Actor Clarence Williams III, widely known for the crime drama series ‘The Mod Squad’ and comedy film ‘Half Baked’, has passed away at the age of 81 due to colon cancer.
The veteran actor’s management team confirmed the news of his demise on Sunday, saying Williams had passed away on Friday in Los Angeles due to colon cancer, reported TMZ.
Williams’ career had spanned over five decades. He had a long history with his craft. The late star started his acting career in the 60s as a theatre actor and broke through on Broadway with a Tony award for his work in the movie ‘Slow Dance on the Killing Ground.’
Williams is best known for playing Detective Linc Hayes on ‘The Mod Squad’ in which he starred for five seasons, totaling 123 episodes.
Williams could command a variety of genres, including comedy. He played a drug lord opposite Dave Chappelle in “Half Baked” and stole scenes in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ blaxploitation parody film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”
He also had a recurring role as the FBI agent in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” who tells Agent Cooper he’s been suspended.
In an interview in 1999, he said:
All most people know about me is the two hours they’ve invested in a movie theater or the time spent in front of their TV. There’s so much entertainment out there right now, it’s difficult to break through and become part of the national consciousness. It’s nice to be recognized, and I have no problem with it at all.
Other notable works include ‘Purple Rain’, Dave Chappelle’s stoner comedy ‘Half Baked’, supporting roles in hit shows like ‘The Cosby Show’, ‘The Littlest Hobo’, ‘Hill Street Blues’, ‘T.J. Hooker’, ‘Miami Vice’, ‘Nasty Boys’, ‘Twin Peaks’, ‘Tales from the Cyrpt’, ‘Star Trek’, and many others.
He was married to the actress Gloria Foster from 1967 to 1984.
