Who was Hal Williams? 'Sanford and Son' and '227' star dies at 91

Veteran actor Hal Williams, best known for his roles in Sanford and Son and 227, has died at the age of 91.

With a career spanning decades across comedy and drama, Williams breathed his last breath at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on the morning of Wednesday, July 15, his representative confirmed to Deadline.

Williams first rose to stardom in ‘70s television, becoming a sitcom staple after playing Officer "Smitty" Smith on Sanford and Son for 22 episodes, reprising his role on five episodes of NBC's Sanford. He reflected on the role in an interview with WKYC Channel 3 as recently as last week.

Born Halroy Candis Williams in Columbus, Ohio, in 1938, he worked as a social worker, corrections officer and postal worker. But he decided to chase his true dream of acting after he got divorced in 1968, per People magazine.

The outlet quoted him telling Get TV, “I sat down after getting divorced and said, ‘What do I really want to try to do before the maker comes and gets me?’ And it was acting. So, I took the plunge and drove to California in 48 hours. I gave myself three years.”

After Sanford and Son, Williams’ next big break was in 1985 when he was cast along Marla Gibbs on 227. For five years, the duo played a married couple with a young Regina King as their daughter.

Williams went on to appear in The Waltons, Private Benjamin, Moesha, The Sinbad Show, and A Black Lady Sketch. Most recently, he made two special guest appearances on the Matlock reboot series.

Despite his comedy success, he often sought dramatic roles, admitting, “People don’t realize that I’m a serious actor... I wasn’t the funny guy. I was the straight guy in all the madness.”

On the big screen, he appeared in Hardcore, The Rookie, Percy & Thunder, Guess Who, and Flight — in which he played Denzel Washington’s father.