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Campfire Outfitter
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OP
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Lost another one known for his tough guy roles. William Smith, 'Laredo' actor known for playing cowboys and brawlers, dead at 88 Smith amassed nearly 300 acting credits in the 1960s, '70s and '80s
Actor William Smith, known for playing bikers, cowboys and brawlers in a series of television shows and hit movies, has died. He was 88.
Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said the star of "Laredo" and "Rich Man, Poor Man" 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 "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 "Laredo" from 1965 to 1967.
He also 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.
Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith would begin acting at age 8, playing small uncredited roles in 1940s films, including "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."
He would later become an elite discus thrower at UCLA, a martial arts black belt and a champion arm-wrestler.
He served in the Korean War and acted in bit parts in television shows throughout the 1950s before landing a regular role as a police sergeant in the 1961 ABC series "The Asphalt Jungle."
Smith would take part in another classic screen brawl, this one with Rod Taylor, as a bodybuilder in the 1970 film "Darker Than Amber."
He would also play Arnold Schwarzenegger's father in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian," after being considered for the title role, and a Soviet general in 1984's "Red Dawn."
In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a son, William E. Smith III, and a daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. From FOX News
===================== Boots were made for walking Winds were blowing change Boys fall in the jungle As I Came of Age
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2013
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RIP.
Wow. Feelin old. Remember that gent well.
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want. Rehabilitation is way overrated. Orwell wasn't wrong. GOA member disappointed NRA member 24HCF SEARCH
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Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
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Wow! Yeah, I remember him. He played a lot of villains, particularly in Westerns.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2010
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Remember his face, never knew his name. Bummer. RIP
Make Gitmo Great Again!! Who gave the order to stop counting votes in the swing states on the night of November 3/4, 2020?
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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His list of accomplishments are beyond most. Simply incredible.
RIP
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2009
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He spoke impeccable Russian too!
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
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He was great, never a big star, but probably made a good living.
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Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
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He played the father of Conan the Barbarian. Small role, as he's killed pretty quick by the Snake Cultists.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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R I P
He and Neville Brand were 2 of my favs. Brand died in '92
jwall- *** 3100 guy***
A Flat Trajectory is Never a Handicap
Speed is Trajectory's Friend !!
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s . . . . For those of you who can relate, death and taxes are certainties in life.
"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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He probably died of "Toxic Masculinity", as did Clint Walker. He was quite the man.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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While it's true that all liberals are crazy people, not all crazy people are liberals.
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Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
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I always liked his character in Red Dawn.
Trump being classless,tasteless and clueless as usual. Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit. My young wife decided to play the field and had moved several dudes into my house
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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He probably died of "Toxic Masculinity", as did Clint Walker. He was quite the man. Yep. Here is a link to IMDB and Smith's bio and credits. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810342/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,164 |
He was good in Clint Eastwood’s “Any Which Way You Can” as the bare knuckles fighter that Eastwood fights.
Also in “Red Dawn” as the Russian Commander.
I also remember him as a TX Ranger in the TV show I watched as a kid in the 1960’s. I think it was also called Texas Rangers.
Last edited by chlinstructor; 07/10/21.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,164 |
One of my favorite “silly” Clint Eastwood movies! “Every Which Way But Loose” was funny too.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
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Thanks LW ! Quite the Resume! I couldn’t think of the TX Ranger Series I watched him in as a kid in till I read that. It was “Laredo”.
Last edited by chlinstructor; 07/10/21.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Screw Hollyweird, look at his personal accomplishments. Uncanny.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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RIP. Always thought he added a lot to whatever he was in.
Retired cat herder.
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