June 4, 2021 He has two children from his first marriage, and a daughter from the second marriage. Clarence Williams III, left with his Mod Squad costars, Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. He also worked on shows such as The Eddie Capra Mysteries; Murder, She Wrote; Fantasy Island, and Diagnosis: Murder. He was born in 1939 and began his career on stage in 1957, earning a Tony nomination in 1965 before adding acclaimed appearances in TV and movies to his repertoire. Williams was married to actress Gloria Foster (Oracle in the first two Matrix movies) from 1967-84. After the series ended in 1973, he worked in a variety of genres on stage and screen, from comedy (I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Half-Baked) to sci-fi (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and drama (Purple Rain). Created by Bud Ruskin, who had led an LAPD undercover narcotics unit, The Mod Squad wound up airing for five seasons on ABC. Clarence Williams III, who was considered a Black power icon in the 1960s and '70s, breathed his last on Friday, June 4. Williams also displayed a flair for comedy, playing a former leader of the Peoples Revolutionary Army in Keenen Ivory Wayans blaxploitation parody Im Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and the maniacal drug lord Samson Simpson in the classic Half-Baked (1998), starring Dave Chappelle. Cole went through treatment in the Betty Ford Clinic in the early 1990s to get his drinking problem under control.[6]. He appeared in all but the first of the eleven films alongside Kellie Martin (J.E. I take it as an absolute compliment that they liked the show and liked my character and liked what I did with it.. Lipton was 72, and she received a Golden Globes Award in '71 for her performance on the Aaron Spelling produced show. While Cole might have started on the wrong track, he is now healthy and happy. She was 72. He played Bumpy Johnson in the film American Gangster. She was an exquisite human being On all levels. He said he really enjoyed how each movie revealed a little more about Philby, keeping aspects of the character mysterious. His last film was American Nightmares (2018), a horror comedy. Clarence Williams III -- best known for roles in The Mod Squad, Purple Rain and Sugar Hill -- has died. His other film roles included a much-too-loyal aide-de-camp in The Generals Daughter (1999), a glowering criminal who is set on fire in Reindeer Games (2000), an old-school crime lord in American Gangster (2007) and a White House servants older mentor in Lee Danielss The Butler (2013). Is climate change killing Australian wine? In the series, Williams played the role of Philby, a man with a mysterious past who helps Samantha solve mysteries. He played the character of Linc Hayes in the police television series The Mod Squad from 1968 to 1973. He has performed multiple on-screen hosting and commentary roles across his two-decade-plus-long . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Williams' management cited the cause of death as colon cancer. Lipton played Julie Barnes, one of a trio of Los Angeles undercover "hippie cops" on the counter-culture "The Mod Squad" with Michael Cole and Clarence Williams III. Actor Clarence Williams III has died. Being a biracial couple Mr. Jones is black was not without its difficulties. He was 81. The show addressed issues such as the Vietnam War, drugs and domestic violence. His father, Clarence Jr., known as Clay, was a musician. The couple divorced in 1989. Personal life [ edit] Foster and Williams in The Mod Squad episode in 1970. Ms. Lipton on The Mod Squad with, from left, Clarence Williams III, Tige Andrews, and Michael Cole. He was 81. Continuing his work on stage, he appeared in Walk in Darkness (1963), Sarah and the Sax (1964), Doubletalk (1964), and King John. Williams married the actress Gloria Foster in 1967. Read about our approach to external linking. Then [Williams] drove off and smashed right into a telephone pole. At the time, she also pursued a singing career, releasing her album, Peggy Lipton, in 1968. And so I said let me go back, refresh myself, learn some things, read, travel and just try to put some more arrows in my quiver., Williams did return for aMod Squad reunion telefilm in 1979. Williams' management confirmed his. The tag line First they got busted, then they got badges referred to three attractive, streetwise flower children (One black, one white, one blonde, as another tag line explained) who, after some trouble with the law, joined the police force and worked undercover. He was 81. Lipton appeared in the1979 Mod Squad TV reunion andmade a cameo appearancein a 1999 movie version of "The Mod Squad" that starred Claire Danes (as Julie Barnes),Omar Epps and Giovanni Ribisi. He was a leader of the Attica prison riots in HBOs Against the Wall (1994); a segregationist governors manservant in the mini-series George Wallace (1997); Muhammad Alis father in Ali: An American Hero (2000); and a retired C.I.A. Before he passed away, he said to look out for her. Did Clarence Williams lll die? The actor chronicled his addiction and recovery in his memoir, and once stated that it took a lot of pain and tears to write it. So I kept an eye on her because she has a tendency to run out and do things.. Williams was exposed to acting as a teenager when he stumbled upon a rehearsal for Dark of the Moon at the Harlem YMCA Cicely Tyson was starring in it and the director gave him a couple of lines in the play. Hallmarks Schedule of New Movies for June 2021. With Kellie Martin, Clarence Williams III, Nina Siemaszko, Casey Sander. 85 likes, 5 comments - EPIC MA'AT (@epic_maat) on Instagram: "#Repost with @fastsave_photo_video credit: @kishlb Clarence Williams III, 'The Mod Squad' and 'P." EPIC MA'AT on Instagram: "#Repost with @fastsave_photo_video credit: @kishlb Clarence Williams III, 'The Mod Squad' and 'Purple Rain' star, dies at 81 His career in film, television . Peggy grew up in Lawrence, one of the so-called five towns clustered at the southwest corner of Nassau County on Long Island. Her final screen appearances were in the 2017 episodes of the relaunch of the Twin Peaks series, but she also appeared on two episodes (2016-17) of Angie Tribeca, playing the mother of her daughter Rashidas character. She was 22 when she achieved instant stardom on the ABC police drama The Mod Squad (1968-73), one of the first prime-time series to acknowledge the existence of the hippie counterculture and an early example of multiracial casting. Television brought Mr. Williams new opportunities too. Mr. Cosby was the first Black actor to win a leading role in a prime-time American series, I Spy, beginning in 1965. Other film credits include the role of Mark in the 1966 science fiction film The Bubble, later re-titled Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth; Spivey in the western Chuka (1967); Alan Miller in The Last Child (1971),[2] which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award;[3] and as Cliff Norris in Beg, Borrow or Steal (1973). Williams died Friday in Los Angeles of colon cancer, his repAllan Mindel toldThe Hollywood Reporter. Prince's estate paid tribute to him for. We feel so lucky for every moment we spent with her. Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series "The Mod Squad" and Prince's father in "Purple Rain," has died. The actor had a troubled childhood, and at age 12, he already had his first taste of alcohol. Decades later, he returned to Broadway to star opposite Maggie Smith in the original 1979 production of Tom Stoppards Night and Day. He was married once, to actress Gloria Foster, from 1967 to 1984. Williams owed a debt of gratitude to Bill Cosby, who had seen Slow Dance on the Killing Ground and recommended the actor to producer Aaron Spelling, who was casting The Mod Squad. 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Clarence Williams III, an actor known for portraying Linc Hayes on "The Mod Squad" and Prince's father in "Purple Rain," died on June 4. died on Saturday in Los Angeles. Clarence Williams III on Mystery Woman. He was 81. The Mod Squad tapped into the countercultural vibe of the era, incorporating timely issues like racism, anti-war protests and drug addiction into storylines as Linc, Julie and Pete infiltrated high schools, acting classes, prisons, hippie newspapers, gangs, movie sets, etc., to catch the bad guys. [7] Cole later made an appearance in the 2007 thriller Mr. Brooks as the attorney for Demi Moore's character of Detective Tracy Atwood. In high school, his schoolmates made fun of him because he reeked of beer, and he once said about tasting alcohol early, "I think it had a lot to do with [my addiction], but if I had said anything, it would have sounded like an excuse.". Co-Director, Interdisciplinary Trauma Team Training. [11] Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Mr. Cosby saw him on the New York stage and recommended him to Mr. Spelling, who was casting The Mod Squad at the time. Their daughters, Kidada and Rashida Jones, were her only children. The trio's investigation of a cover-up in a construction-site murder leads them to a pair of bad heavies.The trio's investigation of a cover-up in a construction-site murder leads them to a pair of bad heavies.The trio's investigation of a cover-up in a construction-site murder leads them to a pair of bad heavies. Prince's drummer Sheila E also paid tribute, saying he had done an "incredible job" in Purple Rain and had been "one of the cool actors" she had watched on TV as a child. She was an exquisite human being On all levels. Williams began pursuing an acting career after spending two years as a paratrooper in C Company . Cole has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, beginning in 1961 with a role in the film drama Forbid Them Not. (Omar Epps played Linc opposite Claire Danes and Giovanni Ribisi in an ill-advised 1999 feature version of the series.). Writing on Twitter, the director said he was an "extraordinary" actor who had been "ahead of his time". He was formerly a York city councillor and Metro Toronto councillor, where he . There was Ms. Lipton seemingly untouched by time, with the same long, silky blond hair, slim figure, radiant skin and air of vulnerability as Norma Jennings, the unhappily married but beatific owner of the Double R Diner. The show aired on ABC from . It started with a sip, and soon, Cole discovered that he preferred it to the juice box boys his age loved. His mother is omitted from his biographies. He was married three times and divorced twice. Sean Michael Coulthard (born December 8, 1968), better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator. Cole's boyish good looks and brooding, deep-voiced personality meshed perfectly with his character's backstorya ne'er-do-well son of wealthy parents who had evicted him from their home after he had stolen a car. Career [ edit] Cole has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, beginning in 1961 with a role in the film drama Forbid Them Not. She was battling cancer. Yet he was persuaded to reprise his character - played by Omar Epps in the little-liked 1999 film reboot - in a 1979 TV movie that reunited the show's original cast. The second One Black, one white, one blonde referred to the cast: Mr. Williams, Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Faced with the possibility of ending up alone and drunk for the rest of his life, Cole chose to go to rehab at the Betty Ford Center. Comedian Kathy Griffin said she was "heartbroken":"Ive honestly always thought of Peggy asperfect. He is survived by his daughter, Jamey Phillips, and his sister, Sondra Pugh. I lived as a Topanga Canyon hippie for a year, which displeased her parents but may have been useful character research, she told The New York Times in 1972. In 1974, Ms. Lipton married Quincy Jones, the Grammy Award-winning musician and producer, and largely retired from acting with the exception of a television movie, The Return of Mod Squad, in 1979, which she did as a personal favor to old friends. Transcript. The series which aired for five years beginning from '68 starred Cole as "Pete Cochran," Clarence Williams III as "Linc Hayes," and Peggy Lipton as "Julie Barnes." Sometimes its just the little things you notice, she said. He was 81 years old. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Clarence Williams III passed away in Los Angeles, California after a battle with colon cancer. May 10, 2022. From left: Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton on 'The Mod Squad', Amazon Studios Nabs J.J. Abrams, Imaxs The Blue Angels Documentary, Robert Patrick, Kennedys Children Playwright, Dies at 85, Harry Belafonte, Singer, Actor, Producer and Activist, Dies at 96, Ron Faber, Busy New York Stage Actor, Dies at 90, Jock Zonfrillo, Chef and 'MasterChef Australia' Judge, Dies at 46, Jerry Springer, Host of a Scandalous Talk Show, Dies at 79, FXs Alien TV Series Taps Sydney Chandler to Star, Trevor Noah Producing U.S. Rest In Peace. His career in TV, theater, and film lasted for four decades, NBC News shared. To view this content choose accept and continue. An actor of uncommon intensity, Williams began his career on the stage and earned a Tony nomination in 1965 for best featured actor in a play for his work in the powerful three-person drama Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. [9] [10] He is buried in St Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York . Peggy Lipton, the actress who rose to fame in TV's groundbreaking 1960s series "The Mod Squad" and starred in the 1990s series "Twin Peaks," has died at age 72 of cancer. And you enjoy being a witness., Peggy Lipton, Mod Squad and Twin Peaks Actress, Dies at 72, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/obituaries/peggy-lipton-mod-squad-dead.html. Williams announced Foster's death in 2001. When he started his Hollywood career, the drinking continued, and the fast-life of the entertainment business only served to make the actor consume more. [4] Produced by Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, The Mod Squad resonated with counterculture-era viewers and ran for five seasons, during which a total of 123 episodes were produced.[5]. For the American football tight end, see, King: A Filmed Record Montgomery to Memphis, "Clarence Williams: Composer, Producer, Director, Performer, Writer, Lyricist, Musical Director", "The Theater: 'Slow Dance on the Killing Ground'; William Hanley Makes His Broadway Debut Story of Tortured Trio Opens at Plymouth", "Review: Brilliant Washington powers 'Gangster', "Clarence Williams III Dies, Mod Squad and Tales from the Hood Star Was 81", "Clarence Williams III Dies: 'Linc' On 'The Mod Squad' Was 81", "Clarence Williams III, Linc on 'The Mod Squad,' Dies at 81", "Clarence Williams III: Tributes paid to late star of Purple Rain and The Mod Squad", "Clarence Williams III, cop Linc Hayes on The Mod Squad, dies aged 81", "Clarence Williams III Dies: Tales From the Hood Star Was 81", "Clarence Williams III, Played Linc on The Mod Squad, Dead at 81", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clarence_Williams_III&oldid=1151719229, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episode: "Maniac at Large" Season 4, Episode 10, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 20:34. She works primarily with the mediums of photography, video, tapestry, sculpture, watercolour and uses money in her works. He owed his screen career to Bill Cosby, then a rising star. Ms. Lipton said she had just relaxed and allowed herself to be a neutral observer and to appreciate their conversation, without feeling a hint of competitiveness. Twice, the "Mr. Brooks" star had fatal accidents that had him thrown through his windshield. The New York Times drama critic Howard Taubman wrote of his performance, "Mr. Williams glides like a dancer, giving his long, fraudulently airy speeches the inner rhythms of fear and showing the nakedness of terror when he ceases to pretend." Williams, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes and Michael Cole as Pete Cochran portrayed young adults who had run-ins with the law Linc had been arrested during the Watts riots before becoming cops under the command of Capt. Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon . Williams died. The Wisconsin native married Shelley Funes in '96, and when she saw that he would drink himself to his grave, she gave him an ultimatum. KIDADA and Rashida shes your angel.". Very sorry to hear Peggy Lipton is gone. Michael Cole, from left, Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton from the television series "The Mod Squad," circa 1968. Williams made his breakthrough in the 1968 counterculture police crime series, . Williams died in Los Angeles on June 4, 2021, from colon cancer at the age of 81. Actress Kellie Martin was among others to remember him fondly, saying it had been "an honour" to work with him on the 2000s TV series Mystery Woman. Clarence also made guest appearances on TV programs, "Cold Case," "Memphis Beat," "Justified" and "Empire," to name a few. He was 81. In her 2005 memoir, Breathing Out, she revealed that as a child she had been sexually molested by an uncle. The two appeared together in the movie The Cool World (1963). His big break came in 1968 when he was cast in The Mod Squad as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, one of three former juvenile delinquents recruited as an undercover cop. Sweet, kind, beautiful & very cool," said Billy Baldwin. Michael Cole (born July 3, 1940) is an American actor. Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday. Ms. Lipton with Glenn Ford in 1971, when she won the Golden Globe for best actress in drama for her role as Julie Barnes on The Mod Squad.. Her "Twin Peaks" co-star Kyle MacLachlan tweeted, "The RR diner is dark today.". The trio's investigation of a cover-up in a construction-site murder leads them to a pair of bad heavies. Michael Cole on "No Way to Treat a Victim" | Photo: Getty Images. Im broken hearted to hear of the passing of my friend Peggy Lipton. Williams management shared that the star died of colon cancer at the age of 81, NBC News reported. The young Mr. Williams appeared in three plays, including Slow Dance on the Killing Ground (1964), for which he received a Tony Award nomination and a Theater World Award. [11] They worked together on The Mod Squad; Foster made two guest appearances. He was a prolific actor with numerous credits to his name. Crown Media He played Princes abusive father in Purple Rain (1984) and Wesley Snipess heroin-addicted father in Sugar Hill (1993). Wherever Quincy and I went, there was an edge to peoples reactions.. They went in, they rob the store, you heard a pistol shot and they ran in the car, the producer recalled in a 1999 interview for the Archive of American Television. Born Michael Charles Cole on July 3, 1940, in Madison, Wisconsin, into a working-class neighborhood, the actor was raised by a single mother, Kathleen Hyland, who also gave birth to his. But it was his role as Pete Cochran, a troubled youth turned crime fighter in The Mod Squad (19681973), that made Cole an international celebrity. Clarence Williams III, the US actor who played Prince's father in Purple Rain and also starred in 1960s show The Mod Squad, has died at the age of 81. The Mod Squad, which ran from 1968 to 1973, was one of the first of its kind a prime-time network series that focused on members of the hippie generation at the same time that it exploited them. Clarence Williams III, star of The Mod Squad, Purple Rain, and 10 Hallmark movies, has died. The cause was colon cancer, his manager, Allan Mindel, said. Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series "The Mod Squad" and Prince's father in "Purple Rain," has died. [8] Funes helped stage an intervention for Cole's alcoholism; Cole has been living sober ever since. Known for his prodigious afro and gap-toothed smile, Williams also worked regularly with famed director John Frankenheimer, first on Elmore Leonards 52 Pick-Up (1986) and then on The Generals Daughter (1999), Reindeer Games (2000) and two telefilms, the Attica-set Against the Wall in 1994 and George Wallace in 1997. He has a deep appreciation for the life he has, and do not take it for granted. Mr. Williams played an F.B.I. Foster went on to play The Oracle in the first two Matrix films before dying in 2001. They were most definitely the hippest and coolest undercover cops on television at the time, notes the website Groovy History. agent on Twin Peaks in 1990 and appeared in many films and television series after The Mod Squad ended. He did a great deal of stage work after The Mod Squad went off the air, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Peggy Lipton with Michael Cole, left, and Clarence Williams III. #PeggyLipton pic.twitter.com/wrrtNQCUP2, Holly Robinson Peete said, "So glad I got a chance to tell her that her character on #ModSquad was an inspiration for Judy Hoffs on 21 Jump Street. Lipton's co-stars and others took to Twitter to remember the actress. pic.twitter.com/EtgVuvJGNb, 'Twin Peaks' Actress Peggy Lipton dies at 72. I said, Clarence, Clarence, what happened? He said, Ive never driven before. I said, Why didnt you tell me that? He said, Because I wanted the job. I hired him that night for Mod Squad.'. The series which aired for five years beginning from '68 starred Cole as "Pete Cochran," Clarence Williams III as "Linc Hayes," and Peggy Lipton as "Julie Barnes." Out of the three, the latter passed away in 2019. Clarence Williams III was born in Manhattan on Aug. 21, 1939. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? "And so I said let me go back, refresh myself, learn some things, read, travel and just try to put some more arrows in my quiver.". ABC wanted him to stay on the show longer, but by 1973 he had had enough. He began his acting career on Broadway, where his grandfather had appeared as early as 1908. This article contains content provided by Twitter. His father was musician Clay Williams while his grandparents were composer-pianist Clarence Williams and singer-actress Eva Taylor. After serving in the US Air Force he started out on stage, earning a Tony nomination in 1965 for Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. In a 2006 interview, Williams told The Buffalo News that Philbys mysterious past with the government appealed to him and was part of the reason he wanted the role. He also portrayed Princes father in Purple Rain in 1984, played FBI agent Robert Hardy on Twin Peaks, and starred in Reindeer Games in the 2000s. A bit. However, five years on the show was enough for him. It would eventually cost him what would have been a successful career. Clarence Williams III, best known for portraying Linc on TV's The Mod Squad, has died at the age of 81, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Im proud of what I did. For a while. The veteran actor starred on the counter-culture police series "The Mod Squad" alongside. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. "From the #ModSquad to #TwinPeaks and everything in between. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Her death was confirmed by her daughters, the actresses Kidada and Rashida Jones. The actor's management confirmed his death to multiple outlets on Sunday, sharing . Spelling then gave Williams a small part as a reluctant getaway driver on an anthology series that he and Danny Thomas were producing. Clarence Williams III in 2013, the year he appeared in The Butler. Honest, funny, nurturing, oh and loved some good, juicy, gossip", Im heartbroken. In the past, it could be ugly out there, she told the Next Tribe website last year. Known for his signature gap-toothed smile and simmering intensity, he was nominated four times for the NAACP's Image Awards. She will always be a part of us.". Martin starred opposite Williams. Clarence Williams III, the US actor who played Prince's father in Purple Rain and also starred in 1960s show The Mod Squad, has died at the age of 81. His body of work also included movies The Cool World (1963), Deep Cover (1992), Hoodlum (1997), Life (1999), Impostor (2001), Constellation (2005), American Gangster (2007), A Day in the Life (2009) and Lee Daniels The Butler (2013) and appearances on TVsHill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Law & Order, Everybody Hates Chris, Burn Notice, Justified and Empire.