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".
Known For
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
(2005)
Vice
as Spooky Harlow
(2004)
Y.M.I.
as Cal
(2004)
Killer Story
as Monty
(2003)
Zombiegeddon
as Lord Zombie
(2003)
The Rock 'n Roll Cops
as Rinaldi
(2003)
God Has a Rap Sheet
as Lucifer
(2003)
(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)
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
as Conan's Father (archive footage)
(1999)
Wasteland Justice
as Moon
(1999)
(1998)
Broken Vessels
as Bo
(1998)
(1998)
Heat of Las Vegas
as Mario Verelli
(1997)
The Shooter
as Jerry Krants
(1997)
Doublecross on Costa's Island
as L. E.
(1997)
Hollywood Cops
as Rinaldi
(1996)
Uncle Sam
as Major
(1996)
The Colony
as Theo Maxwell
(1996)
Neon Signs
as Clyde
(1996)
Raw Energy
as Sam Stompkins
(1995)
Big Sister 2000
as The Man
(1994)
Maverick
as Riverboat Poker Player
(1994)
Taken Alive
as L.E.
(1994)
Manosaurus
as Sheriff Todd
(1993)
GetEven
as Normad
(1993)
Return of the Roller Blade Seven
as Pharoah
(1993)
Legend of The Roller Blade Seven
as Pharoah
(1992)
American Me
as Deacon
(1992)
The Last Riders
as Hammer
(1992)
Feast
as Det. George Bordelli
(1992)
Shadow of the Dragon
as Eric Brunner
(1992)
Dark Secrets
as Robert
(1991)
The Roller Blade Seven
as Pharoah
(1991)
Cybernator
as Colonel Peck
(1991)
Spirit of the Eagle
as Hatchett
(1991)
Kiss and Be Killed
as Det. Murdoch
(1991)
Merchant of Evil
as Victor Fortunetti
(1990)
Emperor of the Bronx
as Fitz
(1990)
Instant Karma
as Pop
(1990)
The Final Sanction
as Maj. Galashkin
(1990)
Cartel
as Mason
(1990)
Empire of Ash III
as Lucas
(1990)
Forgotten Heroes
as General Gregori Zelenkov
(1989)
East L.A. Warriors
as Martelli
(1989)
B.O.R.N.
as Dr. Farley
(1989)
Jungle Assault
as General Mitchell
(1989)
Action U.S.A.
as Conover
(1989)
L.A. Vice
as Capt. Joe Wilkes
(1989)
Deadly Breed
as Captain
(1989)
Terror In Beverly Hills
as President
(1989)
Slow Burn
as Antonio Scarpelli
(1988)
Maniac Cop
as Captain Ripley
(1988)
Hell Comes to Frogtown
as Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
(1988)
Platoon Leader
as Major Flynn
(1988)
Memorial Valley Massacre
as Gen. Mintz
(1988)
Bulletproof
as Russian Major
(1988)
Red Nights
as Phillip
(1988)
Evil Altar
as Reed Weller
(1988)
(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)
Fast Company
as Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
(1979)
The Frisco Kid
as Matt Diggs
(1979)
Seven
as Drew
(1979)
The Rebels
as John Waverly
(1978)
Blackjack
as Andy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
(1978)
Blood & Guts
as Dan O'Neil
(1977)
Twilight's Last Gleaming
as Hoxey
(1976)
Crackle of Death
as Shaman Jim Elkhorn
(1976)
Hollywood Man
as Rafe Stoker
(1976)
Scorchy
as Carl Henrich
(1975)
Boss Nigger
as Jed Clayton
(1975)
The Ultimate Warrior
as Carrot
(1975)
Dr. Minx
as Gus Dolan
(1975)
The Swinging Barmaids
as Harry
(1975)
Win, Place or Steal
as Tom
(1974)
Policewomen
as Karate Instructor
(1974)
Black Samson
as Johnny Nappa
(1974)
The Rockford Files
as Jerry Grimes
(1974)
The Sex Symbol
as Butch Wischnewski
(1973)
Invasion of the Bee Girls
as Neil Agar
(1973)
The Last American Hero
as Kyle Kingman
(1973)
The Deadly Trackers
as Schoolboy
(1973)
Sweet Jesus, Preacherman
as Martelli
(1973)
Prologue to Wounded Knee
as Camper John Allen
(1972)
Grave of the Vampire
as James Eastman
(1972)
The Thing with Two Heads
as Hysterical Condemned Man
(1972)
Hammer
as Brenner
(1972)
Piranha
as Caribe
(1972)
The Man Hunter
as Clel Bocock
(1971)
Chrome and Hot Leather
as T.J.
(1971)
Runaway, Runaway
as Frank
(1970)
Angels Die Hard
as Tim
(1970)
C.C. and Company
as Moon
(1970)
The Losers
as Link Thomas
(1970)
Darker Than Amber
as Terry
(1970)
Crowhaven Farm
as Patrolman Hayes
(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
(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)
Meet Me in St. Louis
as Little Boy (uncredited)
(1944)
Going My Way
as Choir Member (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