Hal Williams, "227" and "Sanford and Son" Star, Dies at 91
Hal Williams, the veteran character actor best known for his roles as Officer "Smitty" Smith on Sanford and Son and Lester Jenkins on 227, has died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 91.
Williams died of natural causes Wednesday morning, according to his manager, Zna Portlock Houston, who confirmed he had been dealing with some recent health issues. Just days before his death, Williams had appeared on Cleveland's WKYC to reflect on his career, telling the outlet that the comedic routine he became known for on Sanford and Son originated during rehearsal. "We did it one time in rehearsal, and the producers thought it was funny, so the writers started asking us to bring [them] stuff that was current," he said.
A Six-Decade Career
Born Halroy Candis Williams in Columbus, Ohio, Williams didn't pursue acting until his 30s. He got his start in Ohio theater productions before relocating to Hollywood in 1968, eventually building a career that spanned more than five decades and touched nearly every era of modern American television.
Williams' breakout role came in 1972, when he was cast as Officer Smith, known as "Smitty," on Sanford and Son, starring alongside Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson. Williams appeared in 22 episodes as one half of a comedic police duo alongside Howard Platt's Officer "Hoppy" Hopkins, with a running bit in which Hopkins would open a scene with dense police jargon that Smith would then translate into plain language for Fred and Lamont Sanford. He reprised the role in the 1980 spinoff Sanford.
From 1985 to 1990, Williams starred as Lester Jenkins on NBC's 227, playing the steady husband of Marla Gibbs' Mary Jenkins and father to Regina King's Brenda. The sitcom, set in a Washington, D.C., apartment building and produced under Norman Lear's Embassy Television banner, ran for 116 episodes across five seasons and became one of television's defining portrayals of Black middle-class family life during the 1980s, alongside a cast that included Jackée Harry, Helen Martin and Paul Winfield. Williams told Today during a 2020 reunion that the show "set the bar a little higher because it was a totally intact family."
Beyond His Signature Roles
Williams' other television credits spanned decades and genres, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Waltons, Good Times, Roots: The Next Generations, Knots Landing, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hill Street Blues, Magnum P.I., L.A. Law, Night Court, Moesha and Parks and Recreation. He starred as Sgt. Ted Ross across the full run of the 1981-83 CBS television adaptation of Private Benjamin, having originated the role opposite Goldie Hawn in the 1980 film, and played Sinbad's father, Rudy Bryan, on Fox's The Sinbad Show from 1993 to 1994. His most recent television role was on CBS's Matlock reboot.
On film, Williams appeared in Hardcore, The Escape Artist, The Rookie alongside Clint Eastwood, Guess Who with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher, and Flight, in which he played Denzel Washington's offscreen father.
Remembered by Colleagues
Actress Anne-Marie Johnson paid tribute to Williams publicly, calling him "a lovely man, and a terrific character actor" who cared deeply not just about his craft but about his fellow performers, particularly senior SAG-AFTRA members navigating health insurance issues. In March 2024, Williams received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside his former 227 co-star Marla Gibbs.
Williams is survived by two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His son Mark preceded him in death.
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