Posted on 06/06/2021 2:05:43 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Williams died in Los Angeles on Friday June 4, 2021 of colon cancer, his management confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Williams began his career on the stage and earned a Tony nomination in 1965 for best featured actor in a play for his work in the powerful three-person drama Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. Decades later, he returned to Broadway to star opposite Maggie Smith in the original 1979 production Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day.
On the big screen, the Harlem native portrayed Prince’s troubled father in Purple Rain (1984) and was Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright’s drug-addled dad in Sugar Hill (1993). In Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Legend of 1900 (1998), Williams tapped into his family’s musical roots to appear as jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton.
Known for his prodigious afro and gap-toothed smile, Williams also worked regularly with famed director John Frankenheimer, first on Elmore Leonard’s 52 Pick-Up (1986) and then on The General’s Daughter (1999), Reindeer Games (2000) and two telefilms, the Attica-set Against the Wall in 1994 and George Wallace in 1997.
(Excerpt) Read more at hollywoodreporter.com ...
I forgot that he appeared in Purple Rain.
Rest in peace.
NOT, righteous!
The MOD SQUAD ....Coolest show on TV when I was a kid.....Micheal Cole is the only one left
Lincoln!
RIP.
He played the typical angry black on Mod Squad although I loved that show when I was a kid. I really enjoyed the Mystery Woman series on Hallmark. iirc, Michael Cole made a guest appearance on one of the shows.
May he RIP
Growing old is not for sissies!!!!
May he rest in peace.
Great actor. The Mod Squad was an innovative show.
RIP
“First they broke the law, now they are the law.”
Linc gone, Julie gone, only Pete is left.
You know he’s too bold
The redux of twin peaks had the girl as a Cafe owner and she apparently got Clarence a bit part in that show.
Mod Squad was a great show.
81 is just about the average life expectancy for males these days. Women are 1 or 2 years more. Your point is noted though. What spooks me is those who are younger than me cashing their chips in. Unless it was some musician overdosing on drugs or something they’ve been mostly older than myself for most of my life but that is slowly changing now.
Right on.
Solid.
Great show. I still think Peggy Lipton remains one of the most beautiful actors. I was sad when she died. RIP, Clarence.
But his Fro was perfect!
Life killed another black man
Riots to begin shortly
They left out his role in “I’m Gonna Got You Sucka!”
Hilarious. Of course, these days the Wayans brothers wouldn’t even be allowed to make such a movie, making fun of everyone.
Anyway Clarence was excellent. His sense of humor carried the day for him.
Yep. A friend of my brother’s just said, ‘we’re all in the dugout now; just watching to see who’s at bat next’. haha
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.