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  1. #1
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    Default ‘Laredo’ actor William Smith dies; played cowboys, brawlers


    New York Daily News
    New York Daily News
    ‘Laredo’ actor William Smith dies; played cowboys, brawlers
    Andrew Dalton - Friday


    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 died at 88.

    Smith’s wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She declined to give the cause of death.

    With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, amassing nearly 300 credits.

    Actor William Smith attends the Golden Boot Awards at the Sheraton Universal Hotel on Aug. 7, 2004 in Universal City, Calif.


    He played bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in “Any Which Way You Can,” one of the top-grossing movies of 1980.

    “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.”


    Smith starred as Texas Ranger Joe Riley in both seasons of the NBC western series “Laredo” from 1965 to 1967.

    Hey played Anthony Falconetti, the menacing nemesis of the central family in the 1976 ABC miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man,” and returned for its sequel.

    And he played Detective James “Kimo” Carew in the final season of the original “Hawaii Five-O” on CBS in 1979 and 1980.

    Born in Columbia, Mo., 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.”

    He would later become an elite discus thrower at UCLA, a martial-arts black belt and a champion arm-wrestler.

    He served in the Korean War and acted in bit parts in television shows throughout the 1950s before landing a regular role as a police sergeant in the 1961 ABC series “The Asphalt Jungle.”

    Smith would take part in another classic screen brawl, this one with Rod Taylor, as a bodybuilder in the 1970 film “Darker Than Amber.”

    He would also play Arnold Schwarzenegger’s father in 1982′s “Conan the Barbarian,” after being considered for the title role, and a Soviet general in 1984′s “Red Dawn.”

    In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a son, William E. Smith III, and a daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli
    Most of the old guard have passed on. Loved his character in the TV western series, Laredo.
    And his famous is fight scene against Clint Eastwood..--Tyr
    18 U.S. Code § 2381-Treason Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

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  3. #2
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    Was gonna do a post on this myself Amigo...But will add on to yours...

    ...I really like that guy...Played some great roles...Tough Guy! He will be missed!!



    Before playing a fictional tough guy, he played one in real life after enlisting with the Air Force during the Korean War in 1951 where he flew secret missions.

    During his service, he made time for higher education he studied at institutions in Syracuse, Munich, and Paris before graduating Cum Laude from UCLA where he earned a master’s degree.

    Smith, Eastwood, Sondra Locke, ‘Any Which Way You Can’ (1980) - Credit: Everett Collection

    “It was to my immense delight that I immediately recognized the actor playing Jack Wilson,” Ebert wrote. “He was William (Big Bill) Smith, who played a lot of motorcycle gang leaders in films of the late 1960s and still looks as fearsome as ever.

    He and Eastwood meet while out jogging one morning, and then he falls off a cliff and is rescued by Eastwood, after which he beats up a lot of guys who insult Eastwood’s girlfriend in a bar. All in a day’s work.”

    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/william-smith-dies-actor-brawled-175137773.html



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  5. #3
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    He made it to 88 years old.
    Not a bad run, imho...
    Definitely kept himself in great physical shape...--Tyr
    18 U.S. Code § 2381-Treason Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

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    Never forget he played in "Hell's Angels on Wheels"

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