{"id":402069,"date":"2026-07-17T09:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402069\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:46:13","slug":"hal-williams-dead-sanford-and-son-227-actor-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402069\/","title":{"rendered":"Hal Williams dead: \u2018Sanford and Son,\u2019 \u2018227\u2019 actor dies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hal Williams<\/a>, a veteran actor known for his roles as a friendly neighborhood police officer on \u201cSanford and Son\u201d and a hard-working patriarch on \u201c227,\u201d has died. He was 91.<\/p>\n

Williams died Wednesday morning at his home in Rancho Mirage, his representative Zna Portlock Houston told The Times in an email on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHal Williams is legendary for his acting skills, his compassion and his community engagement,\u201d Houston wrote, describing the actor as \u201can icon and a true professional.\u201d \u201cHe never turned away a fan. He was always embraced so warmly, like he was truly their own family, because he was a cultural touchstone who represented an image of Black fatherhood that was loving and steadfast. Offscreen he was a sound advisor, lively debater and devoted friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

His death follows a recent trip to Ohio celebrating his work on the NBC sitcom \u201cSanford and Son,\u201d on which he portrayed Officer \u201cSmitty\u201d Smith from 1972 to 1977.<\/p>\n

In one of his final television interviews just days prior to his death, Williams spoke about one of the show\u2019s recurring bits, which saw his character translate his partner Officer \u201cHoppy\u201d Hopkins\u2019 (Howard Platt) police talk into a vernacular that Fred (Redd Foxx<\/a>) and Lamont Sanford (Demond Wilson<\/a>) could understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the stuff we created ourselves off camera and put it in the script,\u201d Williams said when he appeared with Platt on a morning news show on Cleveland\u2019s Fox 8<\/a>. \u201cA lot of the times, they didn\u2019t have jokes in the script \u2026 because they didn\u2019t know the jargon from the Black community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born Halroy Candis Williams on Dec. 14, 1938, in Columbus, Ohio, Williams was working as a juvenile corrections officer when he decided to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. He took the plunge and headed to Hollywood in 1968.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave myself three years in California to see what I could do,\u201d Williams told Fox 8. \u201cAnd at the end of the three years I was on \u2018Sanford and Son,\u2019 \u2018The Waltons<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018Harry O.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Williams became a regular television presence, appearing on shows such as \u201cKung Fu,\u201d \u201cGood Times,\u201d \u201cRoots: The Next Generation,\u201d \u201cThe Jeffersons,\u201d \u201cMagnum P.I.\u201d and \u201cThe Sinbad Show\u201d over the years.<\/p>\n

Besides his breakout role of Officer Smitty in \u201cSanford and Son,\u201d which he reprised in its follow-up, \u201cSanford,\u201d Williams is perhaps best known for starring as Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs\u2019<\/a> Mary Jenkins, in the NBC sitcom \u201c227<\/a>.\u201d The show, which aired from 1985 to 1990, was notable for the portrayal of its middle-class Black family.<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018227\u2019 kind of set the bar a little higher because it was a totally intact family,\u201d Williams told the \u201cToday\u201d show in 2020<\/a>. \u201cIt was a mother, father, daughter and they were very positive. There were very few negatives. It addressed all kinds of social issues and it gave oncoming shows the opportunity to explore new avenues and new issues comfortably because the networks and production companies were open to that kind of a pitch idea.\u201d <\/p>\n

Gibbs took to social media Thursday to share a tribute to her \u201cTV husband,\u201d who she described as \u201ca generous man who freely gave his time, his talent and his heart to the community.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOur journey together began long before 227 came to television,\u201d Gibbs wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cHal was part of the original stage production at our Crossroads Theater. … Hal was always there to help. He even secured donated theater seats and helped organize the seating chart because he believed in supporting young artists.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 227 became a television series, I fought to make sure my character had a husband. I\u2019m so glad I did,\u201d she added. \u201cHal, Regina King and I became a television family that showed the love, strength and stability of a Black family for five wonderful seasons. … Even after the show ended, Hal never stopped checking on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actor Jack\u00e9e Harry<\/a>, who portrayed the Jenkins\u2019 young neighbor Sandra Clark in \u201c227,\u201d was also among those who shared tributes to Williams on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a gentleman. Hal always carried himself with grace, and he always had me laughing,\u201d Harry wrote Wednesday on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cHe was also a stand-up guy who believed Black fathers on TV should be loving, present and compassionate. He helped show America what that looked like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor as long as I can remember, Hal has been a steady, comforting presence on our television screens,\u201d Holly Robinson Peete<\/a> wrote in her Instagram<\/a> tribute Thursday. \u201cHis warm smile, sharp comedic timing, kind spirit and gentle energy made him feel like family to so many of us. \u2026 Rest in peace, Hal. \u2026 You were one of the greats \u2026 a true television legend, but an even greater human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams most recently appeared as Autry in a couple episodes of CBS\u2019 \u201cMatlock<\/a>\u201d reboot.<\/p>\n

His survivors include his two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Williams was predeceased by one son.<\/p>\n