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IMDbPro

Clarence Williams III(1939-2021)

  • Actor
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"Mod Squad, The" Clarence Williams III 1971 ABC
Trailer for Way Of War
Play trailer1:09
The Way of War (2009)
14 Videos
44 Photos
Born on August 21, 1939, the son of a displaced musician, Harlem-born actor Clarence Williams III was raised by his musical grandparents, the legendary jazz and boogie-woogie composer/pianist Clarence Williams, who wrote such classics as "T'Aint Nobody's Business If I Do" and "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home," and blues singer Eva Taylor. While attending a local YMCA as a teen, Williams became interested in dramatics.

After a two-year hitch with the U.S. Air Force, he started his acting career, making a minor New York stage debut with "The Long Dream" in 1960. He continued impressively with roles in "Walk in Darkness" (1963), "Sarah and the Sax" (1964) and "Doubletalk" (1964), and capped his early career with a Theatre World Award and Tony-nomination for the three-person play "Slow Dance on the Killing Ground" (1964). Continuing on with powerful work in "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" (1966) and "King John," Vietnam-era Hollywood finally began to take notice of his "angry young man" charisma.

His casting as former delinquent-turned-undercover cop Linc Hayes on the highly popular TV cop series Mod Squad (1968) along with fellow white partners Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton was a huge break for all three relative unknowns. Sporting a huge Afro, paisley shirts, dark shades and spouting catchprase language like "dig it" and "solid," the gap-toothed Linc (and his mod partners) showed the requisite anti-establishment defiance and coolness to attract the hip generation--while still playing good guys.

Following the series' demise in 1973, he purposely avoided the "blaxploitation" Hollywood scene and returned to the stage, notably on Broadway opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard's play "Night and Day" (1979). In the 80s he launched an enviable character career in films, often playing a cool, streetwise character or threatening menace. Among his better-known on-screen assignments is the role of Prince's abusive father in Purple Rain (1984), a burnt-out political activist in the spoof I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), the recurring part of Roger Hardy in the twisted cult TV series Twin Peaks (1990), a good-guy cop in Deep Cover (1992), an rioter in the Attica-themed mini-series Against the Wall (1994) and Wesley Snipes heroin-addicted dad in Sugar Hill (1993), among others. Powerful roles on such shows as "Law & Order," "Profiler" and "Judging Amy" has kept him strongly in the limelight.

Millennium acting work included solid performances in the films Reindeer Games (2000), Ritual (2000), Blue Hill Avenue (2001), The Extreme Team (2003), Constellation (2005), The Blue Hour (2007),The Way of War (2009), A Day in the Life (2009), The Butler (2013) and American Nightmares (2018), as well as his interesting role as mysterious book store manager Philby in the lengthy Mystery Woman (2003) series of TV movies (2003-2007). Clarence also made guest appearances on TV programs, "Cold Case," "Memphis Beat," "Justified" and "Empire," to name a few.

Wed to wife Kelly until his death, Clarence was first married to actress Gloria Foster (1967-1984). The two appeared together in the movie The Cool World (1963). Following their divorce, they remained friendly and, upon her death in 2001, it was he who made the formal announcement.
BornAugust 21, 1939
DiedJune 4, 2021(81)
BornAugust 21, 1939
DiedJune 4, 2021(81)
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  • Awards

Photos44

Clarence Williams III in Deep Cover (1992)
Peggy Lipton, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)
Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)
Peggy Lipton, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)
Michael Cole and Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)
Clarence Williams III and Aml Ameen in The Butler (2013)
John Travolta, James Cromwell, and Clarence Williams III in The General's Daughter (1999)
John Travolta, Timothy Hutton, and Clarence Williams III in The General's Daughter (1999)
Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Dennis Farina, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III in Reindeer Games (2000)
Gary Sinise, Donal Logue, and Clarence Williams III in Reindeer Games (2000)
Ben Affleck, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III in Reindeer Games (2000)
Eve Plumb, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Clarence Williams III in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)

Known for

John Travolta in The General's Daughter (1999)
The General's Daughter
6.4
  • Colonel Fowler
  • 1999
Charlize Theron, Ben Affleck, and Gary Sinise in Reindeer Games (2000)
Reindeer Games
5.8
  • Merlin
  • 2000
Jim Breuer and Dave Chappelle in Half Baked (1998)
Half Baked
6.6
  • Samson Simpson
  • 1998
Forest Whitaker in The Butler (2013)
The Butler
7.2
  • Maynard
  • 2013

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • American Nightmares (2018)
    American Nightmares
  • Abbey Lee in Snowbird (2016)
    Snowbird
  • Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in Empire (2015)
    Empire
  • Forest Whitaker in The Butler (2013)
    The Butler
  • Jason Lee in Memphis Beat (2010)
    Memphis Beat
  • Timothy Olyphant in Justified (2010)
    Justified
  • Mekhi Phifer, Omar Epps, and Sticky Fingaz in A Day in the Life (2009)
    A Day in the Life
  • Cold Case (2003)
    Cold Case
  • Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, and Jeffrey Donovan in Burn Notice (2007)
    Burn Notice
  • The Way of War (2009)
    The Way of War
  • Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in American Gangster (2007)
    American Gangster
    • (uncredited)
  • Alyssa Milano, Derrick O'Connor, Yorick van Wageningen, Clarence Williams III, Emily Rios, and Sophia Malki in The Blue Hour (2007)
    The Blue Hour
  • Dante Basco and Mae Whitman in American Dragon: Jake Long (2005)
    American Dragon: Jake Long
    • (voice)
  • Kellie Martin in Mystery Woman (2003)
    Mystery Woman
  • Tichina Arnold, Terry Crews, Tequan Richmond, Tyler James Williams, and Imani Hakim in Everybody Hates Chris (2005)
    Everybody Hates Chris
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos14

Way of War
Clip 3:59
Way of War
Way of War
Clip 2:42
Way of War
Way of War
Clip 2:50
Way of War
Way of War
Clip 3:25
Way of War
Judgement (1995)
Clip 2:31
Judgement (1995)
Tales from the Hood
Trailer 1:34
Tales from the Hood
The General's Daughter
Trailer 0:31
The General's Daughter
Mindstorm
Trailer 3:46
Mindstorm
Way of War
Trailer 1:09
Way of War
The Legend of 1900
Trailer 2:39
The Legend of 1900
Mystery Woman: Snapshot
Trailer 1:30
Mystery Woman: Snapshot
Happy Here and Now
Trailer 1:06
Happy Here and Now

Personal details

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    • August 21, 1939
    • New York City, New York, USA
    • June 4, 2021
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(Colon Cancer)
    • Gloria FosterNovember 1967 - 1984 (divorced)
    • Eva Taylor(Grandparent)

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Co-starred in Hoodlum (1997), which starred Laurence Fishburne as Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. Williams later played Bumpy Johnson in American Gangster (2007).
  • Quotes
    "Ben's lady Gwyneth flew in to see him all the time on the set. They would be standing in the snow holding hands. People would gasp because it was like the Golden Couple had arrived. Standing there were two Oscar winners. They're gorgeous, they have lots of money and fame. You almost wanted to bow to them". - on Ben Affleck, his co-star in Reindeer Games (2000), and Gwyneth Paltrow.

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