(Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images). The scene was long but choreographed well. 'Hawaii Five-O' star dead at 88, fans mourn 'greatest TV villain'. That was a real fight with real blood and real broken bones. "And so the fight was on. Prior to his time in the military and his eventual contract with MGM, Smith did have a substantial amount of experience in Hollywood as a youngster. 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Deadline noted that Smithpursued higher educationin Syracuse, Munich, and Paris before he graduated Cum Laude from UCLA, earning a master's degree. In 1967, Smith guest starred as Jude Bonner on James Arness's long-lived western Gunsmoke. He starred in 1972's Grave of the Vampire as James Eastman (co-starring with Michael Pataki and Lyn Peters), and 1973's Invasion of the Bee Girls (co-starring Victoria Vetri, Anitra Ford and Katie Saylor, written by Nicholas Meyer and directed by Denis Sanders), and 1975's The Swinging Barmaids (starring Ms. Saylor, Bruce Watson and Laura Hippe, and directed by Gus Trikonis). 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. pg.acq.push(function() { }); Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The 88 year olds cause of death is unknown; he died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Smith is survived by his wife of 31 years, Joanne Cervelli Smith and his two children William E. Smith III and Sherri Anne Cervelli. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said the star. gads_event = event; hitType: 'event', His trademark arms measured as much as .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}19+12 inches. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), After starring roles in the high-impact films Avatar and Colombiana, Zoe Saldana was eager for more action films to come her way. Action star William Smith, known for his roles in "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Laredo," died Monday, according to the New York Post. The anime actor's cause of death wasn't immediately released, but he had been battling end-stage cardiac obstructive pulmonary disease since 2017. . Along with appearing in films, William Smith also made his mark in television. Good actor ! 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. May his soul Rest In Peace. William Smith, the iconic tough-guy actor in "Hawaii Five-O" and "Laredo," died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills. She also penned onFacebook, "My heart hurts so badly.". He has 274 credited acting roles on the IMDB database spanning almost 80 years and 30 credits for stunt work during a period of 33 years. Smith also fought legendary actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood in "Any Which Way You Can," which was "the longest two-man fights ever done on film" without the use of stunt doubles. ga('ads.send', { The cause of death is unknown. In excellent shape and healthy living. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images), "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 left tinsel town for a bit when he enlisted in the Army to fight in the Korean War. Smith is also known for films like Any Which Way You Can (1980), Conan The Barbarian (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), and Red Dawn (1984), as well as lead roles in several exploitation films during the 1990s.[2]. Rest in peace to a great actor. William Smith (March 24, 1933 July 5, 2021) was an American actor. hitType: 'event', Gerry Byrne . hitType: 'event', That one was so realistic that both Smith and Taylor suffered injuries during the filming of it. Smith was also known to fight in two of the most memorable fight sequences in cinematic history going up against Clint Eastwood in 1980s 'Any Which Way You Can' and Rod Taylor in 1970s 'Darker than Amber'. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ William Smith, the rugged actor who starred on "Laredo" and "Rich Man, Poor Man" and had memorable movie brawls with Rod Taylor and Clint Eastwood, died Monday, his wife said. Ten years later, he made movie history again when he squared off against Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can. It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles, Smith said about the notorious scene. He was 88. pg.acq.push(function() { William Hurt, the Oscar-winning US actor whose roles ranged from acclaimed 1980s dramas to Marvel films, has died at the age of 71, US media say. He had 18-inch biceps and could do 5,100 continuous sit-ups and reverse-curl 163 pounds all of which helped solidify the 6-foot-2-inch man as one of Hollywoods legendary tough guys, along with the list of his 289 credits on Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com). William Smith, the action star who tussled with Clint Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can, made a lasting impression as the evil Falconetti on TV miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and was a regular. Smith died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles in 2021, aged 88. ", Greatest TV villain ever, as a kid in the 70's everyone and their aunt hated the character of Falconetti that he brought to life in 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. Legal Statement. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Suzzanne Douglas, star of 'The Parent 'Hood' and 'When They See Us,' dead at 64. William Smith was an actor known for roles in movies and TV shows including "Laredo" and "Rich Man, Poor Man." Died: July 5, 2021 ( Who else died on July 5?) pic.twitter.com/tMc8fKJBa5, Phoef Sutton (@phoefsutton) July 10, 2021. In 2009, Smith published The Poetic Works of William Smith. Over the next thirty years, Smith became one of the kings of B-movie and television villainy. However, his first role was an uncredited one where he played a village boy in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" in 1942. William Smith was probably best known for his portrayal as "Falconetti" in Rich Man, Poor Man (1976). In 1996, Warwick married William Elliott. At the time, Smith was just 8 years old (via Deadline). William Smith was in the Season 12 Classic HFO season 1979-1980. On the big screen, Smith became the star of several cult movies from the early seventies. Smith was also an accomplished athlete, receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness in 1995. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said the star of "Laredo" and "Rich Man, Poor Man" died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He was 88. Smith had three broken ribs, and Taylor had a broken nose. To me, it was like the hand-to-hand combat version of the Battle of Bloody Porch. In addition to wife Joanne, Smith leaves behind a daughter, Sherri, and a son,William III. An experience, though, that would forever shape Smith's legacy would be when he stepped into the role of a merciless bodybuilder in 1970's "Darker Than Amber," where he went head to head in the ring with Rod Taylor. CHICK VENNERA, 'GOLDEN GIRLS' AND 'ANIMANIACS' ACTOR, DEAD AT 74, Born 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. The man has nearly 300 roles in both films and television. William H Gates, philanthropist and father of Bill Gates, has provided DeathList 2020 with another score. William Smith, a longtime film and TV tough guy, passed away on Monday, July 5th, as confirmed by his wife Joanne Cervelli Smith. Commemorative remembrance: 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Black Pot Beach, Hanalei. [1], Smith died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, on July 5, 2021, at the age of 88. pic.twitter.com/UJVpOSTted, Daily Grindhouse (@DailyGrindhouse) July 9, 2021. Thanks for contacting us. Actor William Smith known for his many film and television roles since breaking into acting as a child star in the 1940s died on July 5, 2021. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of His wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed that the action star passed away at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on July 5. Originally intending to work for the U.S. government in a classified position due to his clearance in the CIA and NSA, Smith changed his career trajectory when he landed an acting contract with MGM, which led to roles in George Pal's "Atlantis, The Lost Continent" in 1961 and TV series like "Batman," "Lassie," "Death Valley Days," and "The Mob Squad.". Later in his career, he was the "go-to-guy" for biker films, like "The Losers" and "Chrome and Hot Leather," in the 1970s. William Henry Redfield (January 26, 1927 - August 17, 1976) was an American actor and author who appeared in many theatrical, film, radio, and television roles. The roles he is most known for are Anthony Falconetti in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man,and he appeared in the original Hawaii Five-O television series from 1979-1980 as Detective James Kimo Carew. Whether his character was the hero or villain, he made the role believable. At UCLA where he earned his Masters Degree, he was an elite discus thrower. Throughout his career, Smith was known for persevering in a cutthroat industry. As a member of the US Air Force, Smith was a veteran of the Korean War; he acted as a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions. In the 1976 television miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, he portrayed Anthony Falconetti, nemesis of the Jordache family, and reprised the role in the sequel, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II. MovieWeb even states that Smith appeared in almost every TV series of the 1970s and 1980s, like"The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The A Team.". or redistributed. In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a son, William E. Smith III, and a daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. In the fist fight scene that ends the film, Rod Taylor hit Smith (who was playing the villain) who retaliated in kind,[6] and a staged-fight scene became a real fight as the cameras continued to roll. Gates Senior was a successful attorney. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ The 88 year old's cause of death is unknown; he died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He was inducted into the Muscle Beach Venice Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in 2010 and became an honorary member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures in 2000. Back in his heyday, the bodybuilder was a champion discus thrower at UCLA, an arm-wrestling and boxing champion and a martial arts black belt. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' In a Hollywood career spanning more than 75 years, he appeared in almost three hundred feature films and television productions in a wide variety of character roles, with his best known role being the menacing Anthony Falconetti in the 1970s television mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. All rights reserved. Actor William Smith, known for playing bikers, cowboys and brawlers in a series of television shows and hit movies, has died. 1. His wife . He was 88. 1:14. Smith joined the cast of the final season of Hawaii Five-O as Detective James "Kimo" Carew, a new officer in the Five-O unit. The actor took his last breath at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on Monday, July 5, according to his wife Joanne Cervelli Smith. Heis survived by his wife, hissonWilliam E. 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