“Sanford and Son” actor Hal Williams died Wednesday. He was 91 years old.
He died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, a representative for the actor told Deadline on Thursday.
According to TMZ, he died of natural causes.
Representatives for Williams did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The “227” star is survived by two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, but his eldest son, Mark, died at age 20 during a camping trip in the Angeles National Forest.
Born in December 1934 in Columbus, Ohio, Williams began his career in community theater.
After working as a postal worker, prison officer, and social worker, he moved to Los Angeles in 1968 to pursue a career in acting.
The move came shortly after her divorce, but Williams was feeling “very unhappy” and decided to try “one of the things I wanted to do”.
“I didn’t tell anyone except my parents, who thought I had lost my mind,” he told Columbus Monthly in 2023. “I was scared to death, but I said, ‘If I don’t do it now, I know I’ll never have the courage.'”
He won the role of executive “Smitty” Smith on “Sanford and Son” in 1972 and appeared in 20 episodes of the show, as well as five more episodes on the “Sanford” spinoff.
Williams had recurring roles on other shows over the years, including “The Waltons,” “On the Rocks,” “Roots: The Next Generation,” and “Private Benjamin.”
One of his most famous characters is Lester Jenkins on “227,” which aired from 1985 to 1990.
His most recent appearances include “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “Matlock.”
“I was going to keep working until my last day,” Williams joked in a roundtable discussion with Columbus Monthly.
“I’m proud to have chosen a career that doesn’t require me to quit my job,” he added. “As I work, I get older.”
At the time, he was working on writing a memoir and a cookbook, saying, “Let’s do it in my own time. They keep putting pressure on me. I said, ‘Oh, guys, you think I’m too old and I might die before I finish the book? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see!'”
