His last role was in Irresistible, a 2020 film directed by Jon Stewart. eventAction: 'click_ads' Throughout his life, he was interested in bodybuilding and boxing. William Smith. William Smith obituary: "Laredo" star dies at 88 - Legacy.com With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen in the 1960s, 1970s and . She also penned onFacebook, "My heart hurts so badly.". This man was one of the best actors Ive ever seen. }); Actor William Smith | The Official Website | The Poetic Works of William Smith's Death - Cause and Date - The Celebrity Deaths Laredo star William Smith died on Monday at the age of 88. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), William Smith, star of Laredo and Rich Man, Poor Man, has died at 88 years old. To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. Smith was a fascinating person with a diverse background. How did Joy Vogelsang die? William Smith, the action star who tussled with Clint Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can, made a lasting impression as the evil Falconetti on TV miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and was a regular on . Smith started in the 1940s as a child actor. Later, he joined the cast of "Hawaii Five-O" in its final season as Detective James "Kimo" Carew. She declined to give the cause of death. PerDeadline, Smith began his path to stardom as an extra in 1942's "The Ghost of Frankenstein," and although Smith didn't receive credit for the small role, he got more opportunities, acting in "The Song of Bernadette" and "Meet Me in St. Louis," shortly after, perIMDb. In excellent shape and healthy living. In addition to his Hollywood legacy, the Missouri native was also a bodybuilder, a champion discus thrower and a published poet. A fan tweeted: "I'll never forget that fearsome brawl between Rod Taylor and William Smith in Darker than Amber. Named 2017's Obituary Writer of the Year by the Society of Professional Obituary Writers. Action junkies and film enthusiasts shared their love for William on the web. william traylor actor cause of death - stmatthewsbc.org Melissa Roberto covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. William Smith was in the Season 12 Classic HFO season 1979-1980. He started his career way back in the 40's and is still going strong. In 1976, Smith was also part of the first miniseries on American television, "Rich Man, Poor Man" on ABC. Smith was known for his roles in western and biker-themed films and TV shows. pic.twitter.com/tMc8fKJBa5, Phoef Sutton (@phoefsutton) July 10, 2021. The cause of the actor's death is unknown yet. ", A third fan added: "Godspeed, William Smith. The actor took his last breath at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on Monday, July 5, according to his wife Joanne Cervelli Smith. Im watching him now In a bunch of old 70s biker movies .. another surprise. 1959 The Gazebo as Actor (uncredited) 1961 Go Naked in the World as Minor Role 1961 The Asphalt Jungle (TV series) as Sergeant Danny Keller 1961 Atlantis, the Lost Continent as Captain of The Guard 1962 Zero One (TV series) as Jimmy Delaney 1964 36 Hours as Guy (uncredited) 1964 Mail Order Bride as Lank 1965 Laredo (TV series) as Joe Riley Mountain Climber Movie Actor Movie Actress Music Producer Non-fiction Author Novelist His other movie appearances include Darker Than Amber (1970), The Frisco Kid (1979), The Outsiders (1983), and Red Dawn (1984) in a career with more than 300 acting credits. eventAction: 'click_adunit' John Smith, Star of 'Laramie,' 'Cimarron City,' Dies at 63 According to Famous Net Worth, William Smith was worth $7 million when he died. First, as Texas Ranger Joe Riley in two seasons of "Laredo." document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Cherry Festival Carnival Ride Nearly Topples Over (Video). At the ranch, he would develop a love and admiration for horses and the classic Western lifestyle, according to his website. ', 'The Losers', 'Angels Die Hard', 'C.C. In 2009, Mr. Smith published a book of poetry, The Poetic Works of William Smith.. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. ga('ads.send', { Legal Statement. Chick Vennera, Robert Downey Sr, Richard Donner and Frank Bonner are to name a few. He did many of his own stunts. } 'Laredo' Actor William Smith Dies; Played Cowboys, Brawlers William Smith death: 'Hawaii Five-O' star dead at 88, fans mourn Mr. Smith, who was born on March 24, 1933, grew up on a cattle ranch in Missouri owned by his parents, William Emmett Smith and Emily Richards Smith. GLEE STAR HEATHER MORRIS HONORS NAYA RIVERA WITH TRIBUTE TATTOO: TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED, American actor William Smith, circa 1975. William Smith (actor) - Wikipedia pg.acq.push(function() { A fluent Russian speaker, during the Korean War Smith was a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over the Russian SFSR. He served in the Korean War and acted in bit parts in television shows throughout the 1950s before landing a regular role as a police sergeant in the 1961 ABC series "The Asphalt Jungle. The scene was long but choreographed well. & Company, Chrome and Hot Leather, Gentle Savage andEye of the Tiger., He played Texas Ranger Joe Riley in TVs Laredo from 1965 to 1967, and later joined the original cast of Hawaii Five-O for its last season in 1980. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of The fight scenes with Nick and I were good ones. from a 2010 interview for BZ Film, Sad news coming through that the great William Smith has passed away aged 88. Jodie teamed the look . He played Detective Jim Kimo Carew on the final season of Hawaii Five-O and made appearances on other TV shows including Batman, Dukes of Hazzard, and The A-Team. 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"). How did William Smith die? Who do you cast to play Conan The Barbarians daddy? Smith began his long Hollywood career as a child actor in the 40s, when his family moved to Southern California from the Dust Bowl. 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. 'Laredo,' 'Any Which Way You Can' actor William Smith dead at 88 William Smith: Actor Dies At 88 (3 Cold Hard Facts) - The Cold Wire After returning to California, Smith continued acting and starred in films like 'Run, Angel, Run! pic.twitter.com/UJVpOSTted, R.I.P to the Hollywood Man himself William Smith. William Smith, an actor known for his portrayals of villains and his onscreen movie brawls, died on July 5 in Woodland Hills, Calif. Not only was Smith an action star, but he was known as atough guy and appeared in two of the biggest brawls in movie history. and Company', 'Chrome and Hot Leather,' 'Gentle Savage' and 'Eye of the Tiger'. William Smith was born on March 24, 1933, in Columbia, Missouri, on a Hereford cattle ranch owned by his family. Home. One fan commented, "I'll never forget that fearsome brawl between Rod Taylor and William Smith in Darker than Amber. William Smith - Biography - IMDb Born in Columbia, Missouri on March 24, 1933, Smith debuted as a child actor in 1942 in films like 'The Ghost of Frankenstein', 'The Song of Bernadette' and 'Meet Me in St. Louis' at the age of 8. Market data provided by Factset. Loved his performances as Joe Riley in the TV series #Laredo ('65-'67), & in particular in the season 2 episode, 'The Bitter Yen of General Ti,' with Irene Tsu." Mr. Smiths wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died at the Motion Picture and Television Funds Country House and Hospital. In fact, his career spanned over several decades with his first official TV credit in the 1950s, according to IMDb. RIP#WilliamSmith#RIPWilliamSmith pic.twitter.com/KbTl0tuVe3. Actor, 65, was on way to meet wife Kathryn Kranhold. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ He was a polyglot, a bodybuilder, a champion discus thrower and an Air Force pilot during the Korean War, according to his website. While Mr. Smith was best known for his roles in action movies like Any Which Way You Can (1980), and television shows including Laredo, Rich Man, Poor Man and Hawaii Five-O, the real action came from his offscreen life. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) LOS ANGELES (AP) Actor William Smith, who played bikers, brawlers, cowboys and no-nonsense tough guys in films and television shows including "Laredo," "Rich Man, . 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. For movie fans, Smith is best remembered for his 70's biker movies, and TV-series. He spent his early days in Columbia, Missouri. [citation needed] Smith held a 311 record as an amateur boxer. 'Laredo' actor William Smith dies; played cowboys, brawlers - AP NEWS eventAction: 'view' Loved his performances as Joe Riley in the TV series #Laredo ('65-'67), & in particular in the season 2 episode, 'The Bitter Yen of General Ti,' with Irene Tsu. hitType: 'event', ", A fourth commentator added: "REMEMBER HIM WELLalways thought he should be a leading man with his looksbut seemed always the slightly sleazy tough guyRIP William Smith". The actor William Smith in 1978. In 2009, Smith published The Poetic Works of William Smith. A lifelong bodybuilder, Smith was a record holder for reverse-curling his own body weight. The Columbia, Mo., native solidified his Hollywood status after tussling onscreen with actors like Clint Eastwood, Nick Nolte and Yul Brynner. That's how you become a cult actor. 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 . Spoke fluent French, Italian, and Russian. 10 years before this scene, Smith had another legendary fight scene with Rod Taylor inDarker Than Amber. He was throwing punches with Rod Taylor for the 1970 film Darker Than Amber when the two began fighting each other for real. "Fight choreography and staging went out the window when Rod decided to really hit me," Smith recalled in an interview with the outlet in 2010. That one was so realistic that both Smith and Taylor suffered injuries during the filming of it. pic.twitter.com/ISCqVYDgzC, William Smith, god-tier among the grindhouse greats, has left us. Personal Quotes (2) Sammy [ Sammy Davis Jr.] was really good friends with Peter Brown. In the fist fight scene that ends the film, Rod Taylor hit Smith (who was playing the villain) who retaliated in kind,[6] and a staged-fight scene became a real fight as the cameras continued to roll. To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. The Duke and Duchess are not as 'stunned' about the . eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Rod is a skilled fighter and at the same time a real scrapper."