Charles C. Stevenson, Jr., the veteran actor beloved by sitcom fans for his role as Smitty the bartender in Will and Grace, has died. The 95-year-old died of natural causes on Jan. 19 in Camarillo, California, according to Variety.
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Stevenson was a journeyman actor, known for his supporting roles in various films and TV shows. He was best recognized for playing Smitty the barman on the 1998 sitcom Will and Grace, staying on the show until its final season at age 89.
Meanwhile, on the film side, he landed his first substantial role at 76, playing a sheriff in the Disney movie Snow Buddies.
Stevenson often found himself typecast as a preacher, priest, or pastor. As he once described it, his job was to be “marrying or burying people,” his son Scott recalled in a statement, per Variety. “As he told it, the panic-stricken director would invariably come to him to beg him to find a way to fill in unscripted space between ‘We are gathered here together’ (where he’d probably get his close-up) and the ‘amen’ at the end of the scene (where he usually wouldn’t). Stevenson admitted that he got pretty good at that.”
Per IMDb, he also had roles in Murder, She Wrote, Men in Black, Glee and more.
Charles C. Stevenson, Jr. Didn’t Begin Acting Until Age 50
Stevenson grew up in Piedmont, California. Before discovering his passion for acting at 50, he earned an English degree from UC Berkeley. He also served in the Navy during the Korean War.
After graduating, he started working in fundraising, chapter development, and public awareness campaigns. He focused on causes such as Project Hope and the Epilepsy Foundation. In the 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles. There, he worked on public service announcements and community events. He collaborated with Hollywood figures like James Stewart, Jack Lemmon and Henry Winkler.
Stevenson is survived by his two children with Barbara Keller, Charles III and Valerie, and his three children with the late Hollywood agent Joy Stevenson: Catherine, Scott, and William. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.