What's new in the Gallery?
Check This thread
Check This thread
William Smith Passes.
Moderator: Moderators
- Tim Fortuna
- Registered Seller
- Wizard of Washes
- Posts: 6746
- Joined: December 20th, 2003, 12:01 am
- Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
William Smith Passes.
"There are several sacred things in this world that you don't ever mess with. One of them happens to be another man's fries..." Louis Fedders
- Heavy Metal Spike
- Knight of the Round Bench
- Posts: 13417
- Joined: August 2nd, 2005, 2:07 am
- Location: Vancouver, Canada (ex-pat UK - Birmingham & Scotland!)
Re: William Smith Passes.
.
Darn it.
I used to go into Wikipedia and check every so often he was still with us (I knew he was getting up there).
He left us last Monday (July 5th) aged 88.
GENUINELY scared the heck out of me when I was a wee lad watching both seasons of "Rich Man Poor Man" (1976/1977) - my first experience with a really evil/psychotic bad guy.
He was great in "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), and (as Tim's pic shows) provided a couple of great opening scenes in the 1st Schwarzenegger Conan - "Conan The Barbarian" (1982) too.
Always looked like one of those fellas you would NOT want to mess with - and played the part VERY well.
Really colourful history & backstory if you do some digging.
RIP dude.
.
Darn it.
I used to go into Wikipedia and check every so often he was still with us (I knew he was getting up there).
He left us last Monday (July 5th) aged 88.
GENUINELY scared the heck out of me when I was a wee lad watching both seasons of "Rich Man Poor Man" (1976/1977) - my first experience with a really evil/psychotic bad guy.
He was great in "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), and (as Tim's pic shows) provided a couple of great opening scenes in the 1st Schwarzenegger Conan - "Conan The Barbarian" (1982) too.
Always looked like one of those fellas you would NOT want to mess with - and played the part VERY well.
Really colourful history & backstory if you do some digging.
RIP dude.
.
- Tim Fortuna
- Registered Seller
- Wizard of Washes
- Posts: 6746
- Joined: December 20th, 2003, 12:01 am
- Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Re: William Smith Passes.
"There are several sacred things in this world that you don't ever mess with. One of them happens to be another man's fries..." Louis Fedders
-
- Finger Painter
- Posts: 68
- Joined: March 20th, 2012, 6:13 am
- Location: Syracuse, New York
- Contact:
Re: William Smith Passes.
Legendary tough guy. I was just watching his scenes in Any which way you can and Conan the other day. R.I.P.
Don't panic. OK, you can panic a little.
- ShaneM
- Registered Seller
- Duke of Dry Brush
- Posts: 5370
- Joined: December 21st, 2003, 7:30 pm
- Location: the Hamptons
Re: William Smith Passes.
He was a regular on Rockford Files too. Always played the heavy.
Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality.
If you want to see what i do for fun take a click, It may be disturbing.
http://vimeo.com/32512596
badkarmaproductions@gmail.com
If you want to see what i do for fun take a click, It may be disturbing.
http://vimeo.com/32512596
badkarmaproductions@gmail.com
- Otto69
- Registered Seller
- Wizard of Washes
- Posts: 6361
- Joined: January 21st, 2004, 11:53 pm
- Location: West Coast
Re: William Smith Passes.
I remember him in one of the first Rockford Files when Rockford set Smith up in the bathroom of a bus station and slugged him with a roll of quarters. Smith studied Kenpo with Ed Parker (who is shown in brief cameo when the bad guy calls Smiths character at the dojo) and that would make him a particularly dangerous guy to fight in real life.
His two favorite roles of mine were the Spetsnatz officer in Red Dawn, and of course as Conans dad "This, THIS you can trust."
His two favorite roles of mine were the Spetsnatz officer in Red Dawn, and of course as Conans dad "This, THIS you can trust."
Keep America Strong, Watch More Horror Movies!
- Heavy Metal Spike
- Knight of the Round Bench
- Posts: 13417
- Joined: August 2nd, 2005, 2:07 am
- Location: Vancouver, Canada (ex-pat UK - Birmingham & Scotland!)
Re: William Smith Passes.
.
I watched "Any Which Way You Can" again last night in his honour. STILL a great movie.
.
I watched "Any Which Way You Can" again last night in his honour. STILL a great movie.
.
-
- Registered Seller
- Duke of Dry Brush
- Posts: 4650
- Joined: December 19th, 2003, 6:33 pm
- Location: The Rockies west of Colorado Springs
Re: William Smith Passes.
Funny to me that Any Which Way You Can keeps coming up because last weekend I watched that movie for the first time in probably 40 years. I saw it many times on cable in the summer of 1981 (I think) and enjoyed it well enough, but hadn't seen it again until last weekend.
Honestly, as Eastwood efforts go, I don't think much of it overall. But William Smith was so good as the friendly antagonist that I've never forgotten it, and my recent viewing confirmed my enjoyment. It was a big surprise to me to see a couple of days later that he'd passed.
Honestly, as Eastwood efforts go, I don't think much of it overall. But William Smith was so good as the friendly antagonist that I've never forgotten it, and my recent viewing confirmed my enjoyment. It was a big surprise to me to see a couple of days later that he'd passed.
-
- Bishop of Build Ups
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: December 31st, 2003, 9:46 am
- Location: Flying blind on a Rocket Cycle
Re: William Smith Passes.
I had wondered why Smith was cast as a Russian officer in the film Red Dawn, then I found out he was raised by his Russian grandmother and was fluent in Russian. So knowledgeable of Russian languages (they speak several, a French dialect being very common) he was assigned to electronic surveillance missions during the Korean War.
- Tim Fortuna
- Registered Seller
- Wizard of Washes
- Posts: 6746
- Joined: December 20th, 2003, 12:01 am
- Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Re: William Smith Passes.
Forgot he was in that, now I can finally watch it. Watched Grave of the Vampire the other day.belrog999 wrote:And who can forget Invasion Of The Bee Girls?
"There are several sacred things in this world that you don't ever mess with. One of them happens to be another man's fries..." Louis Fedders
-
- Bishop of Build Ups
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: December 31st, 2003, 9:46 am
- Location: Flying blind on a Rocket Cycle
Re: William Smith Passes.
I love that movie, Blade before there was Blade.Watched Grave of the Vampire the other day.