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Andrew Dalton July 09, 2021 - 6:03 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) â Actor William Smith, who played bikers, brawlers, cowboys and no-nonsense tough guys in films and television shows including âLaredo,â âRich Man, Poor Manâ and âAny Which Way You Can,â has died at 88.
Smith s wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She declined to give the cause of death.
With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, amassing nearly 300 credits.
He played bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in âAny Which Way You Can,â one of the top-grossing movies of 1980.
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OffOn Laredo actor William Smith dies; played cowboys, brawlers
Actor William Smith, who played cowboys, brawlers and no-nonsense tough guys in nearly 300 films and television shows, has died at 88
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
July 10, 2021, 4:29 AM
• 2 min read
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LOS ANGELES Actor William Smith, who played bikers, brawlers, cowboys and no-nonsense tough guys in films and television shows including “Laredo,” “Rich Man, Poor Man” and “Any Which Way You Can,” has died at 88.
Smith s wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said he died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She declined to give the cause of death.
Hawaii Five-O, Any Which Way You Can and
Laredo, has passed away.
RELATED:
Smith s wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed his death to
The Hollywood Reporter, saying he died on Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.
His cause of death is unknown.
William Smith rose to fame for his portrayal of Falconetti in 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. (Walt Disney Television via Getty)
Best known for playing Falconetti in the first miniseries broadcasted on American television, 1976 s
Rich Man, Poor Man, Smith s tough-guy notoriety rose to prominence after he fought Clint Eastwood in 1980 s
He played bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in “Any Which Way You Can,” one of the top-grossing movies of 1980.
“It has to be one of the longest two-man fights ever done on film without doubles,” Smith said in an interview for the 2014 book “Tales From the Cult Film Trenches.”
Smith starred as Texas Ranger Joe Riley in both seasons of the NBC western series “Laredo” from 1965 to 1967.
Hey played Anthony Falconetti, the menacing nemesis of the central family in the 1976 ABC miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man,” and returned for its sequel.
And he played Detective James “Kimo” Carew in the final season of the original “Hawaii Five-O” on CBS in 1979 and 1980.