Hal Williams

Acting

Hal Williams

Born — Died

1938-12-14 — 2026-07-15

Place of birth

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

57 titles

Halroy Candis Williams was an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith on Sanford and Son, Harley Foster on The Waltons, and as the patriarch Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs's character, on the NBC sitcom 227 which originally aired from 1985 until 1990.

Known for

Knots Landing poster
6.9

The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.

Knots Landing

1979

Magnum, P.I. poster
7.3

A private investigator who works when he wants, lives in a beachfront estate in Hawaii, drives a posh Ferrari, runs up an unlimited tab at a swank bar, and charms attractive women in peril - that's the lifestyle of Thomas Magnum, aka Magnum, P.I.

Magnum, P.I.

1980

Parks and Recreation poster
8.0

In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.

Parks and Recreation

2009

Hill Street Blues poster
7.6

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

Hill Street Blues

1981

L.A. Law poster
7.0

L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many of Bochco's trademark features including a large number of parallel storylines, social drama and off-the-wall humor. It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights, homophobia, sexual harassment, AIDS, and domestic violence. The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff. The show was popular with audiences and critics, and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.

L.A. Law

1986

The Waltons poster
7.1

The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

The Waltons

1972

Film credits

1990s · 4 titles

1980s · 8 titles

Private Benjamin poster
6.0

A sheltered young high society woman joins the US Army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.

Private Benjamin

1980

The Escape Artist poster
6.2

The young and self-confident Danny bluffs at the local police-station that he will escape from prison within an hour. What follows is a flashback showing his childhood with his uncle and aunt, who are 'vaudeville'-artists themselves.

The Escape Artist

1982

The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There poster
NR

The NBC All Star Hour (1985) was a one-hour primetime television special that brought together stars from NBC’s biggest shows of the mid-1980s, blending comedy, music, and variety performances into a network showcase.

The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There

1985

On the Nickel poster
7.0

Sam, a recovering alcoholic, feels dissatisfied with his life of sobriety and goes back in search of the good times he enjoyed with his wino friends on "the Nickel" of Los Angeles' skid row.

On the Nickel

1980

The Sky Is Gray poster
7.0

From Ernest J. Gaines, author of "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," comes a deceptively simple, yet emotionally complex tale of a young boy's discovery of what it's like to be black in Louisiana during the 1940's. James, the boy in question, has a raging toothache that necessitates a trip to the dentist. His mother (played by Emmy-winner Olivia Cole), accompanies James to town on an eye-opening odyssey where the boy gains valuable insights into poverty, racism - and his own sense of pride. With an exciting musical score by Webster Lewis, this multi-award winning film explores a child's discovery that the world is a complicated place... where things are never truly black or white... only shades of gray.

The Sky Is Gray

1980

All the Money in the World poster
4.5

A young boy gets a wish from a leprechaun, and wishes for all the money in the world. He then learns about the real-life ramifications of such a wish.

All the Money in the World

1983

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige poster
6.6

The story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, the legendary pitcher, from his barnstorming days in the 1920s, hoping to break into organized "negro" baseball, to his emergence at age 43 in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians the year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige

1981

The Young Landlords poster
NR

Four teen-age New York residents try to raise cash to improve a dilapidated building they brought for a dollar.

The Young Landlords

1983

Series credits

Knots Landing poster
6.9

The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.

Knots Landing

1979

Magnum, P.I. poster
7.3

A private investigator who works when he wants, lives in a beachfront estate in Hawaii, drives a posh Ferrari, runs up an unlimited tab at a swank bar, and charms attractive women in peril - that's the lifestyle of Thomas Magnum, aka Magnum, P.I.

Magnum, P.I.

1980

Parks and Recreation poster
8.0

In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.

Parks and Recreation

2009

Hill Street Blues poster
7.6

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

Hill Street Blues

1981

L.A. Law poster
7.0

L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many of Bochco's trademark features including a large number of parallel storylines, social drama and off-the-wall humor. It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights, homophobia, sexual harassment, AIDS, and domestic violence. The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff. The show was popular with audiences and critics, and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.

L.A. Law

1986

The Waltons poster
7.1

The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

The Waltons

1972

Night Court poster
7.3

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

Night Court

1984

Quincy, M.E. poster
7.5

Los Angeles County medical examiner Quincy routinely engages in police investigations.

Quincy, M.E.

1976

T. J. Hooker poster
6.5

Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Hooker is a tough-as-nails veteran police officer with the LCPD who turns his back on a gold badge and goes back to patrolling the streets and training recruits. Along with his young partners in blue, Hooker take on Lake City's toughest criminals.

T. J. Hooker

1982

Matlock poster
7.0

After achieving success in her younger years, the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock rejoins the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within. Inspired by the classic television series of the same name.

Matlock

2024

Police Woman poster
6.4

Sergeant “Pepper"” Anderson, an undercover cop for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department, poses undercover from mob girl to prostitute.

Police Woman

1974

Cannon poster
6.7

Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976. The primary protagonist is the title character, private detective Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad. He also appeared on two episodes of Barnaby Jones. Cannon is the first Quinn Martin-produced series to be aired on a network other than ABC. A "revival" television film, The Return of Frank Cannon, was aired on November 1, 1980. In total, there were 124 episodes.

Cannon

1971

The Jeffersons poster
7.3

Sitcom following a successful African-American couple, George and Louise “Weezyö Jefferson as they “move on up” from working-class Queens to a ritzy Manhattan apartment. A spin-off of All in the Family.

The Jeffersons

1975

Tales from the Crypt poster
8.0

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

Tales from the Crypt

1989

Moesha poster
6.9

The everyday life of Moesha Mitchell, a vivacious young woman juggling romance, school, ever-changing family dynamics, and friendships.

Moesha

1996

Gunsmoke poster
6.7

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

Gunsmoke

1955

That Girl poster
6.2

That Girl is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York to try to make it big in New York City. Ann has to take a number of offbeat "temp" jobs to support herself in between her various auditions and bit parts. Ted Bessell played her boyfriend Donald Hollinger, a writer for Newsview Magazine; Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp played Lew Marie and Helen Marie, her concerned parents. Bernie Kopell, Ruth Buzzi and Reva Rose played Ann and Donald's friends. That Girl was developed by writers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, who had served as head writers on The Dick Van Dyke Show earlier in the 1960s.

That Girl

1966

Good Times poster
8.0

Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which is itself a spin-off of All in the Family along with The Jeffersons. The series is set in Chicago. The first two seasons were taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood. In the fall of 1975, the show moved to Metromedia Square, where Norman Lear's own production company was housed.

Good Times

1974

Sanford and Son poster
7.5

The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.

Sanford and Son

1972

A Black Lady Sketch Show poster
7.1

A narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests presenting sketches performed by a core cast of black women.

A Black Lady Sketch Show

2019

Harry O poster
5.2

After being shot in the line of duty, Harry Orwell was forced to retire from the San Diego Police Department. To supplement his police pension, Harry runs a private detective agency out of his beach house... The series starred David Janssen and was executive produced by Jerry Thorpe.

Harry O

1974

227 poster
6.9

A housewife sits on the stoop of her apartment building in a black neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and discusses all manner of things with her neighbors.

227

1985

Moonlight poster
7.3

Mick St. John is a captivating, charming and immortal private investigator from Los Angeles, who defies the traditional blood-sucking norms of his vampire tendencies by using his wit and powerful supernatural abilities to help the living.

Moonlight

2007

Suddenly Susan poster
6.0

Susan Keane is a glamorous San Francisco magazine writer beginning to adjust to being single, who learns to be independent-minded, after being taken care of all her life.

Suddenly Susan

1996

Mr. Mayor poster
6.6

A retired businessman runs for mayor of Los Angeles to prove he's "still got it." Once he wins, he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his biggest critic and connect with his teenage daughter, all while trying to get anything right for America's second weirdest city.

Mr. Mayor

2021

The White Shadow poster
7.1

The White Shadow is an American drama television series that ran on the CBS network from November 27 1978, to March 16 1981.

The White Shadow

1978

What's Happening!! poster
7.4

Buddies Raj, Rerun and Dwayne come of age in 1970s Los Angeles. The trio have a penchant for mischief and trying to find ways of getting rich quick. Almost always the trio's schemes wind up getting them into trouble and it's up to Raj's mother Mabel to get them out of it. Also, half of the time, the guys get into trouble because of Raj's bratty sister Dee.

What's Happening!!

1976

The Magician poster
6.8

The Magician is an American television series that ran during the 1973–1974 season. It starred Bill Bixby as stage illusionist Anthony "Tony" Blake, a playboy philanthropist who used his skills to solve difficult crimes as needed. In the series pilot, the character was instead named Anthony Dorian. The name change was due to a conflict with the name of a real life stage magician.

The Magician

1973

The First Family poster
9.0

The First Family is an American sitcom that debuted in first-run syndication in the United States on September 22, 2012. Created by Byron Allen and produced by Allen's production company Entertainment Studios, the series is the first situation comedy to air in first-run syndication since the 2000 cancellation of Malibu, CA.

The First Family

2012

Roots: The Next Generations poster
7.5

Roots: The Next Generations is a television miniseries, introduced in 1979, continuing, from 1882 to the 1960s, the fictionalized story of the family of Alex Haley and their life in Henning, Lauderdale County, Tennessee, USA. This sequel to the 1977 miniseries is based on the last seven chapters of Haley's novel entitled Roots: The Saga of an American Family plus additional material by Haley. Roots: The Next Generations was produced with a budget of $16.6 million, nearly three times as large as that of the original.

Roots: The Next Generations

1979

Private Benjamin poster
6.5

Private Benjamin is an American sitcom based on the movie of the same name. The show aired on CBS from April 6, 1981, to January 10, 1983. Eileen Brennan, who reprised her role from the film, won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for her work on the series.

Private Benjamin

1981

No artwork available
6.5

The Sinbad Show is an American sitcom starring comedian Sinbad that premiered on September 16, 1993 on Fox. The show's main plot is about a bachelor taking in two orphaned children. Chuck Brown performed this sitcom's theme music. It was canceled after one season on April 21, 1994, with two episodes left unaired.

The Sinbad Show

1993

Sanford poster
7.0

Redd Foxx isn’t done scheming and wise-cracking in the spin-off to one of America's most beloved sitcoms.

Sanford

1980

No artwork available
6.0

A minimum-security prison is the setting for gallows humor by wisecracking inmates.

On the Rocks

1975

Kung Fu poster
7.7

The adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.

Kung Fu

1972