William Smithers

• Name — William Smithers • Birth Name — Marion Wilkinson Smithers Jr. • Born — 10 July 1927 • Birthplace — Richmond, Virginia, U.S. • Died — 26 May 2026 • Place of death — Santa Barbara, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1951–2011

Smithers was born on July 10, 1927, in Richmond, Virginia, the son of systems engineer Marion Wilkinson Smithers and Marion Albany Smithers (née Thompson). In 1951, he made his Broadway debut as Tybalt in the Dwight Deere Wiman production of Romeo and Juliet, starring Olivia de Havilland; for this performance he received a Theater World Award. In 1952, he was accepted as a life member of The Actors Studio. In 1957, he received an Obie Award for his portrayal of Treplev in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull.

His other Broadway plays included Jean Anouilh's Legend of Lovers, Calder Willingham's End as a Man, (begun as a project at the Actors Studio), Carson McCullers's The Square Root of Wonderful and Terence Rattigan's Man and Boy (performed in London and New York). Off-Broadway, he played leading roles in Frank Gilroy's Who'll Save the Plowboy? (Obie Award, Best Drama), Willingham's End as a Man (before the production went to Broadway), George Bellak's The Troublemakers and Sean O'Casey's Shadow of a Gunman (also begun as a Studio project).

As the plaintiff in Smithers vs. MGM, despite being threatened with blacklisting should he pursue the matter, he sued the multimillion-dollar film studio to protect his contractual rights with regard to star billing in the 1976 television series Executive Suite. In so doing, he won a case that was appealed as far as the California Supreme Court, and is now taught in entertainment law courses.

Smithers lived in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, acting teacher S. Loraine Boos Hull, known as Lorrie Hull Smithers (August 5, 1928 – January 10, 2022). She authored Strasberg's Method: As Taught by Lorrie Hull. With Smithers, she co-produced an acting-training DVD The Method). From 2003 to 2005, he created, produced and directed the Santa Barbara Theatre of the Air for KCSB radio, broadcasting works of classic and contemporary playwrights. From 2010 to 2013, he and his wife were co-hosts and co-producers of the Santa Barbara Channels (now TV Santa Barbara) television interview program Just Between Us! Seven episodes of this program were named finalists for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 WAVE (Western Access Video Excellence) Awards. In 2010 and 2011, Smithers served on the Board of Directors of TV Santa Barbara. In December 2015, he was appointed by the Santa Barbara City Council to the city's Arts Advisory Committee. Smithers died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 98.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1952-1953 — Suspense — Joe Cable — 4 episodes • 1953 — Mister Peepers — Jerry — 1 episode • 1954 — The Shadow — Alex Bromm — TV Movie • 1955-1956 — General Electric Theater — Ray Poole — 2 episodes • 1955-1957 — Studio One — 6 episodes • 1955-1961 — Armstrong Circle Theatre — Bill — 5 episodes • 1957 — Omnibus — Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill — season 5, episode 16 - Lee at Gettysburg • 1957 — The Seven Lively Arts — Bill — season 1, episode 2 - The World of Nick Adams • 1958 — Harbourmaster — Chris — season 1, episode 24 - Strangers in Town • 1959 — True Story — Johnny Burgess — 1 episode • 1960-1961 — The Witness — Committee Member — 6 episodes • 1962-1963 — Young Doctor Malone — Lt. Flagler • 1964 — Espionage — Crawford Layton — season 1, episode 24 - A Tiny Drop of Poison • 1964 — The Reporter — Lieutenant — season 1, episode 1 - Extension Seven • 1965 — The Defenders — District Attorney Koch — season 4, episode 21 - No-Knock • 1965 — Combat! — Lt. Markes — season 3, episode 27 - Cry in the Ruins • 1965 — Eagle in a Cage — Gourgade — TV Movie • 1965-1966 — Peyton Place — David Schuster — 56 episodes • 1966 — Shane — Del Packard — season 1, episode 3 - The Wild Geese • 1966 — The Road West — Sam Gaskins — season 1, episode 8 - Piece of Tin • 1966 — Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea — John Wilson — season 3, episode 12 - The Plant Man • 1966 — The Felony Squad — Roy Madden — season 1, episode 13 - The Killer Instinct • 1966-1968 — Mission: Impossible — Frank Egan, Victor Tomar — 2 episodes • 1967-1968 — The Invaders — Nat Greely, Adam Lane — 2 episodes • 1967-1969 — The F.B.I. — Joseph Kearny, Clay Keller, Frank William Stocker, John Debecker — 4 episodes • 1967 — Jericho — Colonel Otto Van Fehrmann — season 1, episode 13 - Both Ends Against the Riddle • 1967 — Judd, for the Defense — John Emery — season 1, episode 2 - The Deep End • 1967 — Tarzan — Brooks — season 2, episode 7 - The Fanatics • 1968 — Mannix — Salvatore Pucci — season 1, episode 21 – Eight to Five, It's a Miracle • 1968 — Star Trek: The Original Series — Merik — season 2, episode 15 - Bread and Circuses • 1968 — Premiere — Joseph Kane — season 1, episode 1 - Call to Danger • 1968 — Call to Danger — Joseph Kane — TV Movie • 1968 — It Takes a Thief — Mr. Aiken — season 2, episode 16 - The Packager • 1968, 1970 — The Mod Squad — Hank Frederick & Lew Dickens — season 1, episode 11 - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Starlet season 2, episode 19 - Survival House • 1969 — The Bold Ones: The New Doctors — Dr. Truesdale — season 1, episode 3 - The Rebellion of the Body • 1969 — The Monk — Leo Barnes — TV Movie • 1969, 1970 — Ironside — Frank Rich & Ross Farley — season 2, episode 19 - A World of Jackals season 3, episode 25 - Tom Dayton is Loose Among Us • 1970 — Hawaii Five-O — Dr. Warren Parker — season 2, episode 16 - Bored, She Hung Herself • 1970 — Marcus Welby, M.D. — George Howe — season 1, episode 19 - Go Get 'Em Tiger • 1970 — The Brotherhood of the Bell — Dr. Jerry Fielder — TV Movie • 1970 — The Name of the Game — Dave Martin — 2 episodes • 1971 — The Neon Ceiling — Doctor Miller — TV Movie • 1972 — Cades County — William Courtney — season 1, episode 14 - One Small, Acceptable Death • 1973 — Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law — Mark Wade — season 2, episode 22 - Final Semester • 1973 — Hawkins — Sam Drummomd — season 1, episode 1 - Murder in Movieland • 1974 — The Rookies — Pete Martin — season 2, episode 17 - The Late Mr. Brent • 1974 — The Six Million Dollar Man — General Koslenko — season 1, episode 6 - Doomsday, and Counting • 1974 — Cannon — Colonel Cade — season 4, episode 5 - The Deadly Trail • 1974 — The Manhunter — Jack Hobson — season 1, episode 12 - The Lodester Ambush • 1975 — The Streets of San Francisco — Dr. Norman Jessup — season 3, episode 19 - The Programming of Charlie Blake • 1975, 1979 — Barnaby Jones — Felix Jordan & Burt Parish — season 4, episode 2 - Theater of Fear season 8, episode 8 - Homecoming for a Dead Man • 1976-1977 — Executive Suite — Anderson Gault — 18 episodes • 1977 — Most Wanted — Brian Demery — season 1, episode 19 - The Death Dealer • 1978 — The Amazing Spider-Man — James Colbert — season 2, episode 3 - The Con Caper • 1978 — Lucan — Stockwood — season 1, episode 10 - The Creature Beyond the Door • 1979, 1982 — Quincy, M.E. — Senator Al Stevenson & Colonel Hamel — season 4, episode 20 - Semperfidelis season 7, episode 9 - Bitter Pill • 1980 — Where the Ladies Go — Mullen — TV Movie • 1980 — The Return of Frank Cannon — William Barrett — TV Movie • 1981-1989 — Dallas — Jeremy Wendell — 50 episodes • 1984 — Scarecrow and Mrs. King — Carling London — season 2, episode 5 - Charity Begins at Home • 1987 — Sledge Hammer! — Colonel Poltz — season 2, episode 13 - They Call Me Mr. Trunk • 1990 — Hunter — Major Cody — season 7, episode 4 - Kill Zone • 1994 — Walker, Texas Ranger — Milo Crane — season 3, episode 9 - Payback

William Smithers is recorded with the occupation film actor.

In 1965, Smithers moved to Los Angeles to play "David Schuster" in the television series Peyton Place for nine months. He also played Stanley Norris on the soap opera Guiding Light from 1970 to 1971, and, from 1976 to 1977, was a cast member in the series Executive Suite. He appeared in nearly 400 television productions, including The Invaders, Barnaby Jones, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Star Trek, Combat!, Mission: Impossible, and Hawaii Five-O, as well as feature films such as Attack (1956), Trouble Man (1972), Scorpio (1973), Papillon (1973), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), and Deathsport (1978). In 1981 and from 1984 to 1989, he played oil baron Jeremy Wendell on the prime-time soap opera Dallas.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1956 — Attack — Lt. Harold 'Harry' Woodruff • 1964 — The Parisienne and the Prudes — Henry • 1972 — Trouble Man — Captain Joe Marx • 1973 — Scorpio — Mitchell • 1973 — Papillon — Warden Barrot • 1978 — Deathsport — Dr. Karl