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Clarence Williams III

Clarence Williams III (August 21, 1939 – June 4, 2021) was an American actor. Williams was the son of a professional musician, Clarence "Clay" Williams Jr., and grandson of jazz and blues composer/pianist Clarence Williams and his singer-actress wife, Eva Taylor. Raised by his paternal grandmother, he became interested in acting after accidentally walking onto a stage at a theater below a Harlem YMCA. Williams began pursuing an acting career after spending two years as a U.S. Army paratrooper in C Company, 506th Infantry, of the 101st Airborne Division. He first appeared on Broadway in The Long Dream (1960). Continuing his work on stage, he appeared in Walk in Darkness (1963), Sarah and the Sax (1964), Doubletalk (1964), and King John. His breakout theatrical role was in William Hanley's Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, for which he received a Tony Award nomination. The New York Times drama critic Howard Taubman wrote of his performance, "Mr. Williams glides like a dancer, giving his long, fraudulently airy speeches the inner rhythms of fear and showing the nakedness of terror when he ceases to pretend." He also served as artist-in-residence at Brandeis University in 1966. Williams' breakout television role was as undercover cop Linc Hayes on the popular ABC counterculture police television series The Mod Squad (1968), along with fellow relative unknowns Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton. After the series ended in 1973, he worked in a variety of genres on stage and screen, from comedy (I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Half-Baked) to sci-fi (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and drama (Purple Rain). Spanning over forty years, his career included the role of Prince's tormented father, who was also a musician, in Purple Rain (1984), A guest appearance in Miami Vice (1985), a recurring role in the surreal TV series Twin Peaks (1990), a good cop in Deep Cover (1992), a rioter in the mini-series Against the Wall (1994), and Wesley Snipes' chemically dependent father in Sugar Hill (1993). His other roles on television include Hill Street Blues, the Canadian cult classic The Littlest Hobo, Miami Vice, The Highwayman, Burn Notice, Everybody Hates Chris, Justified, Cold Case, and Law & Order. He can be seen in films such as 52 Pick-Up, Life, The Cool World, Deep Cover, Tales from the Hood, Half-Baked, King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis, Hoodlum, Frogs for Snakes, Starstruck, The General's Daughter, Reindeer Games, Impostor, and as the early jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton in The Legend of 1900. He also played a supporting role as George Wallace's fictional African-American butler and caretaker in the 1997 TNT film George Wallace. From 2003 to 2007, Williams had a recurring role as Philby Cross in the Mystery Woman film series on the Hallmark Channel. He appeared in all but the first of the eleven films alongside Kellie Martin (J.E. Freeman played Philby in the Mystery Woman first film). In the seventh (Mystery Woman: At First Sight) film, he reunited with his Mod Squad co-star Michael Cole. He played Bumpy Johnson in the film American Gangster. From 2005 to 2007 Williams had another recurring role as the voice of Councilor Andam on the Disney animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. Williams died in Los Angeles, on June 4, 2021, at the age of 81, from colon cancer. He is buried in St Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York.

  • Known ForActing
  • Born21 August 1939 (age 86)
  • Place of BirthNew York City, New York, USA

Clarence Williams III

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Clarence Williams III (August 21, 1939 – June 4, 2021) was an American actor. Williams was the son of a professional musician, Clarence "Clay" Williams Jr., and grandson of jazz and blues composer/pianist Clarence Williams and his singer-actress wife, Eva Taylor. Raised by his paternal grandmother, he became interested in acting after accidentally walking onto a stage at a theater below a Harlem YMCA. Williams began pursuing an acting career after spending two years as a U.S. Army paratrooper in C Company, 506th Infantry, of the 101st Airborne Division. He first appeared on Broadway in The Long Dream (1960). Continuing his work on stage, he appeared in Walk in Darkness (1963), Sarah and the Sax (1964), Doubletalk (1964), and King John. His breakout theatrical role was in William Hanley's Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, for which he received a Tony Award nomination. The New York Times drama critic Howard Taubman wrote of his performance, "Mr. Williams glides like a dancer, giving his long, fraudulently airy speeches the inner rhythms of fear and showing the nakedness of terror when he ceases to pretend." He also served as artist-in-residence at Brandeis University in 1966. Williams' breakout television role was as undercover cop Linc Hayes on the popular ABC counterculture police television series The Mod Squad (1968), along with fellow relative unknowns Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton. After the series ended in 1973, he worked in a variety of genres on stage and screen, from comedy (I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Half-Baked) to sci-fi (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and drama (Purple Rain). Spanning over forty years, his career included the role of Prince's tormented father, who was also a musician, in Purple Rain (1984), A guest appearance in Miami Vice (1985), a recurring role in the surreal TV series Twin Peaks (1990), a good cop in Deep Cover (1992), a rioter in the mini-series Against the Wall (1994), and Wesley Snipes' chemically dependent father in Sugar Hill (1993). His other roles on television include Hill Street Blues, the Canadian cult classic The Littlest Hobo, Miami Vice, The Highwayman, Burn Notice, Everybody Hates Chris, Justified, Cold Case, and Law & Order. He can be seen in films such as 52 Pick-Up, Life, The Cool World, Deep Cover, Tales from the Hood, Half-Baked, King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis, Hoodlum, Frogs for Snakes, Starstruck, The General's Daughter, Reindeer Games, Impostor, and as the early jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton in The Legend of 1900. He also played a supporting role as George Wallace's fictional African-American butler and caretaker in the 1997 TNT film George Wallace. From 2003 to 2007, Williams had a recurring role as Philby Cross in the Mystery Woman film series on the Hallmark Channel. He appeared in all but the first of the eleven films alongside Kellie Martin (J.E. Freeman played Philby in the Mystery Woman first film). In the seventh (Mystery Woman: At First Sight) film, he reunited with his Mod Squad co-star Michael Cole. He played Bumpy Johnson in the film American Gangster. From 2005 to 2007 Williams had another recurring role as the voice of Councilor Andam on the Disney animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. Williams died in Los Angeles, on June 4, 2021, at the age of 81, from colon cancer. He is buried in St Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York.

  • Known ForActing
  • Born21 August 1939 (age 86)
  • Place of BirthNew York City, New York, USA
KNOWN FOR
PHOTOS
CREDITS
Poster
American Nightmares
star
4.853
2018
Poster
The Butler
star
7.333
2013
Poster
The Way of War
star
3.6
2009
Poster
A Day in the Life
star
5.536
2009
Poster
Mystery Woman: In the Shadows
star
6.1
2007
Poster
American Gangster
star
7.59
2007
Poster
Constellation
star
4.833
2007
Poster
Mystery Woman: Redemption
star
6.6
2006
Poster
Mystery Woman: Oh Baby
star
6.8
2006
Poster
Mystery Woman: At First Sight
star
6.3
2006
Poster
Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery
star
6.2
2006
Poster
Mystery Woman: Game Time
star
6.6
2005
Poster
Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder
star
5.1
2005
Poster
Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend
star
7.2
2005
Poster
Mystery Woman: Sing Me a Murder
star
5.4
2005
Poster
Mystery Woman: Snapshot
star
6.6
2005
Poster
Blue Hill Avenue
star
7.1
2003
Poster
The Extreme Team
star
3.125
2003
Poster
Happy Here and Now
star
4.5
2002
Poster
Mindstorm
star
3.25
2001
Poster
Impostor
star
6.115
2001
Poster
Reindeer Games
star
5.7
2000
Poster
Ali: An American Hero
star
4.8
2000
Poster
Ritual
star
5.5
2000
Poster
Civility
star
2.0
2000
Poster
The General's Daughter
star
6.404
1999
Poster
Life
star
6.652
1999
Poster
Half Baked
star
6.309
1998
Poster
The Legend of 1900
star
8.253
1998
Poster
Frogs for Snakes
star
2.667
1998
Poster
Starstruck
star
5.125
1998
Poster
Hoodlum
star
6.396
1997
Poster
The Love Bug
star
5.671
1997
Poster
The Brave
star
6.028
1997
Poster
George Wallace
star
6.813
1997
Poster
Sprung
star
5.4
1997
Poster
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
star
7.142
1996
Poster
The Silencers
star
4.412
1996
Poster
The Road to Galveston
star
5.0
1996
Poster
Encino Woman
star
4.0
1996
Poster
Tales from the Hood
star
6.3
1995
Poster
The Immortals
star
5.683
1995
Poster
Judgement
star
7.0
1995
Poster
Against the Wall
star
6.107
1994
Poster
Sugar Hill
star
5.6
1994
Poster
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
star
6.0
1993
Poster
Deadfall
star
4.026
1993
Poster
Deep Cover
star
6.754
1992
Poster
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
star
6.1
1991
Poster
Maniac Cop 2
star
5.876
1990
Poster
Nasty Boys, Part 2: Lone Justice
star
5.5
1990
Poster
Perfect Victims
star
4.4
1988
Poster
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
star
6.423
1988
Poster
The Last Innocent Man
star
5.182
1987
Poster
Tough Guys Don't Dance
star
4.761
1987
Poster
52 Pick-Up
star
5.977
1986
Poster
Purple Rain
star
6.7
1984
Poster
The House of Dies Drear
star
-
1984
Poster
The Return of Mod Squad
star
5.0
1979
Poster
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
star
7.091
1970
Poster
The Cool World
star
5.35
1963