Clarence Williams III (Peace be upon Him)

Mourning and remembering one of the greatest character actors to grace the screen

Clarence Williams III, as Bub Hewlett in Hoodlum [1997] via United Artists

Clarence Williams III Dies At 81

Clarence Williams III was born on August 21, 1939, in New York City. He died June 4th, 2021, losing a battle with colon cancer. He lived to be 81 years old.

Remembering a Legend

Clarence Williams III during his Mod Squad days. Mod Squad was a TV series which ran from 1968 to 1973.

Williams dove into acting after leaving Army service. He spent two years as a paratrooper in 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Clarence Williams was a U.S. Army veteran.

I’ll have to say that I will deeply miss Clarence Williams.

While never having a hyper-mainstream stardom, Clarence Williams in a movie was a universal treasure. Outside of perhaps Samuel L. Jackson, no one has the same presence Clarence brought to a scene.

Clarence was one of the few percussion-voiced Black actors in America who always stole scenes in the movies he starred in, despite the fact that he often was the co-star on film. His presence will be missed. His voice will be missed. I am deeply saddened…