B-class cinema champion passed away, boxing champion, armstronger, university lecturer, war veteran in Korea, specialist in many fields of art and sports.
William Smith first appeared in front of the camera at the age of 9. He has starred in nearly 300 movies and series such as Rich Man’s Weather, Laredo, Red Dawn, Nash Bridges, As You Can, “Texas Ranger, Maverick.” B-class films became his specialty, where he usually played villains. He has done many westerns, action movies, horror movies and sci-fi.
Fantasy fans will forever remember his roles from movies and series, such as Dark Zone, Batman, Fearless, Logan’s Run, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Justice League, Airwolf or the iconic role of the father of the main character in Conan the Barbarian.
After high school, he joined the United States Air Force (during the Korean War), where he was awarded the “Purple Heart” Medal for battle wounds. He also participated in secret missions of the National Security Agency over Russia. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, the Ludwig and Maximilian University in Munich and the Syracuse University. He graduated with honors from UCLA in the Department of Russian Studies. Fluent in five languages (English, Russian, German, French and Serbo-Croatian), Smith found himself in the NSA intelligence agency. He taught Russian at UCLA. He was working on a PhD, but acting became his main occupation when he signed with MGM.
William Smith also won titles in many other sports. He was a two-time world champion in arm wrestling. In addition, he participated in skiing and motocross competitions together with Steve McQueen. In amateur boxing, he had a record of 31-1. He played for a semi-amateur soccer team. He received an award for life achievements from the Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness.
William Smith died on July 5, 2021. He was 88 years old.
