Ed Williams, known for his deadpan humor as tech expert Ted Olson on ABC’s Police Squad! and later in the original Naked Gun movies, has passed away.
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Williams died on Oct. 2 in Los Angeles at 98, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The sad news was confirmed to the outlet by his granddaughter, Stephanie Williams.
Williams also frequently portrayed reverends, priests, and ministers, including the officiant who married Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams) and Bryan MacKenzie (George Newbern) in Father of the Bride (1991), starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.
Born Edwin Wallace Williams in San Jose, California, he quickly developed a love for the arts, performing in plays at San Jose State and Stanford. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he pursued radio, lending his voice to productions by Lillian Fontaine, mother of Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.
He auditioned for major films like Stalag 17 and The Robe but wasn’t cast. In 1955, he moved to Los Angeles to teach at The Don Martin School of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences, later moving to L.A. City College. During this period, he largely stopped acting, not auditioning for nearly 25 years.
Ed Williams Lands His Signature Role in the ‘Naked Gun’ Franchise
In the early 1980s, Williams returned to acting. He was cast by Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers (Jerry and David) as Ted Olson in the TV series Police Squad! The show premiered in March 1982 but ran for only six episodes before its cancellation.
However, it was revived in 1988 as the film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Williams and Leslie Nielsen were the only actors to appear in both the series and the subsequent films.
Williams portrayed Ted in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. He did not appear in the 2025 reboot, which featured Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr.
Outside of the Naked Gun franchise and Father of the Bride, he appeared in The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1991) and Carnosaur (1993). Meanwhile, his television credits include guest appearances on Cheers, MacGyver, Matlock, L.A. Law, and House, according to IMDb.
Williams is survived by his wife, Nancy, and their children and grandchildren.