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
Gilda
(1946)
Man (uncredited)
The Outsiders
(1983)
Store Clerk
Red Dawn
(1984)
Strelnikov
Maverick
(1994)
Riverboat Poker Player
Conan the Barbarian
(1982)
Conan's Father
American Me
(1992)
Deacon
Irresistible
(2020)
Hofbrau Bar Fly
Any Which Way You Can
(1980)
Jack Wilson
Rumble Fish
(1983)
Patterson the Cop
Atlantis: The Lost Continent
(1961)
Captain of the Guard
The Frisco Kid
(1979)
Matt Diggs
The Boy with Green Hair
(1948)
Boy (uncredited)
Maniac Cop
(1988)
Captain Ripley
Uncle Sam
(1996)
Major
Platoon Leader
(1988)
Major Flynn
Fast Company
(1979)
Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
Full Filmography
Acting
The Ghost of Frankenstein
(1942)
Boy (uncredited)
Meet Me in St. Louis
(1944)
Little Boy (uncredited)
Going My Way
(1944)
Choir Member (uncredited)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(1945)
Boy (uncredited)
Gilda
(1946)
Man (uncredited)
The Boy with Green Hair
(1948)
Boy (uncredited)
Never So Few
(1959)
MP Officer #1
The Mating Game
(1959)
Barney
Girls Town
(1959)
Man (uncredited)
Atlantis: The Lost Continent
(1961)
Captain of the Guard
Mail Order Bride
(1964)
Lank
36 Hours
(1964)
Guy (uncredited)
Three Guns for Texas
(1968)
Texas Ranger Joe Riley
Run, Angel, Run!
(1969)
Angel
Backtrack!
(1969)
Texas Ranger Joe Riley (archive footage)
The Over the Hill Gang
(1969)
Amos (as Bill Smith)
Angels Die Hard
(1970)
Tim
Darker Than Amber
(1970)
Terry
C.C. and Company
(1970)
Moon
The Losers
(1970)
Link Thomas
Chrome and Hot Leather
(1971)
T.J.
Runaway, Runaway
(1971)
Frank
Grave of the Vampire
(1972)
James Eastman
The Thing with Two Heads
(1972)
Hysterical Condemned Man
Hammer
(1972)
Brenner
Piranha
(1972)
Caribe
The Man Hunter
(1972)
Clel Bocock
Invasion of the Bee Girls
(1973)
Neil Agar
Sweet Jesus, Preacherman
(1973)
Martelli
The Deadly Trackers
(1973)
Schoolboy
The Last American Hero
(1973)
Kyle Kingman
Prologue to Wounded Knee
(1973)
Camper John Allen
Black Samson
(1974)
Johnny Nappa
The Sex Symbol
(1974)
Butch Wischnewski
Policewomen
(1974)
Karate Instructor
The Ultimate Warrior
(1975)
Carrot
Boss Nigger
(1975)
Jed Clayton
The Swinging Barmaids
(1975)
Harry
Dr. Minx
(1975)
Gus Dolan
Win, Place or Steal
(1975)
Tom
Hollywood Man
(1976)
Rafe Stoker
Scorchy
(1976)
Carl Henrich
Crackle of Death
(1976)
Shaman Jim Elkhorn
Twilight's Last Gleaming
(1977)
Hoxey
Blackjack
(1978)
Andy Mayfield (as Bill Smith)
Blood & Guts
(1978)
Dan O'Neil
Fast Company
(1979)
Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
The Frisco Kid
(1979)
Matt Diggs
Seven
(1979)
Drew
The Rebels
(1979)
John Waverly
Any Which Way You Can
(1980)
Jack Wilson
The Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes
(1980)
Tolar
Conan the Barbarian
(1982)
Conan's Father
Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang
(1982)
Monk Hardwick
The Outsiders
(1983)
Store Clerk
Rumble Fish
(1983)
Patterson the Cop
Red Dawn
(1984)
Strelnikov
The Jerk, Too
(1984)
Suicide
The Mean Season
(1985)
Albert O'Shaughnessy
Fever Pitch
(1985)
Panama Hat
Eye of the Tiger
(1986)
Blade
The Phantom Empire
(1987)
Dr. Chambers
Moon in Scorpio
(1987)
Burt
Commando Squad
(1987)
Morgan Denny
Hell on the Battleground
(1987)
Colonel Meredith
The Badd One
(1987)
Badd
Hell Comes to Frogtown
(1988)
Captain Devlin / Count Sodom
Bulletproof
(1988)
Russian Major
Maniac Cop
(1988)
Captain Ripley
Evil Altar
(1988)
Reed Weller
Platoon Leader
(1988)
Major Flynn
Red Nights
(1988)
Phillip
Eagle's Law
(1988)
L.A. Vice
(1989)
Capt. Joe Wilkes
Jungle Assault
(1989)
General Mitchell
Memorial Valley Massacre
(1989)
Gen. Mintz
Action U.S.A.
(1989)
Conover
Terror In Beverly Hills
(1989)
President
B.O.R.N.
(1989)
Dr. Farley
Deadly Breed
(1989)
Captain
Slow Burn
(1989)
Antonio Scarpelli
East L.A. Warriors
(1989)
Martelli
The Final Sanction
(1990)
Maj. Galashkin
Empire of Ash III
(1990)
Lucas
Instant Karma
(1990)
Pop
Cartel
(1990)
Mason
Emperor of the Bronx
(1990)
Fitz
Forgotten Heroes
(1990)
General Gregori Zelenkov
Spirit of the Eagle
(1991)
Hatchett
The Roller Blade Seven
(1991)
Pharoah
Cybernator
(1991)
Colonel Peck
Kiss and Be Killed
(1991)
Det. Murdoch
Merchant of Evil
(1991)
Victor Fortunetti
Feast
(1992)
Det. George Bordelli
American Me
(1992)
Deacon
The Last Riders
(1992)
Hammer
Shadow of the Dragon
(1992)
Eric Brunner
Dark Secrets
(1992)
Robert
GetEven
(1993)
Normad
Legend of The Roller Blade Seven
(1993)
Pharoah
Return of the Roller Blade Seven
(1993)
Pharoah
Maverick
(1994)
Riverboat Poker Player
Taken Alive
(1994)
L.E.
Manosaurus
(1994)
Sheriff Todd
Big Sister 2000
(1995)
The Man
Uncle Sam
(1996)
Major
Raw Energy
(1996)
Sam Stompkins
Neon Signs
(1996)
Clyde
The Colony
(1996)
Theo Maxwell
Hollywood Cops
(1997)
Rinaldi
The Shooter
(1997)
Jerry Krants
Doublecross on Costa's Island
(1997)
L. E.
Broken Vessels
(1998)
Bo
Blood of His Own
(1998)
Heat of Las Vegas
(1998)
Mario Verelli
Debbie Does Damnation
(1999)
Wasteland Justice
(1999)
Moon
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
(2000)
Conan's Father (archive footage)
Never Look Back
(2000)
Lee Clayton
The Vampire Hunters Club
(2001)
Johnny
The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula
(2001)
Count Dracula
Deadly Memories
(2002)
Sheriff Taggart
Zombiegeddon
(2003)
Lord Zombie
God Has a Rap Sheet
(2003)
Lucifer
The Rock 'n Roll Cops
(2003)
Rinaldi
A Mission to Kill
(2003)
Killer Story
(2004)
Monty
Y.M.I.
(2004)
Cal
Hell to Pay
(2005)
Emil Brax
Vice
(2005)
Spooky Harlow
Voices from the Graves
(2006)
Lester Jiggs
Inner Rage
(2006)
Sam
Rapturious
(2007)
Sheriff
Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story
(2007)
Man with Machine Gun
The Boneyard Collection
(2008)
Bill, the First Director (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
Rock n' Roll Cops Lite
(2014)
Rinaldi (archive footage)
Doses of Horror
(2018)
Neil Agar ("A Dose of Bee Stings" segment) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Irresistible
(2020)
Hofbrau Bar Fly
Production
Writing