Hal Williams, known for his role as Officer "Smitty" on Sanford and Son, as well as his recurring role on The Waltons, has passed away.

Williams worked in a post office and as a corrections officer before deciding to move to LA in 1968 to pursue his dream of acting. 

By 1972, he landed the role of Officer "Smitty" Smitch on Sanford and Son, a recurring role that brought Williams back for 20 episodes between 1972-1976. He would also reprise the role of the friendly neighborhood cop in the short-lived 1981 spin-off Sanford.

During the same time Williams was cast as Harley Foster on The Waltons, a worker at the lumber mill and good friend of John Walton Sr. Williams took center stage during "The Outrage", a dramatic two-parter where Foster is revealed as an escaped convict who was unfairly jailed for killing a white man in self-defense.

In 1980, Williams appeared in the box office smash Private Benjamin alongside Goldie Hawn as Drill Sergeant L.C. Ross. He returned for the television series adaptation of the film in the same role until 1983.

In 1985, Williams scored a leading role on the sitcom 227, based off a stage play by the same name. The show followed the lives of the residents of an apartment building, starring Marla Gibbs as housewife Mary Jenkins. Williams played her husband, Lester, who owned a construction company. Their daughter, Brenda, was played by Regina King in her first television role. 227 ran for five seasons and was nominated for two Emmys and a Golden Globe.

Williams once again became part of the main cast of a television show in 1993 when he joined The Sinbad Show as Rudy Bryan, the father of Sinbad's character.

While the actor started taking fewer roles as the years went on, his final appearance was in the 2024 Matlock reboot with Kathy Bates. Williams played Autry Tucker in two episodes.

The actor was 91 years old.