{"id":2046057,"date":"2026-07-16T07:05:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2046057"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:05:06","slug":"sanford-and-son-star-hal-williams-dead-at-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2046057","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Sanford and Son&#8217; Star Hal Williams Dead at 91"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/80\/16by9\/2018\/02\/27\/809db096b5c3509589e6dc2239aaddc8_xl.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"article article--permalink \">\n<header class=\"article__header\">\n<h1 class=\"article__header--headline-title\">&#8216;Sanford and Son&#8217; Star Hal Williams Dead at 91<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article__header--headline-fragments\"><span class=\"article__header--hf1 text-uppercase h3\">&#8216;Sanford And Son&#8217; Hal Williams<\/span><span class=\"article__header--hf2 text-uppercase h1\">Dead At 91<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"social-media-container\" role=\"region\">\n<ul class=\"social social--sm\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"media-swipe\">Exclusive Details<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\"><\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tmz.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"js-track-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"google-preferred-btn\" src=\"https:\/\/static.tmz.com\/tmz-web\/img\/article\/google-preferred-source.png\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/pages\/about\/\">TMZ Staff<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"date-wrapper\">\n                                                                        Published <time class=\"published-datetime\" datetime=\"2026-07-16T00:05:06-07:00\"><br \/>\n                              July 16, 2026<br \/>\n                            12:05 AM PDT<\/time><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article__blocks clearfix\">\n<section id=\"cb-6f88ee56dc597883daea110c922def62\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  canvas-block-is-first \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20180227_809db096b5c3509589e6dc2239aaddc8\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:8b8a6196-01ea-4a2a-b391-6bd119509d3d\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/80\/4by3\/2018\/02\/27\/809db096b5c3509589e6dc2239aaddc8_md.jpg\" alt=\"Hal Williams (left) and Howard Platt (right) -- who are now both 79 years old -- posed for a pic together looking arresting.\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-455bb64a1d874523e7833f5fdf0f847f\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Hal Williams \u2014 the actor who famously played Officer &#8220;Smitty&#8221; Smith in the 1970&#8217;s hit TV show &#8220;Sanford and Son&#8221; \u2014 has died, according to his rep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-92bef3526b2f4fdbf592fb48369ede0e\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>His manager, <strong>Zna Portlock Houston, <\/strong>tells TMZ &#8230; Hal died from natural causes Wednesday morning at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA, noting that he had some health issues.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-d316edc0a1afa9920f4b3467cdab160e\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20180227_d2515583ac875f148257a2a19e3640ab\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:8b8a6196-01ea-4a2a-b391-6bd119509d3d\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/d2\/4by3\/2018\/02\/27\/d2515583ac875f148257a2a19e3640ab_md.jpg\" alt=\"Howard Platt (left) and Hal Williams (right) are best known for playing the police pals Hoppy and Smitty in the hilarious &apos;70s sitcom, \" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-2030ed065316abd5c2229ef90fcc311a\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Houston said Hal felt tired upon his return two weeks ago from Ohio, where he attended a reunion celebrating &#8220;Sanford and Son&#8221; with former castmate, Howard Platt, who played Officer Howard &#8220;Hoppy&#8221; Hopkins.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-2ffcb26a2d9ac1a9d2c8947d6fbdd808\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>In 1972, Hal launched his TV career, landing the role of Smitty in &#8220;Sanford and Son&#8221; alongside legendary comedian, Redd Foxx, who played Fred Sanford, and Demond Wilson, who played Foxx&#8217;s son, Lamont.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-2d359aa9bb3c7daff16165d217b7ee6d\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Then, in 1973, Hal scored a major role as Harley Foster in the popular TV show, &#8220;The Waltons.&#8221; Hal also had a prominant part in the TV sitcom &#8220;227&#8221; as Lester Lenkins.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-0069d7def8a27948fab71018e04dec76\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>He also made cameos in a bunch of other TV shows, including &#8220;That Girl,&#8221; &#8220;The Dick Van Dyke Show,&#8221; &#8220;Cannon,&#8221; &#8220;Police Woman,&#8221; &#8220;Gunsmoke,&#8221; &#8220;Good Times,&#8221; &#8220;Knots Landing,&#8221; &#8220;The Dukes of Hazzard,&#8221; &#8220;Webster,&#8221; &#8220;Hill Street Blues,&#8221; &#8220;Magnum P.I.,&#8221; &#8220;Night Court,&#8221; and &#8220;L.A. Law.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-1ad9227f9360c11ddba49e184d980fa5\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Not only that, but Hal was featured on the big screen, too, securing parts in movies such as &#8220;Hardcore,&#8221; &#8220;The Rookie,&#8221; &#8220;Percy &amp; Thunder,&#8221; and &#8220;Flight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-1026a7060ff1be5df2cd2096be9da5f8\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Hal was 91.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-0c70455ed4da4fd6ee9c2903c29e0900\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  canvas-block-is-last \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>RIP\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<ul class=\"social social--permalink\">\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><a class=\"btn social__btn social__btn--facebook js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/16\/hal-williams-dead\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:8b8a6196-01ea-4a2a-b391-6bd119509d3d\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;facebook-footer&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:1}\"><br \/>\n                Share<span class=\"social__hide-sm\"> on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><a class=\"btn social__btn social__btn--x js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/16\/hal-williams-dead\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:8b8a6196-01ea-4a2a-b391-6bd119509d3d\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;twitter-footer&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:2}\"><br \/>\n                Share<span class=\"social__hide-sm\"> on X<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/16\/hal-williams-dead\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/80\/16by9\/2018\/02\/27\/809db096b5c3509589e6dc2239aaddc8_xl.jpg&#8221;] &#8216;Sanford and Son&#8217; Star Hal Williams Dead at 91 &#8216;Sanford And Son&#8217; Hal WilliamsDead At 91 Exclusive Details By TMZ Staff Published July 16, 2026 12:05 AM PDT Getty Hal Williams \u2014 the actor who famously played Officer &#8220;Smitty&#8221; Smith in the 1970&#8217;s hit TV show &#8220;Sanford and Son&#8221; \u2014 has died, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,77],"class_list":["post-2046057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tmz-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2046057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2046057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2046057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2046057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}