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
- Rapturious as Sheriff
- Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story as Man with Machine Gun
2006
- Voices from the Graves as Lester Jiggs
- Inner Rage as Sam
2005
- Hell to Pay as Emil Brax
2004
- Y.M.I. as Cal
- Killer Story as Monty
2003
- Zombiegeddon as Lord Zombie
- God Has a Rap Sheet as Lucifer
- A Mission to Kill
- The Rock 'n Roll Cops as Rinaldi
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
- Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan' as Conan's Father (archive footage)
- Never Look Back as Lee Clayton
- Vice as Spooky Harlow
1999
1998
- Broken Vessels as Bo
- Heat of Las Vegas as Mario Verelli
- Blood of His Own
1997
- Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction as Wes Tronker (segment "Devil's Tattoo")
- The Shooter as Jerry Krants
- Doublecross on Costa's Island as L. E.
- Hollywood Cops as Rinaldi
1996
- Nash Bridges as Boris Zarkov
- Uncle Sam as Major
- The Colony as Theo Maxwell
- Neon Signs as Clyde
- Raw Energy as Sam Stompkins
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
- Vinnie & Bobby as Warren Bean
- Feast as Det. George Bordelli
- The Last Riders as Hammer
- Dark Secrets as Robert
- Shadow of the Dragon as Eric Brunner
1991
- Cybernator as Colonel Peck
- Hard Time Romance
- The Roller Blade Seven as Pharoah
- Spirit of the Eagle as Hatchett
- Kiss and Be Killed as Det. Murdoch
- Merchant of Evil as Victor Fortunetti
1990
- Shades of L.A.
- Cartel as Mason
- Instant Karma as Pop
- Emperor of the Bronx as Fitz
- The Final Sanction as Maj. Galashkin
- Empire of Ash III as Lucas
- Forgotten Heroes as General Gregori Zelenkov
1989
- Action U.S.A. as Conover
- L.A. Vice as Capt. Joe Wilkes
- B.O.R.N. as Dr. Farley
- East L.A. Warriors as Martelli
- Slow Burn as Antonio Scarpelli
- Jungle Assault as General Mitchell
- Terror in Beverly Hills as President
- Deadly Breed as Captain
1988
- Maniac Cop as Captain Ripley
- Hell Comes to Frogtown as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
- Supercarrier
- Platoon Leader as Major Flynn
- Bulletproof as Russian Major
- Evil Altar as Reed Weller
- Memorial Valley Massacre as Gen. Mintz
- Red Nights as Phillip
- Eagle's Law
1987
- The Phantom Empire as Dr. Chambers
- Commando Squad as Morgan Denny
- Moon in Scorpio as Burt
- 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")
- Wildside
- The Mean Season as Albert O'Shaughnessy
- Fever Pitch as Panama Hat
1984
- Murder, She Wrote as Clyde Thorson
- Hunter as Sgt. Neville Sigerson
- Airwolf as Steele
- Highway to Heaven
- 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
- The Yellow Rose
- Masquerade
- Rumble Fish as Patterson the Cop
1982
- Knight Rider as Harold T. Turner
- T. J. Hooker as R.K. 'Blood' Henderson
- Matt Houston as J.D. Harris
- Conan the Barbarian as Conan's Father
- Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang as Monk Hardwick
1980
- Any Which Way You Can as Jack Wilson
- The Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes as Tolar
1979
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as The Trebor
- Trapper John, M.D. as Tugwell
- Benson
- B. J. and the Bear
- The Rebels as John Waverly
- The Frisco Kid as Matt Diggs
- Seven as Drew
- Fast Company as Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
1978
- Fantasy Island as Wyatt Earp
- Vega$
- Blood & Guts as Dan O'Neil
- Blackjack as Andy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
1977
- CHiPs as Stan
- Logan's Run as Patron / Modok
- The Oregon Trail
- Twilight's Last Gleaming as Hoxey
1976
- Rich Man, Poor Man as Falconetti
- Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II as Falconetti
- City of Angels
- Scorchy as Carl Henrich
- Hollywood Man as Rafe Stoker
- Crackle of Death as Shaman Jim Elkhorn
1975
- Bronk
- Boss Nigger as Jed Clayton
- The Ultimate Warrior as Carrot
- The Swinging Barmaids as Harry
- Win, Place or Steal as Tom
- Dr. Minx as Gus Dolan
- Death Among Friends as Sheldon Casey
1974
- The Six Million Dollar Man as Cmdr. Maxwell
- Police Woman
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker as Jim Elkhorn
- Movin' On
- Planet of the Apes as Tolar
- Black Samson as Johnny Nappa
- The Rockford Files: Backlash of the Hunter as Jerry Grimes
- Policewomen as Karate Instructor
- The Sex Symbol as Butch Wischnewski
1973
- Police Story as (uncredited)
- Invasion of the Bee Girls as Neil Agar
- The Last American Hero as Kyle Kingman
- The Deadly Trackers as Schoolboy
- Sweet Jesus, Preacherman as Martelli
- Prologue to Wounded Knee as Camper John Allen
- A Taste of Hell as Jack Lowell
1972
- The Streets of San Francisco as Mickey Sims
- Search
- Kung Fu as Capt. Luther Staggers
- Grave of the Vampire as James Eastman
- Hammer as Brenner
- The Thing with Two Heads as Hysterical Condemned Man
- Piranha as Caribe
- The Man Hunter as Clel Bocock
1971
- Columbo as Nichols
- Alias Smith and Jones
- Runaway, Runaway as Frank
- Chrome and Hot Leather as T.J.
1970
- Crowhaven Farm as Patrolman Hayes
- Darker Than Amber as Terry
- C.C. and Company as Moon
- The Losers as Link Thomas
- Angels Die Hard as Tim
1969
- The Over the Hill Gang as Amos (as Bill Smith)
- Backtrack! as Texas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage)
- Run, Angel, Run! as Angel
1968
- Hawaii Five-O as Det. James 'Kimo' Carew
- The Mod Squad
- Julia
- 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
- Mail Order Bride as Lank
- 36 Hours as Guy (uncredited)
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
- The Asphalt Jungle as Sgt. Danny Keller
- Atlantis: The Lost Continent as Captain of the Guard
1960
- The Gazebo as Actor Who Trips Over Camera (uncredited)
1959
- Mr. Lucky
- Never So Few as MP Officer #1
- The Mating Game as Barney
- Girls Town as Man (uncredited)
- Ask Any Girl as Young Man (uncredited)
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
- Meet Me in St. Louis as Little Boy (uncredited)
- Going My Way as Choir Member (uncredited)
1942
- The Ghost of Frankenstein as Boy (uncredited)