Any Which Way You Can star William Smith dies at 88

William Smith, the burly character actor known for playing tough guys and getting into fisticuffs with Clint Eastwood in the 1980 film Any Which Way You Can, has died at 88.

Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died Monday, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Smith had many notable roles across his Hollywood career, which began in the early 1940s, when he was just a child. He appeared opposite George Kennedy and Jack Warden in the 1961 detective series The Asphalt Jungle and had a starring role in the Western series Laredo, which ran for two seasons in the mid-'60s.

Smith also appeared in the finale episode of the Batman television series in 1968, the same year he guest-starred on I Dream of Jeannie. His film credits included Red Dawn (1984), and Conan the Barbarian (1982).

For Smith, one of his most memorable roles was in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. "My favorite TV screen villain would be Falconetti from the Rich Man, Poor Man miniseries and Rich Man, Poor Man Book II," he told BZFilm in a 2010 interview. "I really enjoyed working with Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss. The fight scenes with Nick and I were good ones."

Smith was born in Columbia, Miss., in 1933. He was a discus champion at UCLA and also served in the Air Force.

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