Clarence Williams III Net Worth

What was Clarence Williams III's Net Worth?

Clarence Williams III was an American actor who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death After rising to fame with his role as Linc Hayes on the television crime drama series "The Mod Squad," he appeared in such films as "Purple Rain," "Tales from the Hood," "Hoodlum," "Half Baked," "Life," and "The Butler." Williams also appeared in the "Mystery Woman" series of Hallmark Channel films between 2005 and 2007. Clarence died on June 4, 2021, at the age of 81.

Early Life

Clarence Williams III was born on August 21, 1939, in New York City to musician Clarence Jr. and singer and actress Eva Taylor. His grandfather was a jazz pianist and composer.

Career Beginnings on Stage

Following two years as a paratrooper in the US Army, Williams began his acting career on stage. He made his Broadway debut in "The Long Dream" in 1960, and over the ensuing years appeared in such shows as "Walk in Darkness," "Sarah and the Sax," and "Doubletalk." Williams had his career breakthrough in the play "Slow Dance on the Killing Ground," for which he earned a Tony Award nomination in 1965.

Clarence Williams III, ca.1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Television Career

In 1968, Williams debuted on television in what would become his most famous role: Linc Hayes on the ABC crime drama series "The Mod Squad." He starred alongside Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton, with the trio playing young, rebellious undercover cops. A product of the late-'60s counterculture, "The Mod Squad" was a big hit, running for five seasons and earning six Emmy Award nominations. After the show ended in 1973, Williams didn't appear much on television. He returned at the end of the decade with a guest role on the Canadian series "The Littlest Hobo." In the 1980s, Williams had guest roles on "Hill Street Blues," "T. J. Hooker," "Miami Vice," and "The Cosby Show." He had a bigger part at the start of the 1990s, playing the recurring character FBI Agent Roger Hardy on the ABC surreal mystery drama "Twin Peaks." In 1994, Williams starred as a psychopathic prison inmate in John Frankenheimer's HBO television film "Against the Wall," a fictional account of the Attica Prison riot. He next appeared in a 1996 episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

In the early '00s, Williams appeared in episodes of "Law & Order," "The Legend of Tarzan," and "Fastlane." He began one of his longest-running roles in 2005 when he first appeared as Philby in "Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend," the second installment in the "Mystery Woman" series of Hallmark Channel films. Williams took over the role from J. E. Freeman, and appeared in all of the remaining nine "Mystery Woman" films through early 2007. In the seventh film, subtitled "At First Sight," he reunited with his former "Mod Squad" co-star Michael Cole. During his time in the "Mystery Woman" series, Williams played the recurring voice role of Councilor Andam on the Disney animated series "American Dragon: Jake Long." At the end of the '00s, he had guest roles on "Burn Notice" and "Cold Case.' In the 2010s, Williams appeared in episodes of FX's "Justified," TNT's "Memphis Beat," and Fox's "Empire," with the latter, in 2015, being his final television appearance.

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Film Career

Williams made his big-screen debut playing a gang leader in Shirley Clarke's 1963 film "The Cool World." He wouldn't appear in another film until 1984, when he played the tortured father of Prince's main character in the musical drama "Purple Rain." Williams subsequently played the sociopathic Bobby Shy in John Frankenheimer's 1986 neo-noir crime film "52 Pick-Up." His final film of the decade was Keenen Ivory Wayans's blaxploitation parody film "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," released in late 1988. In the first half of the 1990s, Williams appeared in the Western "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" and the crime films "Deep Cover" and "Sugar Hill." He was more prolific in the latter half of the decade, starting with the horror anthology film "Tales from the Hood" in 1995. In 1997, he played a mob enforcer in the crime drama "Hoodlum," and in 1998 he portrayed pianist Jelly Roll Morton in Giuseppe Tornatore's "The Legend of 1900." Also in 1998, Williams played weed dealer Samson Simpson in the stoner film "Half Baked," and had a small part in the dramedy "Starstruck." Closing out the decade, he played a card hustler in the buddy dramedy "Life" and a colonel in the mystery thriller "The General's Daughter."

At the dawn of the 21st century, Williams appeared as a gang member nicknamed Merlin in the action thriller "Reindeer Games," his third film directed by John Frankenheimer. He subsequently played a drug dealer in the 2001 crime drama "Blue Hill Avenue." Later in the decade, Williams played a struggling blues guitarist in "The Blue Hour" and portrayed crime boss Bumpy Johnson in an uncredited part in Ridley Scott's "American Gangster." In 2009, he starred alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and J. K. Simmons in "The Way of War" and had a brief role in the musical crime film "A Day in the Life." After a break, Williams returned to the big screen in 2013 as a part of the ensemble cast of Lee Daniels's historical drama "The Butler," based on the real life of White House butler Eugene Allen. Williams had his final film role five years later, in the horror comedy anthology film "American Nightmares."

Personal Life and Death

In 1967, Williams married actress Gloria Foster. They eventually divorced in 1984.

On June 4, 2021, Williams passed away from colon cancer in Los Angeles, California.

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