Clarence Williams III

Born: 1939-08-21

Clarence Williams III (August 21, 1939 – June 4, 2021) was an American actor. Williams was the son of a professional musician, Clarence "Clay" Williams Jr., and grandson of jazz and blues composer/pianist Clarence Williams and his singer-actress wife, Eva Taylor. Raised by his paternal grandmother, he became interested in acting after accidentally walking onto a stage at a theater below a Harlem YMCA. Williams began pursuing an acting career after spending two years as a U.S. Army paratrooper in C Company, 506th Infantry, of the 101st Airborne Division. He first appeared on Broadway in The Long Dream (1960). Continuing his work on stage, he appeared in Walk in Darkness (1963), Sarah and the Sax (1964), Doubletalk (1964), and King John. His breakout theatrical role was in William Hanley's Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, for which he received a Tony Award nomination. The New York Times drama critic Howard Taubman wrote of his performance, "Mr. Williams glides like a dancer, giving his long, fraudulently airy speeches the inner rhythms of fear and showing the nakedness of terror when he ceases to pretend." He also served as artist-in-residence at Brandeis University in 1966. Williams' breakout television role was as undercover cop Linc Hayes on the popular ABC counterculture police television series The Mod Squad (1968), along with fellow relative unknowns Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton. After the series ended in 1973, he worked in a variety of genres on stage and screen, from comedy (I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Half-Baked) to sci-fi (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and drama (Purple Rain). Spanning over forty years, his career included the role of Prince's tormented father, who was also a musician, in Purple Rain (1984), A guest appearance in Miami Vice (1985), a recurring role in the surreal TV series Twin Peaks (1990), a good cop in Deep Cover (1992), a rioter in the mini-series Against the Wall (1994), and Wesley Snipes' chemically dependent father in Sugar Hill (1993). His other roles on television include Hill Street Blues, the Canadian cult classic The Littlest Hobo, Miami Vice, The Highwayman, Burn Notice, Everybody Hates Chris, Justified, Cold Case, and Law & Order. He can be seen in films such as 52 Pick-Up, Life, The Cool World, Deep Cover, Tales from the Hood, Half-Baked, King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis, Hoodlum, Frogs for Snakes, Starstruck, The General's Daughter, Reindeer Games, Impostor, and as the early jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton in The Legend of 1900. He also played a supporting role as George Wallace's fictional African-American butler and caretaker in the 1997 TNT film George Wallace. From 2003 to 2007, Williams had a recurring role as Philby Cross in the Mystery Woman film series on the Hallmark Channel. He appeared in all but the first of the eleven films alongside Kellie Martin (J.E. Freeman played Philby in the Mystery Woman first film). In the seventh (Mystery Woman: At First Sight) film, he reunited with his Mod Squad co-star Michael Cole. He played Bumpy Johnson in the film American Gangster. From 2005 to 2007 Williams had another recurring role as the voice of Councilor Andam on the Disney animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. Williams died in Los Angeles, on June 4, 2021, at the age of 81, from colon cancer. He is buried in St Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York.


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American Gangster

as Bumpy Johnson (uncredited)
Released: 2007-11-02

Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself...

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Life

as Winston Hancock
Released: 1999-04-16

Two men in 1930s Mississippi become friends after being sentenced to life in prison together for...

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The Legend of 1900

as Jelly Roll Morton
Released: 1998-10-28

The story of a virtuoso piano player who lives his entire life aboard an ocean liner. Born and...

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The Butler

as Maynard
Released: 2013-08-16

A look at the life of Cecil Gaines, who served eight presidents as the White House's head butler...

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Hoodlum

as Bub Hewlett
Released: 1997-08-27

In 1934, the second most lucrative business in New York City was running 'the numbers'. When...

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Reindeer Games

as Merlin
Released: 2000-02-25

After assuming his dead cellmate's identity to get with his girlfriend, an ex-con finds himself...

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Purple Rain

as Father
Released: 1984-07-27

A victim of his own anger, the Kid is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the...

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Half Baked

as Samson Simpson
Released: 1998-01-16

Three lovable party buds try to bail their friend out of jail. But just when the guys have...

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The General's Daughter

as Colonel George Fowler
Released: 1999-06-18

When the body of Army Capt. Elisabeth Campbell is found on a Georgia military base, two...

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The Love Bug

as Chuck
Released: 1997-11-29

The inimitable VW Beetle is losing all his races and destined for the scrap heap until mechanic...

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The Brave

as Father Stratton
Released: 1997-07-30

A down-on-his-luck American Indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to "star"...

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Maniac Cop 2

as Blum
Released: 1990-07-18

After being framed by corrupt superiors and brutally assaulted in prison, Officer Matt Cordell...

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52 Pick-Up

as Bobby Shy
Released: 1986-11-07

Harry Mitchell is a successful Los Angeles manufacturer whose wife is running for city council....

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I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

as Kalinga
Released: 1988-11-10

Jack Spade returns from the army in his old ghetto neighbourhood when his brother, June Bug,...

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Deep Cover

as Taft
Released: 1992-04-15

Black police officer Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the...

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Impostor

as Secretary of Defense (uncredited)
Released: 2001-12-03

A top-secret government weapons designer is arrested by a clandestine government organization on...

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The Way of War

as Mac
Released: 2009-04-20

Paramilitary operative David Wolfe stumbles upon an international conspiracy connecting...

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Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault

as Coach Pratt
Released: 1996-11-23

A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual...

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Tales from the Hood

as Mr. Simms (segment "Welcome to My Mortuary")
Released: 1995-05-24

A strange mortician tells four horrific tales to three drug dealers that he traps in their local...

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Sugar Hill

as Arthur Romello "A.R." Skuggs
Released: 1994-02-25

In the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, the Mafia steps in when a drug dealer quits his...

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Deadfall

as Dean
Released: 1993-10-08

After he accidentally kills his father, Mike, during a sting, Joe tries to carry out Mike's...

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Against the Wall

as Chaka
Released: 1994-03-26

In 1971, a warden at Attica Penitentiary is caught up in a hostage crisis when inmates take over...

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Tough Guys Don't Dance

as Bolo
Released: 1987-09-18

Tim Madden awakens one morning to discover a fresh tattoo on his arm, his car covered in blood,...

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Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder

as Philby
Released: 2005-06-05

Sam lands a job photographing a new spa in Southern California for their brochure and brings her...

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George Wallace

as Archie
Released: 1997-08-24

George Wallace is a 1997 television film starring Gary Sinise as George Wallace, the former...

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Blue Hill Avenue

as Benny
Released: 2001-08-03

A child of a middle class home with solid moral values is lured into a world of crime and...

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Frogs for Snakes

as Huck Hanley
Released: 1998-08-14

A group of unemployed theater actors survive by working as illegal money collectors. The loan...

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The Immortals

as Benny
Released: 1995-10-05

An elaborate heist unites 8 strangers in a simultaneous assault on targets all over the city-...

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American Nightmares

as Roscoe
Released: 2018-10-11

Two voyeuristic nerds are hacking the devices of people as they themselves are hacked by the...

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Mystery Woman: Sing Me a Murder

as Philby
Released: 2005-02-25

Murder is something to sing about when Mystery Woman Samantha Kinsey-an expert in pulp fiction,...

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Mystery Woman: Snapshot

as Philby
Released: 2005-01-28

Amateur sleuth Samantha Kinsey's latest case has her trying to figure out who killed her best...

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King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1970-03-24

Constructed from a wealth of archival footage, the documentary follows Dr. Martin Luther King,...

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A Day in the Life

as Sam
Released: 2009-07-07

Onyx rapper Sticky Fingaz directs and stars in this hip-hop musical about a gangster who gets...

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The Return of Mod Squad

as Lincoln Hayes
Released: 1979-05-18

Pete, Linc and Julie are called back to the force when a series of sniper attacks are made on...

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Happy Here and Now

as Bill
Released: 2002-06-08

When her sister suddenly vanishes, a young girl sets out to find her, desperately searching the...

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Constellation

as Forest Boxer
Released: 2007-02-01

Constellation chronicles the lives and loves of an African-American family in the deep South as...

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Father & Son: Dangerous Relations

as Raymond
Released: 1993-04-19

An estranged father and son are paroled from the same maximum-security prison with one unusual...

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The Last Innocent Man

as D.J. Johnson
Released: 1987-04-19

A retired criminal lawyer is persuaded to take on one more case and becomes involved with his...

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The Silencers

as General Greenboro
Released: 1996-04-23

U.S. Senator is assassinated by Men in Black, mysterious organization which suppresses all...

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Sprung

as Grand Daddy
Released: 1997-05-14

Two pairs of best friends - Montel & Clyde and Brandy & Adina meet at the party, where...

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Judgement

as Bryant
Released: 1995-12-31

In Judgement County, Texas, a rookie cop gets the ultimate test when an APB for a child killer...

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Mystery Woman: Redemption

as Philby
Released: 2006-11-06

Samantha Kinsey is the owner of the Mystery Woman bookstore and an expert in criminology. This...

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Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend

as Philby
Released: 2005-01-07

She's an avid mystery lover and bookseller, for whom crime has been comfortably confined to the...

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Mystery Woman: In the Shadows

as Philby
Released: 2007-01-13

While searching for a KGB double agent who was about to be exposed by another Russian...

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Mystery Woman: Game Time

as Philby
Released: 2005-08-21

Samantha (Kellie Martin) awaits the arrival of a famous writer who will sign copies in her...

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Ali: An American Hero

as Marcellus Clay
Released: 2000-08-01

Ali: An American Hero is an American television movie which aired on August 31, 2000 on FOX. It...

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Mystery Woman: At First Sight

as Philby
Released: 2006-01-21

After dating hot doctor Ben, cued by Cassie, mystery woman sets out to discover in a tiny town...

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My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

as Deputy Sheriff Virgil
Released: 1991-03-01

H.D. Dalton is a champion rodeo rider whose career is ruined after being gored by a bull. He...

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The Cool World

as Blood
Released: 1963-09-02

A fifteen-year-old boy wants to buy a gun from an adult racketeer named Priest, in order to...

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Mindstorm

as Walter Golden
Released: 2001-02-28

A psychic's investigation into the disappearance of a Senator's daughter leads her to a...

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Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery

as Philby
Released: 2006-03-18

When former TV star Clint Taylor brings his Wild West show into town, murder becomes the...

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Ritual

as Leron Becker
Released: 2000-07-13

A young man drops out of college to fix his family when he senses something is terribly wrong at...

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The X Team

as Zachary
Released: 2003-01-01

Members of a secret op unit of the national security agency of the United States of America is...

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Mystery Woman: Oh Baby

as Philby
Released: 2006-08-18

A couple accused of a murder go on the run, leaving their baby in the care of bookshop owner...

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Perfect Victims

as Lt. Kevin White
Released: 1988-08-18

A psycho who has contracted AIDS blames women for his disease, and begins to stalk and kill...

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The Road to Galveston

as Christopher, the Caretaker
Released: 1996-01-24

Jordan Roosevelt, at 65, found herself alone, destitute, and depressed. Up against the wall, she...

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Starstruck

as Jerry Wallace
Released: 1998-04-18

An aspiring screenwriter in Los Angeles befriends a washed up, former teen idol and develops an...

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The House of Dies Drear

as Mayhew Skinner
Released: 1984-06-01

A young black man and his family move into a home in rural Ohio and discover that during the...

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Nasty Boys, Part 2: Lone Justice

as uncredited
Released: 1990-01-01

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Civility

as Glitterman
Released: 2000-04-01

Cade Russo must reluctantly return home to Civility, Arizona to attend his father's funeral, and...

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Law & Order

as Lateef Miller
First aired: 1990-09-13

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing...

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

as Omet'iklan
First aired: 1993-01-03

At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated...

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The Cosby Show

as Mr. Thornehill
First aired: 1984-09-20

The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for...

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Judging Amy

as Joe McKenzie
First aired: 1999-09-19

Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through...

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Twin Peaks

as FBI Agent Roger Hardy
First aired: 1990-04-08

The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin...

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Burn Notice

as Jean Pierre's Father
First aired: 2007-06-28

A formerly blacklisted spy uses his unique skills and training to help people in desperate...

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Miami Vice

as uncredited
First aired: 1984-09-16

The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking...

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Justified

as Jones
First aired: 2010-03-16

A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's...

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Hill Street Blues

as uncredited
First aired: 1981-01-15

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

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Everybody Hates Chris

as Tate
First aired: 2005-09-22

Chris is a teenager growing up as the eldest of three children in Brooklyn, New York during the...

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Jake and the Fatman

as Benjamin Tatsa
First aired: 1987-09-26

Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L....

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T. J. Hooker

as Walker Redding / Martin / Phil Decker
First aired: 1982-03-13

Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Hooker is a tough-as-nails veteran police officer with the LCPD who...

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Walker, Texas Ranger

as Deputy Commissioner Luther Dobbs
First aired: 1993-04-21

Modern-day Texas Ranger, Cordell Walker's independent crime-solving methods have their roots in...

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Tales from the Crypt

as Grady
First aired: 1989-06-10

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and...

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Millennium

as Patient Zero
First aired: 1996-10-25

A retired FBI serial-profiler joins the mysterious Millennium Group, a team of underground...

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The Legend of Tarzan

as (voice)
First aired: 2001-09-03

The Legend of Tarzan is an American animated television series created by The Walt Disney...

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American Dragon: Jake Long

as uncredited
First aired: 2005-01-21

American Dragon is a coming of age comedy-action series about Jake Long, a 13-year-old...

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Profiler

as uncredited
First aired: 1996-09-21

Rachel Burke is a criminal profiler, one of the best, actually. She, along with a sophisticated...

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Tarzan

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-09-08

Tarzan is a series that aired on NBC from 1966 – 1968. The series portrayed Tarzan as a...

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New York Undercover

as Donald Brooks
First aired: 1994-09-08

New York Undercover is an American police drama The series stars Detective J.C. Williams and...

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Fastlane

as Mr. Hayes
First aired: 2002-09-18

Fastlane is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast on Fox from September 18,...

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The Mod Squad

as uncredited
First aired: 1968-09-24

The Mod Squad was the enormously successful groundbreaking "hippie" undercover cop show that ran...

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The Littlest Hobo

as David
First aired: 1979-10-11

The Littlest Hobo is a Canadian television series based upon a 1958 American film of the same...

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The Danny Thomas Hour

as uncredited
First aired: 1967-09-11

The Danny Thomas Hour is an American anthology television series that was broadcast on NBC...

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Miracles

as uncredited
First aired: 2003-01-27

Miracles follows Paul Callan, an investigator of modern miracles for the Catholic Church who...

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Nasty Boys

as John Culver
First aired: 1989-09-21

The Nasty Boys is a television action drama series based on the real life Narcotics Officers of...

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Shades of L.A.

as uncredited
First aired: 1990-10-10

Shades of L.A. is an American crime drama television series that aired from October 10, 1990...

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