Files: Backlash of the Hunter as Jerry Grimes
1973
- Police Story
- Prologue to Wounded Knee as Camper John Allen
- The Last American Hero as Kyle Kingman
- The Deadly Trackers as Schoolboy
- Sweet Jesus, Preacherman as Martelli
- Invasion of the Bee Girls as Neil Agar
- A Taste of Hell as Jack Lowell
1972
- The Streets of San Francisco as Mickey Sims
- Hammer as Brenner
- Search
- Grave of the Vampire as James Eastman
- The Man Hunter as Clel Bocock
- The Thing with Two Heads as Hysterical Condemned Man
- Kung Fu as Capt. Luther Staggers
- Piranha as Caribe
1971
- Columbo as Nichols
- Alias Smith and Jones
- Runaway, Runaway as Frank
- Chrome and Hot Leather as T.J.
1970
- The Losers as Link Thomas
- Crowhaven Farm as Patrolman Hayes
- Darker Than Amber as Terry
- Angels Die Hard as Tim
- C.C. and Company as Moon
1969
- Backtrack! as Texas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage)
- The Over the Hill Gang as Amos (as Bill Smith)
- Run, Angel, Run! as Angel
1968
- Hawaii Five-O as Det. James 'Kimo' Carew
- Julia
- The Mod Squad
- Here Come the Brides as Kitana
- Three Guns for Texas as Texas Ranger Joe Riley
1966
- Batman as Adonis
- Mission: Impossible as Vincent Sandler
- Felony Squad
1965
- I Dream of Jeannie as Turk
- Laredo as Joe Riley
1964
- Daniel Boone as Catoga
- 36 Hours as Guy (uncredited)
- Mail Order Bride as Lank
1963
- Kraft Suspense Theatre as Deputy Raynor
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Tommy Lad
- The Virginian as Andy Adams
- Combat! as Richter
- Stoney Burke as Lieutenant Joe Cardiff
- Zero One as Jimmy Delaney
1961
- Atlantis: The Lost Continent as Captain of the Guard
- The Asphalt Jungle as Sgt. Danny Keller
1960
- The Gazebo as Actor Who Trips Over Camera (uncredited)
1959
- Mr. Lucky
- Girls Town as Man (uncredited)
- The Mating Game as Barney
- Never So Few as MP Officer #1
1958
- The Ed Wynn Show as Dink
1957
- Perry Mason as Andy Witcoe
- Wagon Train as Thomas Lance
1955
- Gunsmoke as Jude Bonner
1954
- Lassie
- The Wonderful World of Disney as Monk Hardwick
1952
- Death Valley Days as Marshall Hendry Brown
1948
- The Boy with Green Hair as Boy (uncredited)
1947
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now as Young Boy (uncredited)
1946
- Gilda as Man (uncredited)
1945
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as Boy (uncredited)
1944
- Going My Way as Choir Member (uncredited)
- Meet Me in St. Louis as Little Boy (uncredited)
1942
- The Ghost of Frankenstein as Boy (uncredited)