Hal williams actor has died at the age of 91. Known for ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘227’.
Actor Williams died the morning of Wednesday, July 15, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, his rep told Deadline.
One of Hal Williams’ most recent on-screen roles came in the first season of the hit CBS legal drama reboot Matlock (2024–2025). Starring Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, the series quickly became one of television’s most successful legal dramas.
Williams appeared as Autry Tucker, an elderly man fighting an unlawful eviction, whom Matty fiercely defends in two memorable guest appearances during Season 1. Fans praised his heartfelt performance, noting that he brought the same warmth, dignity, and quiet strength that made him a beloved sitcom star decades earlier.
In 2022, he told Columbus Monthly, “I wasn’t allowed to leave the yard often, and I had a dog named Sandy. I used to play games with him, pretending he was the Lone Ranger and I was Tonto.”
Halroy Candis Williams, professionally known as Hal Williams, was born on December 14, 1934, in Columbus, Ohio (though some sources list his birth year as 1938).
He discovered his passion for acting in the early 1960s, performing in community theater in Ohio. Unlike many actors, Williams didn’t pursue acting as a full-time career until he was in his 30s, proving that it’s never too late to follow your passion.
That was the time when Williams landed his breakout role as Officer “Smitty” Smith in Sanford and Son (1972–1976). He was one half of the fan-favorite police duo alongside his partner, Officer Hoppy Swanhauser.
Whenever Hoppy spoke in confusing bureaucratic police jargon, Smitty would translate it into plain English for Fred and Lamont, making the pair one of the show’s most memorable comedic highlights.
Sanford and Sons cast
The main cast of Sanford and Son was led by the legendary comedy duo of Golden Globe winner Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford and Demond Wilson as Lamont Sanford. The series also featured the fan-favorite police duo of Hal Williams as Officer “Smitty” Smith and Howard Platt as Officer Howard “Hoppy” Hopkins, whose comedic interactions became a memorable part of the show.
The supporting cast was equally beloved, including Whitman Mayo as Grady Wilson, Don Bexley as Don “Bubba” Bexley, Nathaniel Taylor as Rollo Lawson, Lynn Hamilton as Donna Harris, the kind and patient nurse who became Fred’s love interest, and Gregory Sierra as Julio Fuentes, the friendly next-door neighbor who often found himself caught up in the Sanfords’ antics.
227 cast
Hal Williams scored his second breakthrough with the NBC sitcom 227 (1985–1990), where he starred as Lester Jenkins, one of the show’s central characters. Set in a lively, close-knit apartment building at 227 in Washington, D.C., the series followed the everyday lives, friendships, and humorous adventures of its residents.
He played the patient and level-headed husband to the outspoken, gossip-loving Mary Jenkins, portrayed by Primetime Emmy Award nominee Marla Gibbs, and the devoted father of their bright teenage daughter Brenda, played by a young Regina King, who would later go on to win an Academy Award.
Other cast members adding sparkle to the mix are Jackée Harry as the glamorous Sandra Clark, Alaina Reed Hall as the kindhearted landlady Rose Lee Holloway, and Helen Martin as Pearl Shay, the neighborhood’s watchful window‑side commentator. Rounding out the ensemble are Curtis Baldwin as Calvin Dobbs, Count Stovall as Roy Dobbs, Toukie Smith as Eva Rawley, and Oscar nominee Paul Winfield as Julian C. Barlow.
More than 33 years after 227 ended in 1990, Hal Williams reunited with his former co-star Marla Gibbs at The 227 Reunion (2023). The pair delighted longtime fans during a special retro TV panel, celebrating the enduring cultural legacy and lasting impact of their beloved 1980s sitcom.
