William Smith
Biography
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".
Known For
Acting
1983
asStore Clerk
1983
asPatterson the Cop
1942
asBoy (uncredited)
1996
asClyde
1984
asStrelnikov
1989
asCapt. Joe Wilkes
1988
as
1988
asCaptain Devlin / Count Sodom
1975
asCarrot
1975
asJed Clayton
1973
asNeil Agar
2003
asLord Zombie
2002
asSheriff Taggart
1994
asRiverboat Poker Player
1982
asConan's Father
1996
asMajor
1986
asBlade
1987
asDr. Chambers
2001
asJohnny
1992
asDet. George Bordelli
2007
asSheriff
1972
asJames Eastman
1972
asHysterical Condemned Man
1975
asHarry
1961
asCaptain of the Guard
1987
asBurt
2006
asLester Jiggs
1995
asThe Man
1997
asRinaldi
1976
asRafe Stoker
1970
asTim
1985
asPanama Hat
1979
asLonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
1989
asMartelli
1979
asMatt Diggs
1980
asJack Wilson
1970
asTerry
2006
asSam
1978
asAndy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
1971
asT.J.
1970
asMoon
1980
asTolar
1974
asJohnny Nappa
1972
asBrenner
1990
asMaj. Galashkin
1969
asAngel
1977
asHoxey
1988
asGen. Mintz
1973
asMartelli
1989
asConover
1972
asCaribe
1991
asPharoah
1979
asDrew
1976
asCarl Henrich
1993
asNormad
1970
asLink Thomas
1990
asLucas
2000
asConan's Father (archive footage)
2004
asCal
1969
asTexas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage)
1989
asPresident
1973
asSchoolboy
1991
asColonel Peck
1974
asButch Wischnewski
1993
asPharoah
1964
asLank
1959
asMan (uncredited)
1975
asGus Dolan
1991
asHatchett
1989
asGeneral Mitchell
2003
asLucifer
1973
asKyle Kingman
1987
asMorgan Denny
1978
asDan O'Neil
1988
asReed Weller
2014
asRinaldi (archive footage)
1988
asRussian Major
1990
asPop
1993
asPharoah
1974
asKarate Instructor
1968
asTexas Ranger Joe Riley
1975
asTom
1996
asTheo Maxwell
1988
asCaptain Ripley
1997
asJerry Krants
2005
asEmil Brax
1959
asMP Officer #1
1987
asColonel Meredith
1990
asGeneral Gregori Zelenkov
1971
asFrank
1992
asDeacon
1946
asMan (uncredited)
1994
asL.E.
1964
asGuy (uncredited)
1979
asJohn Waverly
1992
asHammer
1944
asLittle Boy (uncredited)
1944
asChoir Member (uncredited)
2003
asRinaldi
1989
asCaptain
1972
asClel Bocock
1998
asBo
1990
asMason
1991
asDet. Murdoch
1991
asVictor Fortunetti
2007
asMan with Machine Gun
1989
asDr. Farley
1959
asBarney
1988
asMajor Flynn
1947
asYoung Boy (uncredited)
2001
asCount Dracula
2004
asMonty
1988
asPhillip
1999
as
1992
asEric Brunner
1990
asFitz
1998
as
1985
asAlbert O'Shaughnessy
1987
asBadd
1999
asMoon
2000
asSpooky Harlow
2000
asLee Clayton
1998
asMario Verelli
2018
asNeil Agar ("A Dose of Bee Stings" segment) (archive footage) (uncredited)
1984
asSuicide
1996
asSam Stompkins
1982
asMonk Hardwick
1945
asBoy (uncredited)
1994
asSheriff Todd
2008
asBill, the First Director (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
1992
asRobert
1976
asShaman Jim Elkhorn
1997
asL. E.
2020
asHofbrau Bar Fly
1973
asCamper John Allen
1989
asAntonio Scarpelli
1948
asBoy (uncredited)
1969
asAmos (as Bill Smith)
2003
as
1970
asPatrolman Hayes
1974
asJerry Grimes
1991
as
as
asClyde Thorson
as
as
asStan
as
asTugwell
asR.K. 'Blood' Henderson
asHarold Geiger
asDeputy Raynor
as
as
asAdonis
as
as(segment "Shadow Play")
asSteele
asDet. James 'Kimo' Carew
asHarold T. Turner
as
as
asSilas Quint
as
as
asAndy Witcoe
asJude Bonner
asRichter
asVincent Sandler
as
asSgt. Neville Sigerson
as
as
asJim Elkhorn
asJoe Riley
as
as
as
as
asCatoga
as
as
asAndy Adams
as
as
asJ.D. Harris
asKitana
as
as
as
as
as
as
asSgt. Danny Keller
as
as
asDraaga (voice)
as
asJase Tataro
asNichols
asSgt. Sal Drasso
asDink
asGerman Sergeant
asBill
asJoe Riley
asPaul Rogers
asLatch
as
asJimmy Delaney
asCampuits
asAmos (uncredited)
asAmos Martin
asFalconetti
asJack Harper
asFalconetti
asPatterson
asJohn Brent
asDimitri Shasta Kovich
asThomas Lance
asWarren Bean
asCapt. Luther Staggers
asMarshall Hendry Brown
asLarry
asWes Tronker (segment "Devil's Tattoo")
asCmdr. Maxwell
asSpector
asDekker
asDan Turner
asTurk
asCady
asThe Trebor
asTommy Lad
asWyatt Earp
asLieutenant Joe Cardiff
asMonk Hardwick
asMickey Sims
asDeputy Leroy
asSelf
Production
1976
as1973
asCrew
1975
asDirecting
as
