Hal Williams, the veteran TV actor who starred in the beloved sitcom 227 and appeared in Sanford and Son, has passed away.
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The 91-year-old died on July 15 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, his representative told Deadline. No other details of the actor’s death were provided.
Per IMDb, 227 ran from 1985 to 1990, chronicling the lives of residents in a Washington, D.C. apartment building. Williams played the beloved patriarch Lester Jenkins, starring alongside Marla Gibbs as his wife Mary and a young Regina King as his daughter Brenda.
The hit sitcom ran for 116 episodes over five seasons on NBC. In 1987, series star Jackée Harry took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Hal Williams Played a Fan Favorite on ‘Sanford And Son’
Of course, some TV fans may know Williams best as Officer “Smitty” Smith in Sanford and Son. Paired with Howard Platt’s Officer “Hoppy” Hopkins, the duo had a classic recurring bit: Hopkins would kick things off with a mouthful of complicated police jargon, and it was left to the ever-reliable Smitty to translate it all back into plain English for the rest of us.
In a recent interview with Cleveland’s WKYC, Williams revealed that the characters’ comedic dynamic was born during rehearsals.
“We did it in one time in rehearsal, and the producers thought it was funny,” Williams recalled. “We did it in the first or second episode, and it clicked. Some days, we would come to rehearsal, and they didn’t have anything solid. [So the producers would say,] ‘Go out, take a break for two hours, and bring us something back.’”
Williams Appeared in TV Shows Spanning From ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ to ‘Parks and Recreation’
Williams’ deep-voiced authority made him a natural fit for several other series. He appeared as a recurring character on ABC’s On the Rocks and the full run of the Private Benjamin TV adaptation, where he played the gruff Sgt. Ted Ross. He also had an extended run as Rudy Bryan in 20 episodes of The Sinbad Show.
Throughout his nearly 60-year career, Williams became a familiar face to generations of TV fans. He made guest appearances on staples such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Police Woman, Gunsmoke, Police Story, Quincy, M.E., Good Times, Knots Landing, The Waltons, The Dukes of Hazzard, Webster, Hill Street Blues, Magnum, P.I., Night Court, L.A. Law, Moesha, and Parks and Recreation.
His final TV appearance was in the rebooted Matlock starring Kathy Bates.
Williams also built an impressive roster of film credits. He appeared opposite George C. Scott in Hardcore and alongside Clint Eastwood in The Rookie. He also starred with James Earl Jones and Billy Dee Williams in Percy & Thunder. Other notable roles include Guess Who with Bernie Mac and Zoe Saldaña, and Flight, where he played Denzel Washington’s father.
The beloved actor is survived by his two children, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.