William Smith dies age 88 - the toughest man in Hollywood?

[treeduck]

 

A great tough guy and portrayer of villains, but he did a lot of other stuff too, RIP William.

 

Lifetime Achievement Award from Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness

Being a record-holder for reverse-curling his own body weight was a rumor. The correct weight he reverse-curled was 163 lbs.

Two-time Arm Wrestling World Champion--200-lb. class, Petaluma, CA.

He was the Marlboro Man in the final televised Marlboro commercial.

Competed as a downhill skier in AAU events at Mammoth Mountain

Competed in motocross events with Steve McQueen and doubled as one of the track riders in C.C. & Company (1970).

Had a 31-1 record as an amateur boxer

Held the Air Force Light-Heavyweight Weightlifting Championship

Performed over 5,100 continuous sit-ups over a five-hour period.

Played semi-pro football for the Wiesbaden Flyers in Germany.

Won a Muscle Beach contest by performing 35 inverted handstand dips

Honorary member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures.

Direct descendant of Western figures Kit Carson and Daniel Boone.

Bruce Lee personally offered Smith the co-lead in Enter The Dragon (1973), but another film went over schedule and John Saxon stepped into the role.

Filmed an eight-minute test pilot portraying Caine for the TV series Kung Fu (1972), wearing prosthetic eyepieces to make him appear Chinese. The network wanted Smith for the role, but producer Jerry Thorpe ultimately deemed him too muscular and menacing.

Studied kung fu for eight years with Jimmy Woo and kenpo karate master Ed Parker.

Turned down the role of Tarzan at MGM but later stunt=doubled for former Tarzan Lex Barker while living in France.

Training partner of first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott.

Fought California wildfires in the early 1950s

Worked as a lifeguard on the French Riviera

Worked as a trainer at Bert Goodrich's Hollywood Gym.

Child actor in both "A" and "B" movies of the 1940s. He stated in a horror magazine that during breaks on the set of The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), in which Smith played a village boy, the film's star Lon Chaney Jr., treated all of the children on the set to ice cream.

Threw the discus 151 feet at a time when the top AAU distance was 150.6 feet.

Won the Light-Heavyweight German-Austrian Boxing Championship while in the service.

His favorite writer is Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Recipient of the 2005 Southern California Motion Picture Council Award and of the 2008 Silver Spur Award.

Inducted into the Venice Muscle Beach Bodybuilding Hall of Fame 2010.

His parents were William E. Smith (1891-1973) and Emily (nee Richards) Smith (1895-1976). He and his elder sister (by two years), Emily, were named for their parents William was born on his mother's 38th birthday.

Has one son with his former wife Michele, and one daughter with current wife Joanne.

[blueschica]

Wow! RIP, William Smith. :rose: Thanks for listing all that he had done. He looked very familiar but I couldn't quite place him until I read all that!

[treeduck]

Wow! RIP, William Smith. :rose: Thanks for listing all that he had done. He looked very familiar but I couldn't quite place him until I read all that!

Here's a bit more:

 

William Smith is probably best known for his portrayal as "Falconetti" in Rich Man, Poor Man (1976). He first came to the screen as a child actor in films such as Going My Way (1944) and The Song of Bernadette (1943), before entering the service during the Korean War. There, his fluency in five languages landed him in the N.S.A. Security Squadron 6907. While working towards his doctorate, he landed a contract with MGM and never looked back. Over the next thirty years, Smith became one of the kings of B-movie villainy. With a prolific number of roles in westerns, biker, horror, sci-fi, and action pictures, his face-and muscular physique-are familiar to generations of movie fans.

[treeduck]

Here's a clip with Clint:

 

[zepphead]

What a rich and varied life he had.

RIP William.

[Turbine Freight]

That's how to live a life for sure. RIP.

[Derek19]

I'm sorry, to hear, see, and read this. I remember him, and what he looked like. He did a lot through out his career including appearing in movies, and t.v. shows. He will be missed, and remembered. My condolences, to his family, and friends. R.I.P., William. Edited July 11, 2021 by Derek19

[invisible airwave]

Coppola's most underrated and best movie. Yes, more than first two GFs, AN and Conversation which are all great, don't get me wrong.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh8bCLDKKYY

Edited July 11, 2021 by invisible airwave