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Hal Williams, who starred as Officer “Smitty” Smith on the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son and Lester Jenkins on the 1980s sitcom 227, has died.
Williams’ representative told TMZ that the longtime actor died Wednesday morning from natural causes in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 91.
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Williams appeared as Smitty in a recurring role opposite Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson in hit Sanford and Son in 20 episodes during the six-season run of the show from 1972-77. Williams also reprised Smitty for Foxx’s spinoff series Sanford, appearing in five episodes over two seasons from 1980-81.
He a member of the main cast as Jenkins in 227, appearing in 115 episodes of the series, which ran for five seasons on NBC from 1985 to 1990. Set in an apartment building, the sitcom also starred Helen Martin, Marla Gibbs and Alaina Reed-Hall. The show also launched the career of Regina King, who was part of the main cast in her first screen role.
Williams also appeared in a recurring role as Harley Foster on the TV drama The Waltons from 1973 to 1980 and played Drill Sergeant L.C. "Ted" Ross in Goldie Hawn’s hit film comedy Private Benjamin in 1980.
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LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 1: Private Benjamin, a CBS television sitcom based on the movie of the same name, about life in the Army. September 1, 1982. Los Angeles, CA. Hal Williams (portrays Sgt. Ted Ross). (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
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Williams reprised the role in a spinoff sitcom of the same name from 1981-83, with Lorna Patterson taking over Hawn’s role of Pvt. Judy Benjamin. Williams appeared in all 39 episodes of the series, which ran for three seasons on CBS.
BET paid tribute to the prolific actor in an X post on Thursday, writing, “Today we remember Hal Williams, best known as Officer ‘Smitty’ on Sanford and Son and Lester Jenkins on 227. Before Hollywood knew his name he was working as a corrections officer and postal worker in Columbus, Ohio.
"He bet on himself in his 30s and gave us nearly six decades of warmth, humor, and authenticity across some of the most beloved shows in television history. Williams reminds us that it is never too late to become who you were meant to be.”
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PARSIPPANY, NJ - OCTOBER 29: Howard Platt, Hal Williams and Nathaniel Taylor attend Chiller Theater Expo Winter 2017 at Parsippany Hilton on October 29, 2017 in Parsippany, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
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Hal Williams Appeared In More Than 70 Screen Roles
Born Dec. 14, 1934, in Columbus, Ohio, Hal Williams’ first credited screen appearance came in the 1970 Burt Reynolds crime drama Dan August.
Williams’ other television credits over his career included numerous guest roles in such series as That Girl, The Jimmy Stewart Show, The New Dick Van Dkye Show, Cannon, Police Woman, Harry O, Gunsmoke, Kung Fu, S.W.A.T., Police Story, Quincy, M.E., Good Times, The White Shadow and What’s Happening!
The actor also appeared in a guest capacity in such series as The Dukes of Hazzard, Gimme a Break!, The Jeffersons, Webster, Hill Street Blues, Night Court, Magnum, P.I., L.A. Law, Tales from the Crypt, Suddenly Susan, Moesha and Parks and Recreation.
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On film, Williams’ credits included the Clint Eastwood crime thriller The Rookie, the Ashton Kutcher comedy Guess Who and the voice role of the father of Whip (Denzel Washington) in the airline disaster drama Flight.
Hal Williams last appeared in a pair of episodes of the Kathy Bates’ legal drama, Matlock, in 2024 and 2025.
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