William Smith profile
Actor profile

William Smith

24th March 1933 Columbia, Missouri, USA Acting

William Smith was an American film and television actor who appeared in more than 300 feature films and television productions, best known for playing Anthony Falconetti on the TV mini series "Rich Man, Poor Man". He held a BA from Syracuse and an MA in Russian Studies from UCLA. Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith began his acting career at the age of eight in 1942; he entered films as a child actor in such films as The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Song of Bernadette and Meet Me in St. Louis. He was a regular on the 1961 ABC television series The Asphalt Jungle, portraying police Sergeant Danny Keller. One of his earliest leading roles was as Joe Riley, a Texas Ranger on the NBC western series Laredo. In 1967, Smith guest starred as Jude Bonner on James Arness's long-lived western Gunsmoke. Smith was cast as John Richard Parker, brother of Cynthia Ann Parker, both taken hostage in Texas by the Comanche, in the 1969 episode "The Understanding" of the syndicated television series Death Valley Days, which was hosted by Robert Taylor. In the story line, Parker contracts the plague, is left for dead by his fellow Comanche warriors, and is rescued by his future Mexican wife, Yolanda (Emily Banks). He played outlaw turned temporary sheriff Hendry Brown in the 1969 episode "The Restless Man". In that story line, Brown takes the job of sheriff to tame a lawless town, begins to court a young woman (again played by Emily Banks), but soon returns to his deadly outlaw ways in search of bigger thrills. On Gunsmoke, Smith appeared in a 1972 episode, "Hostage!"; his character beats and rapes Amanda Blake's character Miss Kitty Russell and shoots her twice in the back. Smith has been described as the "greatest bad-guy character actor of our time".

145 Movies 81 TV Shows 226 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Doses of Horror poster
Doses of Horror 5th January 2018 as Neil Agar ("A Dose of Bee Stings" segment) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Vice poster
Vice 29th June 2000 as Spooky Harlow
Maverick poster
Maverick 20th May 1994 as Riverboat Poker Player
Feast poster
Feast 1st January 1992 as Det. George Bordelli
Slow Burn poster
Slow Burn 31st December 1989 as Antonio Scarpelli
Seven poster
Seven 7th September 1979 as Drew
Blackjack poster
Blackjack 1st November 1978 as Andy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
Scorchy poster
Scorchy 8th October 1976 as Carl Henrich
Backtrack! poster
Backtrack! 26th May 1969 as Texas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage)
36 Hours poster
36 Hours 26th November 1964 as Guy (uncredited)
The Gazebo poster
The Gazebo 15th January 1960 as Actor Who Trips Over Camera (uncredited)
Gilda poster
Gilda 25th April 1946 as Man (uncredited)
Hunter poster
Hunter 18th September 1984 as Sgt. Sal Drasso
Airwolf poster
Airwolf 22nd January 1984 as Patterson
The A-Team poster
The A-Team 23rd January 1983 as Dimitri Shasta Kovich
CHiPs poster
CHiPs 15th September 1977 as Stan
Kung Fu poster
Kung Fu 14th October 1972 as Capt. Luther Staggers
Columbo poster
Columbo 15th September 1971 as Nichols
Batman poster
Batman 12th January 1966 as Adonis
Laredo poster
Laredo 16th September 1965 as Joe Riley
Combat! poster
Combat! 2nd October 1962 as German Sergeant