Clarence Williams obit

Clarence Williams III Dies: ‘Linc’ On ‘The Mod Squad’ Star Was 81

 

 He was not on the list.

Clarence Williams III, who was a Black power icon in the 1960s and 1970s as the cool detective “Linc Hayes” on television’s The Mod Squad, has died. Williams died in Los Angeles on Friday June 4 of colon cancer, according to his management

Beyond The Mod Squad role, which lasted from 1968 to 1973, he also appeared in such films as Purple Rain, 52 Pick-Up, Reindeer Games and Tales from the Hood.

Williams began his career on the stage, earning a Tony nomination in 1965 for best featured actor in a play for his work in the three-person drama Slow Dance on the Killing Ground.

His other notable roles came as Prince’s father in 1984’s Purple Rain, and appeared as Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright’s druggie dad in Sugar Hill (1993). He also became Jelly Roll Morton In Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Legend of 1900 (1998).

The versatile Williams also had his comedy side. He played a former leader of the People’s Revolutionary Army in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ blaxploitation parody I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and worked with Dave Chappelle in 1998’s Half-Baked.

Williams was hired by producer Aaron Spelling for The Mod Squad, which brought together a hippie undercover detective squad filled out by Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes and Michael Cole as Pete Cochran. They were young adults from wayward backgrounds who became cops under the command of Capt. Adam Greer (Tige Andrews).

The show tapped into the zeitgeist of the late ’60s, portraying a positive image for the counterculture of the moment by tackling such issues as the Vietnam war and racism. Linc, Julie and Pete blended into the scene, using stealth to track and capture their targets.

He played opposite Kellie Martin in the Hallmark Channel series Mystery Woman as the mysterios Philby.

Williams was born in Harlem on Aug. 21, 1939, the son of professional musician Clay Williams. He grew up in music, raised by his grandparents, which included composer-pianist Clarence Williams, a frequent collaborator of blues legend Bessie Smith.

Acting became the path for Williams when he saw a rehearsal for Dark of the Moon at the Harlem YMCA.  Cicely Tyson was starring, and the director gave Williams a couple of lines in the play.

Williams later enlisted in the US Army and served as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. He returned to civilian life and acting with the Broadway play The Great Indoors, and served as an artist-in-residence at Brandeis University before scoring his role in The Mod Squad.

Williams is survived by his sister Sondra Pugh, daughter Jamey Phillips, niece Suyin Shaw, grandnephews Elliot Shaw and Ese Shaw, and grandniece Azaria Verdin. He was married to actress Gloria Foster (Oracle in the first two Matrix movies) from 1967-84.

Film

Year       Film       Role       Director                Notes

1984      Purple Rain         Father   Albert Magnoli

1986      52 Pick-Up           Bobby Shy           John Frankenheimer      

1988      I'm Gonna Git You Sucka               Kalinga Keenen Ivory Wayans    

1992      Deep Cover         Detective Taft    Bill Duke             

1993      Sugar Hill             Arthur Romello "A.R." Skuggs      Leon Ichaso       

1995      Tales from the Hood       Mr. Simms           Rusty Cundieff  

1997      Hoodlum             "Bub" Hewlett   Bill Duke             

1998      The Legend of 1900         "Jelly Roll" Morton           Giuseppe Tornatore       

Half Baked           Samson Simpson              Tamra Davis       

1999      Life         Winston Hancock             Ted Demme      

The General’s Daughter                Colonel George Fowler Simon West       

2000      Reindeer Games               "Merlin"               John Frankenheimer      

2003      The Extreme Team          Zachary                Leslie Libman    

2005      Constellation      Forest Boxer       Jordan Walker-Pearlman              

Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend       Philby    Mark Griffiths    Hallmark movie

Mystery Woman: Snapshot          George Standford Brown

Mystery Woman: Sing Me A Murder        Stephen Bridgewater

Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder       Kellie Martin

Mystery Woman: Game Time      David S. Cass Sr.

2006      Mystery Woman: At First Sight   Kellie Martin

Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery      David S. Cass Sr.

Mystery Woman: Oh Baby

Mystery Woman: Redemption

2007      Mystery Woman: In the Shadows

The Blue Hour    Ridley    Eric Nazarian     

American Gangster          Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson         Ridley Scott       

2009      The Way of War                Mac       John Carter        

A Day in the Life                Sam       Sticky Fingaz      

2013      The Butler           Maynard              Lee Daniels        

2016      Snowbird             Bob        Sean Baker         

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1968–1973          The Mod Squad                 Lincoln "Linc" Hayes        123 episodes

1979      The Littlest Hobo                             

1983      Hill Street Blues                Lester Minley     Episode: "Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow" (S4, E16)

1985      Miami Vice          Maximilian "Legba" Ildefonse     Episode: "Tale of the Goat" (S2, E7)

1985      The Cosby Show               Mr. Thornhill      Episode: "Cliff's Birthday" (S1, E24)

1990      Twin Peaks          FBI Agent Roger Hardy  

1996      Star Trek DS9     Omet'iklan          Episode: "To the Death" (S4, E23)

2000      Law & Order       Latiff Miller         Episode: "Burn, Baby, Burn" (S11, E6)

2003      Fastlane               Mr. Hayes            2 Episodes

2005-2007          American Dragon Jake Long         Councilor Andam              Voice 5 episodes

2005-2007          Mystery Woman               Philby    10 episodes

2005      Everybody Hates Chris   Tate       Episode: "Everybody Hates Basketball" (S1, E3)