Hal Williams Dies: ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘227’ Actor Was 91

Hal Williams, a veteran actor best known for his roles on the television comedies Sanford and Son and 227, has died. He was 91.

Williams passed away on Wednesday July 15, from natural causes, a representative for the actor told Deadline. He was at home in Rancho Mirage, California when he died.

He became one of television’s most recognizable character actors in the 1970s and ’80s, playing authority figures and father figures in sitcoms and films.

The actor portrayed Officer “Smitty” Smith on Sanford and Son and family patriarch Lester Jenkins on 227. He appeared in 115 episodes of 227, and 20 episodes of Sanford and Son, according to his IMDb page.

Related: ‘Sanford and Son’ Star Demond Wilson Remembered After His Death at 79

Born Halroy Candis Williams in 1934, he grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Williams got his start acting in community theater in the 1960s while working for the Ohio Youth Commission.

He moved to Hollywood in 1968 and worked for the California Youth Authority to support his family until he landed steady work in the entertainment industry.

Among his other roles were parts in the films Private Benjamin (1980), The Rookie (1990) Guess Who (2005), and Flight (2012). He was also on 20 episodes of The Sinbad Show as “Rudy Bryan” and seven episodes of The Waltons as “Harley Foster.”

Jackée Harry, who co-starred with Williams on 227 alongside Marla Gibbs and Regina King, fondly remembered the late actor in a post she shared on Instagram.

“What a gentleman,” the actress captioned a photo of herself with Williams. “Hal always carried himself with grace, and he always had me laughing. I’ll never forget him telling me to trade in my little Mercedes because, “You’re a star now!”

“He 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,” she concluded. “I’m so lucky to have worked closely with him. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”