Who is Hal Williams?
Halroy Candis ‘Hal’ Williams was born on 14 December 1938 under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius, in Columbus, Ohio USA. He’s an 83-year-old actor, probably best recognized for landing the role of Police Officer ‘Smitty’ Smith in the NBC sitcom “Sanford And Son” (1972-1977), playing Harley Foster in the CBS historical drama series “The Waltons” (1973-1980), and featuring as Lester Jenkins in the NBC sitcom “227” (1985-1990).
How rich is he, as of now? Hal Williams Net Worth
As of early 2022, Hal Williams’ net worth is estimated at over $1 million; earned through his successful career as a professional actor.
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He has worked on more than 70 television and film titles since he launched his career back in the late 1960s.
Early Life, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity, Religion, Educational Background
Hal Williams spent his early years in his hometown of Columbus. There’s no information about his parents and their names, and it’s also unknown whether he has any siblings or is an only child. He holds American nationality, belongs to African American ethnic group, and is a Christian. Hal hasn’t shared any details about his educational background, but developed his love for acting very early, and started performing in community theater in Ohio in the early 1960s.
He then worked as a postal worker and correction officer, before he moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles in 1968 to pursue his acting career there.
Rise to Prominence
Hal Williams made his debut appearance in the 1969 short drama film “Worthy To Stand”, alongside Mike Farrell. He then had guest parts in such TV series as “Dan August”, “That Girl”, and “The New Dick Van Dyke Show”, among others. His first feature film appearance came in 1972, when he played the uncredited role of Harry in the Blaxploitation heist film “Cool Breeze”, next to Thalmus Rasulala and Judy Pace.
He landed his breakthrough role in 1972 when he was chosen to portray Police Officer ‘Smitty’ Smith in the NBC sitcom “Sanford And Son”, through to 1977, in which he shared the screen with Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson. He later reprised the role in its 1980-1981 sequel, “Sanford”.
Concurrently, he continued to make guest appearances in various TV series, including “Harry O”, “Kung Fu”, “Cannon”, and “Police Story”, to name a few. From 1973 to 1980, Hal was cast as Harley Foster in the CBS historical drama series “The Waltons”, based on the 1963 film of the same title. He then took the role of Lester DeMott in the ABC sitcom “On The Rocks”, alongside Rick Hurst and Jose Perez. The series was aired from 1975, but was canceled after a single season.
Continued Success
In 1980, Hal Williams landed the role of Sergeant L.C. Ted Ross in the box office hit “Private Benjamin”, a comedy film directed by Howard Zieff. Following its success, the film spawned the short-lived sitcom of the same title aired on CBS from 1981 to 1983. At the time, he also performed as Boise McCanles in the Los Angeles Actors Theater production of “Nevis Mountain Dew”, and guest-starred in such TV series as “Knots Landing”, “ABC Afternoon Special”, “The Jeffersons”, and “Webster”, among many others.
His next significant appearance came when he joined the main cast of the NBC sitcom “227”, in which he starred in the role of Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs’ character, from 1985 to 1990. After the series was ended, he had the part of Detective Powell in the 1990 buddy cop action film “The Rookie”, which was directed by Clint Eastwood.
Further Work
From 1993 to 1994, Hal Williams featured in the role of Rudy Bryan in the Fox sitcom “The Sinbad Show”, alongside famous comedian Sinbad, and T. K. Carter. Thereafter, he portrayed Jonno in the 1995 made-for-TV drama film “The West Side Waltz”, next to Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, and Jennifer Grey, followed by his portrayal of Rev.
Pee in the made-for-TV Western comedy film “The Cherokee Kid” in 1996.
Afterwards, he went on hiatus until he returned in the role of Howard Jones in the comedy film “Guess Who” (2005), in which he shared the screen with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. Three years later, he starred as Mac in the made-for-TV family drama film “Generation Gap”, directed by Bill Norton, and portrayed Henry Mays in the made-for-TV family action-adventure film “Snow 2: Brain Freeze”.
He began the next decade with a minor role in the 2011 comedy film “Night Club”, and the voice-over of Whip’s dad in the Academy Award-nominated 2012 drama film “Flight”, which is about a plane crash, and also starred Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle,and Kelly Reilly.
He then only had small parts in several TV series, including “The First Family”, “Parks And Recreation”, and “The Mayor”, to name a few. His latest project was the video game “Disintegration”, in which he provided the voice of Waggoner in 2020.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Hal Williams has short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He stands at a height of 6ft 2ins (1.88m), however, information about his weight, vital statistics, biceps size, and shoe size isn’t available.
Personal Life
Hal Williams has been married twice, and is the father of three children.
His first wife is Gay Anderson; they tied the knot at a ceremony held on 11 April 1976, however, their marriage was short-lived, since they divorced in November of the following year. He went on to marry Renee W. Himes on 16 December 1978, in Los Angeles, California, but after being married for five years, they divorced in March 1984. Since then, he hasn’t been seen with another lady.
He’s the best friend of Marla Gibbs and Ralph Waite, and is also a close friend to Redd Foxx and Esther Rolle.
He’s known for his charity work, since he collaborates with the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation.
He’s also the host of the annual Baton Rouge, LA telethon.
