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William Smith
Actor, Producer
Died July 5, 2021 (88 years)
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 |
| 2006 | Inner Rage · as Sam |
| 2005 | Hell to Pay · as Emil Brax |
| 2003 | Zombiegeddon · as Lord Zombie |
| 2003 | God Has a Rap Sheet · as Lucifer |
| 2001 | The Elite · as Colonel Shaw |
| 2001 | Justice League (TV Series) · as Draaga (voice) |
| 2000 | Vice · as Spooky Harlow |
| 1998 | Broken Vessels · as Bo |
| 1998 | No Rest for the Wicked · as Frank Love |
| 1998 | Deadly Currency · as Mario Verelli |
| 1997 | The Shooter · as Jerry Krants |
| 1997 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (TV Series) · as Wes Tronker |
| 1996 | Uncle Sam · as Major |
| 1996 | Nash Bridges (TV Series) · as Boris Zarkov |
| 1995 | Taken Alive · as L.E. |
| 1994 | Maverick · as Riverboat Poker Player |
| 1994 | Due South (TV Series) · as Harold Geiger |
| 1993 | Champagne and Bullets · as Normad |
| 1993 | Kiss and Be Killed · as Det. Murdoch |
| 1993 | Merchant of Evil · as Victor Fortunetti |
| 1993 | Walker, Texas Ranger (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1992 | American Me · as Deacon |
| 1992 | The Last Riders · as Hammer |
| 1992 | Shadow of the Dragon · as Eric Brunner |
| 1992 | Dark Secrets · as Robert |
| 1992 | Top of the Heap (TV Series) · as Warren Bean |
| 1991 | The Roller Blade Seven · as Pharoah |
| 1991 | Spirit of the Eagle · as Hatchett |
| 1991 | Cybernator · as Colonel Peck |
| 1990 | The Final Sanction · as Maj. Galashkin |
| 1990 | Chance · as Captain Joe Wilkes |
| 1990 | Cartel · as Mason |
| 1990 | Instant Karma · as Pop |
| 1990 | Emperor of the Bronx · as Fitz |
| 1990 | Forgotten Heroes · as General Gregori Zelenkov |
| 1989 | L.A. Vice · as Capt. Joe Wilkes |
| 1989 | Memorial Valley Massacre · as Gen. Mintz |
| 1989 | Action U.S.A. · as Conover |
| 1989 | Empire of Ash III · as Lucas |
| 1989 | Terror in Beverly Hills · as President |
| 1989 | B.O.R.N. · as Dr. Farley |
| 1989 | East L.A. Warriors · as Martelli |
| 1989 | Jungle Assault · as General Mitchell |
| 1989 | Deadly Breed · as Captain |
| 1989 | Slow Burn · as Antonio Scarpelli |
| 1989 | The Young Riders (TV Series) · as Marshall Ben Turner |
| 1988 | Maniac Cop · as Captain Ripley |
| 1988 | Hell Comes to Frogtown · as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom |
| 1988 | The Phantom Empire · as Dr. Chambers |
| 1988 | Platoon Leader · as Major Flynn |
| 1988 | Hell on the Battleground · as Colonel Meredith |
| 1988 | Evil Altar · as Reed Weller |
| 1988 | Red Nights · as Phillip |
| 1987 | Moon in Scorpio · as Burt |
| 1987 | Commando Squad · as Morgan Denny |
| 1987 | Bulletproof · as Russian Major |
| 1987 | Houston Knights (TV Series) · as Sonny Nash |
| 1986 | Eye of the Tiger · as Blade |
| 1986 | Downtown (1986) (TV Series) · as actor |
| 1985 | The Mean Season · as Albert O'Shaughnessy |
| 1985 | Fever Pitch · as Panama Hat |
| 1985 | When Nature Calls · as The Husband ("Gena's Story" trailer) |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone (1985) (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1984 | Red Dawn · as Strelnikov |
| 1984 | The Jerk, Too · as Suicide |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) · as Clyde Thorson |
| 1984 | Riptide (1984) (TV Series) · as Carter Chapman |
| 1984 | The Master (TV Series) · as Alan Kane |
| 1984 | Hunter (TV Series) · as Sgt. Neville Sigerson |
| 1984 | Danger Bay (TV Series) · as Harlan Blake |
| 1984 | Airwolf (TV Series) · as Patterson |
| 1984 | Highway to Heaven (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1983 | The Outsiders · as Store Clerk |
| 1983 | Rumble Fish · as Patterson the Cop |
| 1983 | The Yellow Rose (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1983 | Hardcastle and McCormick (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1983 | The A-Team (TV Series) · as Dimitri Shasta Kovich |
| 1983 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1982 | Conan the Barbarian · as Conan's Father |
| 1982 | T.J. Hooker (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1982 | Knight Rider (TV Series) · as Harold T. Turner |
| 1981 | Code Red (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1981 | The Fall Guy (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1981 | Simon & Simon (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1980 | Any Which Way You Can · as Jack Wilson |
| 1980 | Wild Times (TV Series) · as 1st Marshal |
| 1979 | The Frisco Kid · as Matt Diggs |
| 1979 | Fast Company · as Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson |
| 1979 | Seven · as Drew |
| 1979 | The Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series) · as Jason Steele |
| 1979 | Benson (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV Series) · as The Trebor |
| 1978 | Blood & Guts · as Dan O'Neil |
| 1978 | Vega$ (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1977 | Twilight's Last Gleaming · as Hoxey |
| 1977 | CHiPs (TV Series) · as Stan |
| 1977 | Logan's Run (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1977 | Fantasy Island (TV Series) · as Frankenstein |
| 1976 | Hollywood Man · as Rafe Stoker |
| 1976 | Scorchy · as Carl Henrich |
| 1976 | The Oregon Trail (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man (TV Series) · as Falconetti |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II (TV Series) · as Falconetti |
| 1975 | The Swinging Barmaids · as Harry |
| 1975 | Dr. Minx · as Gus Dolan |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1975 | The Ultimate Warrior · as Carrot |
| 1974 | Black Samson · as Johnny Nappa |
| 1974 | Policewomen · as Karate Instructor |
| 1974 | Win, Place or Steal · as Tom |
| 1974 | The Sex Symbol · as Butch Wischnewski |
| 1974 | Boss Nigger · as Jed Clayton |
| 1974 | Planet of the Apes (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1974 | Movin' On (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files (TV Series) · as Jerry Grimes |
| 1974 | Police Woman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man (TV Series) · as Cmdr. Maxwell |
| 1974 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker (TV Series) · as Jim Elkhorn |
| 1973 | Invasion of the Bee Girls · as Neil Agar |
| 1973 | The Last American Hero · as Kyle Kingman |
| 1973 | A Taste of Hell · as Jack Lowell |
| 1973 | Sweet Jesus, Preacherman · as Martelli |
| 1973 | The Deadly Trackers · as Schoolboy |
| 1973 | Prologue to Wounded Knee · as Camper John Allen |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones (TV Series) · as George Harper |
| 1973 | Police Story (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1972 | Grave of the Vampire · as James Eastman |
| 1972 | Piranha · as Caribe |
| 1972 | Hammer · as Brenner |
| 1972 | The Runaway · as Frank |
| 1972 | The Thing with Two Heads · as Hysterical Condemned Man |
| 1972 | Kung Fu (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1971 | Chrome and Hot Leather · as T.J. |
| 1971 | Summertree · as Draft Lawyer |
| 1971 | Columbo (TV Series) · as Nichols |
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1970 | Crowhaven Farm · as Patrolman Hayes |
| 1970 | Angels Die Hard · as Tim |
| 1970 | C.C. & Company · as Moon |
| 1970 | Darker Than Amber · as Terry |
| 1970 | The Losers · as Link Thomas |
| 1969 | The Over-the-Hill Gang · as Amos (as Bill Smith) |
| 1969 | Run, Angel, Run! · as Angel |
| 1969 | Backtrack! · as Texas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage) |
| 1968 | Three Guns for Texas · as Texas Ranger Joe Riley |
| 1968 | Here Come the Brides (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1968 | The Mod Squad (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1968 | Julia (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1968 | Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) · as Det. James 'Kimo' Carew |
| 1967 | Custer (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1967 | Ironside (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1967 | Mannix (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1966 | Mission: Impossible (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1966 | Batman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1965 | Laredo (TV Series) · as Joe Riley |
| 1965 | I Dream of Jeannie (TV Series) · as Turk |
| 1964 | 36 Hours · as Guy |
| 1964 | Mail Order Bride · as Lank |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone (TV Series) · as Catoga |
| 1964 | Broadside (TV Series) · as Brett Hadley |
| 1963 | Kraft Suspense Theatre (TV Series) · as Deputy Raynor |
| 1962 | Combat! (TV Series) · as German Sergeant |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) · as Tommy Lad |
| 1962 | The Virginian (TV Series) · as Bill |
| 1962 | Zero One (1962) (TV Series) · as Jimmy Delaney |
| 1961 | Atlantis: The Lost Continent · as Captain of the Guard |
| 1961 | The Lawbreakers · as Guy on Street |
| 1959 | The Gazebo · as Actor Who Trips Over Camera |
| 1959 | Never So Few · as MP Officer #1 (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Mating Game · as Barney |
| 1959 | Ask Any Girl · as Young Man |
| 1959 | Mr. Lucky (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Andy Witcoe |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Espada |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Latch |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Monk Hardwick |
| 1954 | Lassie (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1952 | Death Valley Days (TV Series) · as Dan Turner |
| 1951 | Saturday's Hero · as Minor Role |
| 1948 | The Boy with Green Hair · as Boy (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Gilda · as Man |
| 1945 | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn · as Boy (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Meet Me in St. Louis · as Little Boy |
| 1944 | Going My Way · as Choir Member (uncredited) |
| 1943 | The Song of Bernadette · as Sleeping Boy on the Trek |
| 1942 | The Ghost of Frankenstein · as Vasarian Boy |