William Smith, R.I.P.

Character actor William Smith, who had nearly 300 acting credits to his name, passed away on July 5th. No cause of death was disclosed. Smith was 88. 

A Korean War veteran with a muscular physique, Smith generally played villains although he occasionally played good guys such as when he was in the cast of Laredo and the final season of the original Hawaii Five-O as well as in the opening scene of Conan The Barbarian (video above) or in Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can.

Perhaps Smith's best known role as a villain was in the 1970's mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man opposite Nick Nolte. Though some would make an argument for the Russian general he played in Red Dawn. I remember him from shows like Columbo, The Rockford Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Some of his other TV credits include Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Gunsmoke, Alias Smith & Jones, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible, Kung Fu. Smith was the very definition of a working actor. R.I.P.