Biography
William Smithers was an American actor. Born Marion Wilkinson Smithers Jr. on 10 July 1927 in Richmond, Virginia, he made his Broadway debut as Tybalt in a 1951 production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Olivia de Havilland and received a Theatre World Award for the performance.
He appeared in numerous films and nearly 400 television productions. His film roles included Lt. Harold 'Harry' Woodruff in Attack (1956) and Warden Barrot in Papillon (1973). On television he played recurring roles as David Schuster in Peyton Place (1965–1966) and Jeremy Wendell in Dallas (1981 and 1984–1989), as well as guest appearances in series including Star Trek (1968), Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Smithers died on 26 May 2026 in Santa Barbara, California, aged 98.
