She declined to give the cause of death. Hollywood actor William Smith, who has played the roles of bikers, brawlers, cowboys and tough guys in films and television shows like 'Laredo', 'Rich Man, Poor Man' and 'Any Which Way You Can' has died at the age of 88. }); Mountain Climber Movie Actor Movie Actress Music Producer Non-fiction Author Novelist However, his most memorable role on TV was when he played Anthony Falconetti in 1976's "Rich Man, Poor Man," where he played a villain. Action star William Smith, known for his roles in "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Laredo," died Monday, according to the New York Post. ', 'The Losers', 'Angels Die Hard', 'C.C. His marriage to Michele Smith produced one child before ending in divorce; he later married Joanne Cervelli. How did Joy Vogelsang die? The actor also played Detective James "Kimo" Carew in the final 1979 season of Hawaii Five-O. Home. I'll never forget that fearsome brawl between Rod Taylor and William Smith in Darker than Amber. Smith was also known to fight in two of the most memorable fight sequences in cinematic history going up against Clint Eastwood in 1980s 'Any Which Way You Can' and Rod Taylor in 1970s 'Darker than Amber'. }) So insanely violent for its time. The movie actor William Hopper died at the age of 55. ", Laredo star William Smith died on Monday at the age of 88. He won the 200-pound (91kg) arm-wrestling championship of the world multiple times and also won the United States Air Force weightlifting championship. William Smith: My fight with Clint Eastwood was the longest two-man Smith started in the 1940s as a child actor. "; his character beats and rapes Amanda Blake's character Miss Kitty Russell and shoots her twice in the back. 'Laredo' actor William Smith dies at 88 | Daily Sentinel Action star William Smith, known for his roles in "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Laredo," died Monday, according to the New York Post. Smith was 88 years old. The Duke and Duchess are not as 'stunned' about the . Television and action star William Smith has died at 88, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on July 9. The Heartbreaking Death Of Action Star William Smith. Smith is survived by his wife, son, William E. Smith III, and daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. ", A third fan added: "Godspeed, William Smith. He starred in 1972's Grave of the Vampire as James Eastman (co-starring with Michael Pataki and Lyn Peters), and 1973's Invasion of the Bee Girls (co-starring Victoria Vetri, Anitra Ford and Katie Saylor, written by Nicholas Meyer and directed by Denis Sanders), and 1975's The Swinging Barmaids (starring Ms. Saylor, Bruce Watson and Laura Hippe, and directed by Gus Trikonis). Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Besides being highly educated, Smith was known for his build and physique, earning recognition for his action sequences in multiple films. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); The Heartbreaking Death Of Action Star William Smith 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, Poor Man" and "Any Which Way You Can," has died at 88. . On Gunsmoke, Smith appeared[4] in a 1972 episode, "Hostage! William Smith: Actor Dies At 88 (3 Cold Hard Facts) - The Cold Wire ", Smith would take part in another classic screen brawl, this one with Rod Taylor, as a bodybuilder in the 1970 film "Darker Than Amber. American actor William Smith passed away at the age of 88 years old on July 9, 2021. Both walked away with broken bones. To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles.. For movie fans, Smith is best remembered for his 70's biker movies, and TV-series. He was 88. Tremendous screen presence. "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. Actor William Smith, who brawled with Clint Eastwood and Rod Taylor on Smith appeared as heavy Terry Bartell in Darker than Amber in 1970. He was 88. William Smith, Action Star Known for His Onscreen Brawls, Dies at 88 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. pic.twitter.com/tMc8fKJBa5, Phoef Sutton (@phoefsutton) July 10, 2021. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Cherry Festival Carnival Ride Nearly Topples Over (Video). ga('ads.send', { Required fields are marked *. Whos the baddest of the movie badmen? Along with appearing in films, William Smith also made his mark in television. Ten years later, he made movie history again when he squared off against Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can. It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles, Smith said about the notorious scene. Smith was a fascinating person with a diverse background. William Smith death: 'Hawaii Five-O' star dead at 88, fans mourn 'Laredo,' 'Any Which Way You Can' actor William Smith dead at 88 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. William Smith, an actor known for his portrayals of villains and his onscreen movie brawls, died on July 5 in Woodland Hills, Calif. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's Country House and Hospital. hitType: 'event', ", Greatest TV villain ever, as a kid in the 70's everyone and their aunt hated the character of Falconetti that he brought to life in 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. Who is Joanne Cervelli? Wiki, Biography, Age, William Smith's Wife In its obituary for William Smith,Deadline revealed that the "Hawaii Five-O" actor first wanted to pursue a career in government, but ended up acting after MGM gave him a contract. He died. Joanne Cervelli Smith, his wife of 31 years, confirmed the actor's death to . Chick Vennera, Robert Downey Sr, Richard Donner and Frank Bonner are to name a few. For iPhone click here, for Android click here. 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. Jodie Turner-Smith made a head-turning exit from a fancy hotel on Thursday. Besides all of these skills and interests, Smith was a poet. Along with his wife of 31 years, Smith is survived by his two children, William E. Smith III and Sherri Anne Cervelli. william brewster van zandt; when is the next wimberley market days; national police and troopers association; Community. In 1972 and 1975, respectively, he appeared in two popular Blaxploitation films, Hammer and the controversially titled Boss Nigger, both with Fred Williamson. ICONIC actor William Smith, who tussled with Clint Eastwood in the movies, has died at the age of 88. Smith starred in one episode each of the Adam West Batman TV series (in the episode "Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires" as Adonis, one of the minions of the title guest villainess portrayed by Zsa Zsa Gabor), I Dream of Jeannie (in the episode "Operation: First Couple on the Moon" as Turk Parker), Kung Fu, and as The Treybor, a ruthless warlord, in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode "Buck's Duel to the Death". CHICK VENNERA, 'GOLDEN GIRLS' AND 'ANIMANIACS' ACTOR, DEAD AT 74, Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith would begin acting at age 8, playing small uncredited roles in 1940s films, including "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Another Twitter user said that Smith was "one of the all time greats," and it's true. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. This man was one of the best actors Ive ever seen. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Hislegacy as an action star of both film and television for several decades will live on. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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 1976, Smith was also part of the first miniseries on American television, "Rich Man, Poor Man" on ABC. }); Actor William Smith, who was famous for starring in television shows like 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Laredo', has died. Returning to California, Smith continued working steadily throughout the 60s and 70s, becoming an obvious choice when casting cult hit biker films such as Run, Angel, Run!, The Losers, Angels Die Hard, C.C. Any Which Way You Can star William Smith dies at 88 She also penned onFacebook, "My heart hurts so badly.". ", Another fan wrote: "Farewell to the last great Bad Ass of TV & movies, William Smith. "And so the fight was on. } Actor, 65, was on way to meet wife Kathryn Kranhold. William Smith Dies: 'Rich Man, Poor Man', 'Any Which Way You Can' Actor hitType: 'event', Rest in Peace, William Smith. William Smith was in the Season 12 Classic HFO season 1979-1980. In 1967, Smith guest starred as Jude Bonner on James Arness's long-lived western Gunsmoke. [1] Smith later reported that Taylor was "a very tough guy" who broke three of his ribs while he broke Taylor's nose.[7]. Here is all you want to know, and more! Wayne LaFarr/YouTube. She declined to give the cause of death. According to Famous Net Worth, William Smith was worth $7 million when he died. 2023 COLD WIRE MEDIA. William Smith, an action star from classic movies like "Any Which Way You Can" and "Red Dawn," died Monday. },false) He was 88. Smith was a fascinating person with a diverse background. 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. The fact that neither Smith nor Eastwood used body doubles for the scene was confirmed by Smith in a 2014 interview. After that, he played a vindictive sergeant in Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) with an all-star cast headed by Burt Lancaster and Richard Widmark, a drag-racing legend in Fast Company (1979) also co-starring Claudia Jennings and John Saxon, the main character's father in Conan the Barbarian (1982) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, bad guy Matt Diggs in The Frisco Kid (1979) opposite Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, and Clint Eastwood's bare-knuckle opponent Jack Wilson in 1980's Any Which Way You Can (a sequel to 1978's Every Which Way But Loose in which Smith did not appear), and also had a top villainous role of the Soviet commander in the hit 1984 theatrical film Red Dawn. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { One fan wrote, "Greatest TV villain ever, as a kid in the 70's everyone and their aunt hated the character of Falconetti that he brought to life in 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. #RIP #WilliamSmith JC, 'Very open to the idea': Julia Wandelt takes DNA test to verify if she is missing Swiss girl Livia Schepp, Kayla Lemieux: Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts suspended WITH PAY after pics show her dressed as man, 'We have lots to reveal': Madeleine McCann lookalike Julia Wandelt posts footage of meeting with PI probing claims, Lindsay Clancy case: Psychologist reveals psychosis red flags family members could have spotted, Horror at Larchwood Care! [8], For other people named William Smith, see, Louis Paul (2007). eventAction: 'render' Had one son (William Emmett Smith III) with first wife, Michele Smith, and one daughter (Sherri Anne Cervelli DOB: April 24, 1980) with his second wife, Joanne Cervelli.