William Smithers, 1927 – 2026

Character actor William Smithers, 98, died on May 26. Smithers played J.R.’s nemesis Jeremy Wendell on Dallas, a space-age Roman gladiator on Star Trek, and Warden Barrot in Papillion, among many other roles in a long career. He was also an acclaimed Broadway actor, appearing in Romeo and Juliet, Legend of Lovers, End as a Man, The Shadow of a Gunman, and Man and Boy. From the 1950s-90s, Smithers played supporting and but roles in such films and TV shows as Mr. Peepers, Peyton Place, Tarzan, Mission: Impossible, It Takes a Thief, The Mod Squad, Deathsport, and Walker, Texas Ranger. Smithers also sued MGM and won, over billing and salary on the TV show Executive Suite. His daughter, Dianne Hull, is an actress and acting coach. Smithers recalled of his Actors Studio days, “Studio newcomer James Dean saw a rehearsal of our project and asked if he could become a part of it. In the last of our public performances, as the last act was nearing, Dean did not appear. Director Jack Garfein grabbed a Studio member, put him in uniform and had him serve the function. In the midst of that last act, Dean showed up, apologizing that he had been at the beach and forgot. Garfein said, ‘I will never use that actor again!’”