William Smith

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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".

Filmography

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2020
Irresistible
Movie Hofbrau Bar Fly
2018
Doses of Horror
Movie Neil Agar ("A Dose of Bee Stings" segment) (archive footage) (uncredited)
2014
Rock n' Roll Cops Lite
Movie Rinaldi (archive footage)
2008
The Boneyard Collection
Movie Bill, the First Director (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
2007
Rapturious
Movie Sheriff
2007
Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story
Movie Man with Machine Gun
2006
Inner Rage
Movie Sam
2006
Voices from the Graves
Movie Lester Jiggs
2005
Hell to Pay
Movie Emil Brax
2004
Killer Story
Movie Monty
2004
Y.M.I.
Movie Cal
2003
The Rock 'n Roll Cops
Movie Rinaldi
2003
A Mission to Kill
Movie
2003
Zombiegeddon
Movie Lord Zombie
2003
God Has a Rap Sheet
Movie Lucifer
2002
Deadly Memories
Movie Sheriff Taggart

More credits

2001
Justice League
TV show Draaga (voice)
2001
The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula
Movie Count Dracula
2001
The Vampire Hunters Club
Movie Johnny
2000
Vice
Movie Spooky Harlow
2000
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
Movie Conan's Father (archive footage)
2000
Never Look Back
Movie Lee Clayton
1999
Debbie Does Damnation
Movie
1999
Wasteland Justice
Movie Moon
1998
Blood of His Own
Movie
1998
Broken Vessels
Movie Bo
1998
Heat of Las Vegas
Movie Mario Verelli
1997
The Shooter
Movie Jerry Krants
1997
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
TV show Wes Tronker (segment "Devil's Tattoo")
1997
Doublecross on Costa's Island
Movie L. E.
1997
Hollywood Cops
Movie Rinaldi
1996
Uncle Sam
Movie Major
1996
The Colony
Movie Theo Maxwell
1996
Nash Bridges
TV show Boris Zarkov
1996
Neon Signs
Movie Clyde
1996
Raw Energy
Movie Sam Stompkins
1995
Big Sister 2000
Movie The Man
1994
Manosaurus
Movie Sheriff Todd
1994
Due South
TV show Harold Geiger
1994
Maverick
Movie Riverboat Poker Player