Hal Williams, actor best known for Sanford and Son and 227, dies aged 91
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- Hal Williams died on 15 July at his California home at age 91, a representative confirmed.
- Williams began acting in his 30s after working as a postal worker and corrections officer, relocating to Los Angeles in 1968 to pursue the career.
- Sanford and Son, adapted by Norman Lear from the British series Steptoe and Son and aired 1972–1977, featured Williams as Officer "Smitty" Smith across 22 episodes — during which he kept an overnight shift at the post office because he didn't feel "financially able" to quit.
- 227 (1985–1990) cast Williams as Lester Jenkins alongside Marla Gibbs, Regina King, and Jackée Harry.
- Jackée Harry paid tribute on Instagram calling Williams "a gentleman" who "believed Black fathers on TV should be loving, present, and compassionate," adding that "he helped show America what that looked like."
- Williams' film credits spanned Hardcore, Herbie Rides Again, Private Benjamin, The Rookie, and Guess Who, with TV guest spots on The Waltons, Hill Street Blues, Moesha, Knots Landing, and the recent Kathy Bates-led Matlock remake.
- In a 2022 interview, Williams reflected on industry progress: "There's a lot more Black companies now... They're all young. But we opened the doors."
Why it matters: Williams' career arc — a late start in his 30s after postal and corrections work, moonlighting at the post office while on a hit sitcom, and a steady run of TV credits into his late career — embodies the unglamorous persistence behind decades of Black representation on American television, a thread Jackée Harry explicitly credited when she said he "helped show America" what a loving Black father on screen could look like.
