Clarence Williams III dies: Tales From the Hood star was 81

Some unhappy information to begin the week, with CNN reporting that legendary character actor Clarence Williams III has handed away at 81. Fashionable audiences will possible know him greatest from his roles in TALES FROM THE HOOD, American Gangster (the place he memorably performed gangster Bumpy Johnson), and his hilarious function as Sampson within the cult basic Half Baked. I personally liked him in his John Frankenheimer roles, with him as a reasonably scary baddie within the nice 52 Choose Up and Reindeer Video games. He additionally confirmed up as Prince’s dad in Purple Rain, Deep Cowl (coming quickly to the Criterion Collection), Star Trek Deep House 9, and even an episode of The Littlest Hobo!

However, what Williams is definitely greatest identified for to child boomers is little doubt his iconic activate TV’s The Mod Squad. In it, he performed Linc Hayes, a former legal turned undercover operative for the cops, reverse the late Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. This may increasingly not sound like a giant deal, however for 1968 community TV, Williams was sizzling stuff, with him enjoying a black and proud insurgent with a giant afro, kick-ass sun shades, and a defiant angle. This was uncommon for community TV, and in some ways, he was the precursor to people like Richard Roundtree, Pam Grier, and Fred Williamson, who would change into stars throughout the blaxploitation period.

All through his profession, Williams stayed busy and in excessive demand as a personality actor, with one in all his final roles being in Lee Daniels’ The Butler again in 2013. Williams was a terrific actor and will likely be missed!