Hal Williams

Halroy Candis Williams (born December 14, 1934)[1] is an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") on Sanford and Son (1972–1976) and as the patriarch Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs's character, on the NBC sitcom 227 which originally aired from 1985 until 1990. and for his role as Sgt. L.C. Ross in Private Benjamin (1980).

Hal Williams
Williams at The Waltons' 40th anniversary, 2012.
Born
Halroy Candis Williams

(1934-12-14) December 14, 1934[1]
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor
Years active1970–present
Known forLester Jenkins – 227
Smitty – Sanford and Son
Spouse(s)
Gay Anderson
​
(
m. 1975; div. 1976)

Renee W. Himes
​
(
m. 1978; div. 1984)
Children3

Biography

Born Halroy Candis Williams on December 14, 1934 (other sources cite his birth year as 1938[2][3][4][5]), Williams was raised in Columbus, Ohio. In the early 1960s, Williams began acting in community theater in Ohio. Williams worked as a postal worker and corrections officer before moving to Hollywood to pursue an acting career in 1968.[6]

Williams began pursuing his acting career full-time in 1970. Since then, Willams has appeared in movies such as Paul Schrader's Hardcore, Howard Zieff's Private Benjamin (he also portrayed the role of Sgt L.C. "Ted" Ross in the television series of the same name), and Clint Eastwood's The Rookie. In the early to mid-1990s, he starred in many of comic Sinbad's productions, including The Sinbad Show and The Cherokee Kid. In one of his latest films, Williams portrayed the grandfather in the Bernie Mac film Guess Who which was released in 2005.

Personal life

Williams has been married twice and has three children.[4] On April 11, 1975, Williams married Gay Anderson,[7] they later divorced in November 1976.[8] Williams married Renee W. Himes on December 16, 1978 in Los Angeles, California. Williams and Himes divorced in March 1984.

Selected credits

Theater
Year Production Role Theater(s) Notes
1981 Nevis Mountain Dew Boise McCanles Los Angeles Actors Theatre

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1972Cool BreezeHarry, PolicemanUncredited
1974Herbie Rides Again
1979HardcoreBig Dick Blaque
1980On the NickelPaul
1980Private BenjaminSgt. L.C. Ross
1982The Escape ArtistCop at Mayor's Office
1990The RookiePowell
2005Guess WhoHoward Jones
2011Night ClubResident Playing Cards at Casino Night
2012FlightWhip's DadVoice

Television
Year 1974 Title Good Times Role Mover Notes Also another supporting role as James' friend at a bar
1972–1976 Sanford and Son Police Officer Smith ("Smitty")
1973–1980The Waltons Harley Foster
1975 Gunsmoke WidgeSeason 14, Episode 20 - "Hard Labor"
1981–1983Private BenjaminSgt. Ted Ross
1985–1990 227 Lester Jenkins
gollark: Would people not stop buying them when everyone who uses them ceases to exist?
gollark: With 50% probability sort of maybe ish.
gollark: From the point of view of the company selling the drive, it isn't.
gollark: Surely the original universe might find the nonexistence of anyone travelling with it problematic.
gollark: I'd assume they still use it for shipping tangle channels, at least.

References
  1. : 18 "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", Halroy Candis Williams, 2000.Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  2. Hal Williams (1938-), Historical Dictionary of African American Theater, By Anthony D. Hill, 2018
  3. Television Guest Stars, An Illustrated Career Chronicle for 678 Performers of the Sixties and Seventies, By Jack Ward · 1993
  4. NNDB - Hal Williams
  5. On This Date A DayByDay Look at Historic, By Brian Merrill · 2006
  6. "Small role led Hal Williams to big part on NBC's hit '227'". Frederick News Post. Associated Press. 3 September 1987. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  7. : 18 "Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005", database", Gay Anderson Shaw and Halroy Candis Williams, 1975.Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  8. : 18 California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, Gay Anderson Shaw and Halroy Candis Williams, 1976.Retrieved June 23, 2020.
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