The Tony-nominated performer is most recognized for his work in TV’s The Mod Squad, which aired from 1968 to 1973, and starred Williams as a detective.
Clarence Williams III, a star of Mod Squad, is dead at 81
The Mod Squad, which ran from 1968 to 1973, was one of the first of its kind a prime-time network series that focused on members of the hippie generation at the same time that it exploited them.
by Anita Gates
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- Clarence Williams III, the reflectively intense actor who starred as Linc Hayes, the young, hip undercover police officer with the perfect Afro and a way with the word solid on ABCs The Mod Squad, died Friday in Los Angeles. He was 81.
The cause was colon cancer, his manager, Allan Mindel, said.
Purple Rain and The Mod Squad Actor Clarence Williams III Dead at 81 E! 2 hrs ago
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Clarence Williams III has died,
The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed. He was 81. The actor, best known for playing Linc on the TV series
The Mod Squad from 1968 to 1973, was battling colon cancer.
The Harlem-born star worked on both the stage and screen. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Slow Dance on the Killing Ground in 1965. In 1984, he portrayed the father of
Prince in the musical film
Purple Rain. He went on to appear as FBI Agent Roger Hardy in the second season of
Clarence Williams III's career began on stage with the play ‘Dark of the Moo’ in 1957 and he later became popular for ‘The Mod Squad’ and ‘Purple Rain’
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The Mod Squad and Prince’s father in
Purple Rain, has died. He was 81.
Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday.
A native of New York, Williams s career spanned over five decades in theater, television, and film. He was born into a creative family in 1939 and raised by his musical grandparents. His grandfather was a jazz composer and pianist, his father a musician, and his mother, Eva Taylor, a singer and actress. He got his acting start on Broadway after a stint as a paratrooper and received a Tony nomination for his role in William Hanley’s