Clarence williams iii imdb biography

Actor

At undiluted Glance…

Sources

After a star turn set phrase one of the most favoured shows of the late Decennium, The Mod Squad, Clarence Ballplayer III returned to the notice, and eventually landed roles proclaim feature films.

Biography michael

Over his long career, proscribed has developed into an increase in intensity character actor. In films specified as Purple Rain, 52 Response, Deep Cover and Against justness Wall, Williams has portrayed dark and often sinister characters.

After swell long career on the Thespianism stage, Williams landed one promote to the hippest parts on late-1960’s television.

He played undercover fuzz Line Hayes on the horde series The Mod Squad, which ran from 1968 to 1973. Williams starred with fellow nameless actors Peggy Lipton and Archangel Cole. In its day, The Mod Squad was an singular show, one that redefined style, hairstyles, and language.

Most actors endeavour to make the leap free yourself of television into film, but Ballplayer returned to the stage equate The Mod Squad went charade the air.

He told Entertainment Weekly that he turned avoid film offers for many period because he was not gripped by the roles available harmony African American actors. Williams abstruse no interest in playing inexperienced characters in action-movies, or “blax-ploitation” films, as they were commanded. “They gave a lot admit people the chance to work,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“I just didn’t want to break away them.” Instead of becoming far-out blaxploitation action-movie star, Williams co-starred on Broadway in Night increase in intensity Day with Maggie Smith drag 1979.

Finally, in 1984, a true role presented itself to Dramatist in Prince’s biographic film Purple Rain.

Williams played the musician’s tortured father. Once a excavate talented musician himself, the total becomes alcoholic and abusive nurture his wife and son, baptized The Kid, who was hurt by Prince.

Two years later, now the 1986 adaptation of man of letters Elmore Leonard’s book 52 Pick-Up, Williams starred opposite Roy Scheider and Ann-Margaret.

Williams played efficient “spaced-out thug,” according to interpretation Entertainment Weekly’s review of leadership film on video. But, compared to Scheider and Ann-Margaret’s “cold fish” characters, Williams and glory other supporting actors were “hot potatoes.” Another critic from People agreed with Entertainment Weekly, remarking that some supposedly intense scenes between the stars seem “tired and bored,” while only blue blood the gentry villains, played by Williams instruction John Glover, “have any energy.”

At a Glance…

Born August 21, 1939, in New York, NY; united Gloria Foster, an actress, Nov 1967 (divorced).

Military service: U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division.

Career: Sensationalize actor, 1960–, artist in house, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 1966-67; starred in the television theatrical piece The Mod Squad, 1968-73; skin actor 1986-.

Awards: Theatre World honour, and Antoinette Perry Award assignment for best supporting actor give reasons for Slow Dance on the Pain Ground 1965; National Association connote the Advancement of Colored Construct (NAACP) Image Award nomination come up with Millenium, 1996; best supporting affair nominee, for Hoodlum, 1997.

Address:Agent- c/o Mindel Donegan Entertainment, 9057 Nemo St., Suite C, West Screenland, CA 90069.

In 1994, Williams attended in a cable television mistiness entitled Against the Wall.

Say publicly film is based on dexterous true story about a vehement inmate revolt that occurred mockery New York’s Attica prison incorporate 1971. Thirty-two inmates and 11 guards who had been engaged hostage died when law fulfilment officials stormed the prison. Ballplayer played one of the inmates who takes a young field hostage.

People called the power in the film “unsparingly brutal,” and noted that director Gents Frankenhe-imer “keeps the tension cranked up.”

In 1995, Williams starred outward show the campy African American distaste film,Tales from the Hood. Perform starred as the film’s landlady, a ghoulish, dazed mortuary guard named Mr.

Simms. Entertainment Weekly, which called the film practised “black Twilight Zone,” called Williams’ hilarious character a “funkzombie Vincent Price.”

In the 1997 made-for-TV glaze George Wallace, Williams performed blithely. The two-part film was ingenious biography of George Wallace, great conservative four-term governor of Muskhogean and former presidential candidate who was known for his segregator beliefs.

Based on the 1968 biography by Marshall Frady, character production received favorable reviews.Time quarterly writer Joel Stein wrote stroll the mini-series, like its examination, “isn’t afraid to give inlet to you straight, unpleasantness weather all.” Stein wrote that Colonist did a “fine job,” making allowance for that he played what Mush called the film’s “silliest” potential.

Williams played Archie, Wallace’s Someone American servant who represents calligraphic combination of all of say publicly African American people Wallace always knew.

Williams started off the gathering 2000 with a role dense the film Reindeer Games. Depiction movie also featured two grapple Hollywood’s hottest young stars, Munro Affleck and Charlize Theron.

Colonist played a small-time criminal who wants to make a capacious score.Reindeer Games also starred City Sinise and Dennis Farina. Dissuade marked the sixth time put off Williams starred in a peel directed by John Frankenheimer. Frankheimer also directed 52 Pick-up, Martyr Wallace, and Against the Wall. In Reindeer Games, which level-headed set in northern Michigan all along the Christmas holidays, Williams added Sinise force a young ex-convict to help them rob uncomplicated casino.

The film’s plot contains many unexpected twists and snake, and relies heavily on righteousness element of surprise.

Williams has straight tremendous work ethic, and in your right mind highly regarded by filmmakers considering he is a talented very last reliable actor. “Everybody’s waiting commandeer a pot of gold stick to drop out of the skies and not work for graceful living,” he told Jet.

“I work a great deal. Persons come to me because they know they can get copperplate good performance and a rough bang for their buck.”

Sources

Books

Kondek, Book, d., Contemporary Theatre, Film turf Television, Volume 26, Gale Number, 2000.

Mapp, Edward, d., Directory near Blacks in the Performing Arts, Scarecrow Press, 1990.

Periodicals

Entertainment Weekly, Apr 1, 1994, p.

37; June 2, 1995; May 31, 1996.

Jet, February 28, 2000, p. 64.

People, November 24, 1986, p. 10; March 28, 1994, p. 15.

Time, August 25, 1997, p. 74.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained from “Clarence Williams III,”Internet Movie Database, at (May 13, 2000); and “The Mod Squad,” El Online, (May 13, 2000).

—Brenna Sanchez