Biography for
William Smith (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

24 March 1933, Columbia, Missouri, USA

Nickname

Big Bill

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Biker, bare-knuckle brawler, cowboy, Bee-Girl fighter, vampire hunter . . . William Smith has done it all. He was born on March 24, 1934, in Columbia, Missouri, on Rolling Acres, a Hereford cattle ranch. After losing everything to the dust bowl, the family moved to California. From 1942, when he was eight, through young adulthood, Bill appeared in many movies as an extra (uncredited). After high school, he joined the Air Force and served during the Korean War and received a Purple Heart for wounds incurred in action. He studied at the University of Munich, and Syracuse University. He graduated cum laude at UCLA. Bill would go on to become one of Hollywood's best-known character actors, with over 300 TV and movie credits. On TV he played in many westerns (did his own horseback riding), cop and sci-fi shows. He's best remembered for appearing in "Batman" (1966) as, appropriately, Adonis in the last episode. He was a series regular in "Hawaii Five-O" (1968), where he played Det. James "Kimo" Carew (the episode with Cathy Lee Crosby, "The Kahuna," drew particularly high ratings). On the big screen, Bill is legendary for biker flicks (he does his own motorcycle riding). His first biker flick, Run, Angel, Run! (1969), was shot in 13 days for under $100,000--and made $13 million! This was followed by Angels Die Hard (1970). These early, ground-breaking features defined the genre, and would be imitated endlessly (but never duplicated). In the early 1970s, Bill got into horror films--playing a vampire slayer in Grave of the Vampire (1974)--and science fiction, in the camp classic Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), where he fought killer insect-women wearing sunglasses. Just about everybody's favorite William Smith movie, though, is Any Which Way You Can (1980), where as a bare-knuckle brawler he had a knock-down, drag-out fight with Clint Eastwood that wrecked about half the town. Tougher than Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill played his dad in Conan the Barbarian (1982), and was one of the few actors in the wildly popular, but critically lambasted, youth-oriented Red Dawn (1984) to receive any recognition from critics. He was in what could be called a textbook example of low-budget, campy sci-fi, Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987). Just about everybody who has ever worked with Bill speaks highly of him. He's educated, intelligent and energetic. A true legend in the business, Bill's acting career is still going strong in 2006, well into the 64th year of his career.

IMDb Mini Biography By: kdhaisch@aol.com

Mini Biography

William Smith is probably best known for his portrayal as "Falconetti" in "Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976). He first came to the screen as a child actor in films such as Going My Way (1944) and The Song of Bernadette (1943), before entering the service during the Korean War. There, his fluency in five languages landed him in the N.S.A. Security Squadron 6907. While working towards his doctorate, he landed a contract with MGM and never looked back. Over the next thirty years, Smith became one of the kings of B-movie villainy. With a prolific number of roles in westerns, biker, horror, sci-fi, and action pictures, his face-and muscular physique-are familiar to generations of movie fans.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Warren C. Staib

Spouse

Joanne Cervelli	(2002 - present)
Michele	(? - ?) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

18 1/4 inch arms

Trivia

Appeared in the final episode of "Batman" (1966).

Lifetime Achievement Award from Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness

Guiness record-holder for reverse-curling his own body weight.

2 Time Arm Wrestling World Champion-200lb class-Petaluma, CA

Served in the army during the Korean War, was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

Graduated UCLA Cum Laude.

He was the Marlboro Man in the final televised Marlboro commercial.

Fluent in English, Russian, German, French, Serbo-Croatian.

Competed as a downhill skier in AAU events at Mammoth Mountain

Competed in motocross events with Steve McQueen and doubled as one of the track riders in C.C. and Company (1970).

Had a 31-1 record as an amateur boxer

Held the Air Force Light-Heavyweight Weightlifting Championship

Performed over 5,100 continuous sit-ups over a five hour period

Played semi-pro football for the Wiesbaden Flyers in Germany

HHas a Masters Degree in Russian and taught Russian Language Studies at UCLA in the late 1950s.

Won a Muscle Beach contest by performing 35 inverted handstand dips

Honorary member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures.

Direct descendant of Western figures Kit Carson and Daniel Boone.

Bruce Lee personally offered Smith the co-lead in Enter the Dragon (1973), but another film went over schedule and John Saxon stepped into the role.

Filmed an eight-minute test pilot portraying Caine for the TV series "Kung Fu" (1972), wearing prosthetic eyepieces to make him appear chinese. The network wanted Smith for the role, but producer Jerry Thorpe ultimately deemed him too muscular and menacing.

Studied kung fu for eight years with Jimmy Woo and kenpo karate master Ed Parker.

Stunt doubled for former Tarzan Lex Barker while living in France.

Turned down the role of Tarzan at MGM.

Training partner of first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott.

Fought California wildfires in the early 1950s

Worked as a lifeguard on the French Riviera

Worked as a trainer at Bert Goodrich's Hollywood Gym

Child actor in both "A" and "B" movies of the 1940s. He stated in a horror magazine that during breaks on the set of The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), star Lon Chaney Jr., treated all of the children on the set to ice cream.

Threw the discus 151 feet at a time when the top AAU distance was 150.6 feet.

Won the Light-Heavyweight German-Austrian Boxing Championship while in the service.

In 1942's The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), he plays the boy who throws the little girl's ball to the top of the roof. This role marks the first of his many appearances as a villain.

Has a master's degree in Russian.

His favorite writer is Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Recipient of the 2008 Silver Spur Award.

Recipient of the 2005 Southern California Motion Picture Council Award.

Personal Quotes

Sammy [Sammy Davis Jr.] was really good friends with Peter Brown. Peter got married to a French girl, Yvette. He had this little ceremony in this church in Beverly Hills. Sammy . . . and Dean Martin were there. Dean Martin fell sound asleep just before Peter said "I do" [makes loud snoring noises]. But Dean Martin was one of the nicest guys I ever met in my life.

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