![]() Having both CIA and NSA clearance, Bill intended to enter a classified position with the U.S. ![]() He also continued to hone his bodybuilding skills, and even served as a volunteer fireman, fighting California wildfires. During the Korean War, Bill was flying on secret missions over Russia and other Eastern Bloc countries.Īfter his military tour, Bill continued the education he began while in the service, studying at Syracuse University, the University of Munich, the Sorbonne in Paris, and finally at UCLA where he graduated Cum Laude with a Master’s degree and worked toward a Doctorate. Bill could ride almost before he could walk, and his love of horses and the western lifestyle would be an important part of what he would bring to the screen in many of the roles he played throughout his career.īill and his family moved to Southern California, and soon Bill found work as a studio extra and appeared in many films as a child performer, including “The Ghost of Frankenstein,” “Song of Bernadette” and “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”Įnlisting in the Air Force in 1951, Bill soon found that his fluency in many languages, including Russian, German, French and Serbo-Croatian, had him soon recruited by the NSA. William Smith was born on March 24, 1933, in Columbia, Missouri, on a Hereford cattle ranch owned by his family. Smith III, and a daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli.When one talks about actor William Smith, not only are they discussing the career of one of the most prolific and popular cult actors of all time, but also one of the screen’s greatest villains. In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a son, William E. He would also play Arnold Schwarzenegger's father in 1982's “Conan the Barbarian,” after being considered for the title role, and a Soviet general in 1984's “Red Dawn.” Smith would take part in another classic screen brawl, this one with Rod Taylor, as a bodybuilder in the 1970 film “Darker Than Amber." He served in the Korean War and acted in bit parts in television shows throughout the 1950s before landing a regular role as a police sergeant in the 1961 ABC series “The Asphalt Jungle.” He would later become an elite discus thrower at UCLA, a martial-arts black belt and a champion arm-wrestler. Hey played Anthony Falconetti, the menacing nemesis of the central family in the 1976 ABC miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man,” and returned for its sequel.Īnd he played Detective James “Kimo” Carew in the final season of the original “Hawaii Five-O” on CBS in 19.īorn 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.” ![]() ![]() Smith starred as Texas Ranger Joe Riley in both seasons of the NBC western series “Laredo” from 1965 to 1967. “It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles,” Smith said in an interview for the 2014 book “Tales From the Cult Film Trenches.” He played bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in “Any Which Way You Can,” one of the top-grossing movies of 1980. With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, amassing nearly 300 credits. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. 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. ![]()
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