William Smith
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1933-03-24
Day of Death
2021-07-05 (88 years old)
Place of Birth
Columbia, Missouri, USA
William Smith
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".
Acting
(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)
Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story
as Man with Machine Gun
(2007)
Rapturious
as Sheriff
(2006)
Voices from the Graves
as Lester Jiggs
(2006)
Inner Rage
as Sam
(2005)
Hell to Pay
as Emil Brax
(2004)
Killer Story
as Monty
(2004)
Y.M.I.
as Cal
(2003)
(2003)
Zombiegeddon
as Lord Zombie
(2003)
The Rock 'n Roll Cops
as Rinaldi
(2003)
God Has a Rap Sheet
as Lucifer
(2002)
Deadly Memories
as Sheriff Taggart
(2001)
The Vampire Hunters Club
as Johnny
(2001)
The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula
as Count Dracula
(2000)
Never Look Back
as Lee Clayton
(2000)
Vice
as Spooky Harlow
(2000)
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
as Conan's Father (archive footage)
(1999)
Wasteland Justice
as Moon
(1999)
(1998)
Heat of Las Vegas
as Mario Verelli
(1998)
Broken Vessels
as Bo
(1998)
(1997)
Hollywood Cops
as Rinaldi
(1997)
The Shooter
as Jerry Krants
(1997)
Doublecross on Costa's Island
as L. E.
(1996)
Neon Signs
as Clyde
(1996)
The Colony
as Theo Maxwell
(1996)
Uncle Sam
as Major
(1996)
Raw Energy
as Sam Stompkins
(1995)
Big Sister 2000
as The Man
(1994)
Maverick
as Riverboat Poker Player
(1994)
Manosaurus
as Sheriff Todd
(1994)
Taken Alive
as L.E.
(1993)
GetEven
as Normad
(1993)
Legend of The Roller Blade Seven
as Pharoah
(1993)
Return of the Roller Blade Seven
as Pharoah
(1992)
American Me
as Deacon
(1992)
Feast
as Det. George Bordelli
(1992)
The Last Riders
as Hammer
(1992)
Shadow of the Dragon
as Eric Brunner
(1992)
Dark Secrets
as Robert
(1991)
(1991)
Kiss and Be Killed
as Det. Murdoch
(1991)
Cybernator
as Colonel Peck
(1991)
The Roller Blade Seven
as Pharoah
(1991)
Merchant of Evil
as Victor Fortunetti
(1991)
Spirit of the Eagle
as Hatchett
(1990)
The Final Sanction
as Maj. Galashkin
(1990)
Emperor of the Bronx
as Fitz
(1990)
Forgotten Heroes
as General Gregori Zelenkov
(1990)
Cartel
as Mason
(1990)
Empire of Ash III
as Lucas
(1990)
Instant Karma
as Pop
(1989)
East L.A. Warriors
as Martelli
(1989)
Deadly Breed
as Captain
(1989)
L.A. Vice
as Capt. Joe Wilkes
(1989)
Slow Burn
as Antonio Scarpelli
(1989)
Action U.S.A.
as Conover
(1989)
B.O.R.N.
as Dr. Farley
(1989)
Terror In Beverly Hills
as President
(1989)
Jungle Assault
as General Mitchell
(1988)
Maniac Cop
as Captain Ripley
(1988)
Hell Comes to Frogtown
as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
(1988)
Bulletproof
as Russian Major
(1988)
Platoon Leader
as Major Flynn
(1988)
Memorial Valley Massacre
as Gen. Mintz
(1988)
(1988)
Red Nights
as Phillip
(1988)
Evil Altar
as Reed Weller
(1987)
Hell on the Battleground
as Colonel Meredith
(1987)
The Phantom Empire
as Dr. Chambers
(1987)
Commando Squad
as Morgan Denny
(1987)
Moon in Scorpio
as Burt
(1987)
The Badd One
as Badd
(1986)
Eye of the Tiger
as Blade
(1985)
The Mean Season
as Albert O'Shaughnessy
(1985)
Fever Pitch
as Panama Hat
(1984)
Red Dawn
as Strelnikov
(1984)
The Jerk, Too
as Suicide
(1983)
The Outsiders
as Store Clerk
(1983)
Rumble Fish
as Patterson the Cop
(1982)
Conan the Barbarian
as Conan's Father
(1982)
Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang
as Monk Hardwick
(1980)
Any Which Way You Can
as Jack Wilson
(1980)
(1979)
Seven
as Drew
(1979)
The Frisco Kid
as Matt Diggs
(1979)
Fast Company
as Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
(1979)
The Rebels
as John Waverly
(1978)
Blood & Guts
as Dan O'Neil
(1978)
Blackjack
as Andy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
(1977)
Twilight's Last Gleaming
as Hoxey
(1976)
Hollywood Man
as Rafe Stoker
(1976)
Crackle of Death
as Shaman Jim Elkhorn
(1976)
Scorchy
as Carl Henrich
(1975)
Dr. Minx
as Gus Dolan
(1975)
The Swinging Barmaids
as Harry
(1975)
The Ultimate Warrior
as Carrot
(1975)
Boss Nigger
as Jed Clayton
(1975)
Win, Place or Steal
as Tom
(1974)
Black Samson
as Johnny Nappa
(1974)
Policewomen
as Karate Instructor
(1974)
The Sex Symbol
as Butch Wischnewski
(1974)
The Rockford Files: Backlash of the Hunter
as Jerry Grimes
(1973)
Sweet Jesus, Preacherman
as Martelli
(1973)
The Deadly Trackers
as Schoolboy
(1973)
Prologue to Wounded Knee
as Camper John Allen
(1973)
The Last American Hero
as Kyle Kingman
(1973)
Invasion of the Bee Girls
as Neil Agar
(1972)
The Man Hunter
as Clel Bocock
(1972)
Hammer
as Brenner
(1972)
The Thing with Two Heads
as Hysterical Condemned Man
(1972)
Grave of the Vampire
as James Eastman
(1972)
Piranha
as Caribe
(1971)
Runaway, Runaway
as Frank
(1971)
Chrome and Hot Leather
as T.J.
(1970)
Darker Than Amber
as Terry
(1970)
Angels Die Hard
as Tim
(1970)
The Losers
as Link Thomas
(1970)
C.C. and Company
as Moon
(1970)
Crowhaven Farm
as Patrolman Hayes
(1969)
Run, Angel, Run!
as Angel
(1969)
Backtrack!
as Texas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage)
(1969)
The Over the Hill Gang
as Amos (as Bill Smith)
(1968)
Three Guns for Texas
as Texas Ranger Joe Riley
(1964)
36 Hours
as Guy (uncredited)
(1964)
Mail Order Bride
as Lank
(1961)
Atlantis: The Lost Continent
as Captain of the Guard
(1959)
Never So Few
as MP Officer #1
(1959)
The Mating Game
as Barney
(1959)
Girls Town
as Man (uncredited)
(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)
Going My Way
as Choir Member (uncredited)
(1944)
Meet Me in St. Louis
as Little Boy (uncredited)
(1942)
The Ghost of Frankenstein
as Boy (uncredited)
Crew
The Kill Machine
Director
(1976)
Hollywood Man
Producer, Writer
(1975)
Boss Nigger
Stunts
(1973)
Prologue to Wounded Knee
Producer