Michael Cole on "No Way to Treat a Victim" | Photo: Getty Images. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Williams died Friday in Los Angeles of colon cancer, his repAllan Mindel toldThe Hollywood Reporter. Id done all I could with the part. Anyone can read what you share. He was a prolific actor with numerous credits to his name. 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.". By the end of the evening he had been cast in the production. Clarence Williams III, the reflectively intense actor who starred as Linc Hayes, a young, hip undercover police officer on ABCs The Mod Squad, died on Friday in Los Angeles. The veteran actor starred on the counter-culture police series "The Mod Squad" alongside. The unfortunate news was shared by the actor's management to the publication Variety over the weekend, citing colon cancer as the cause behind his death. After dating hot doctor Ben, "Mystery Woman" Samantha becomes curious about her family medical history so she sets out upstate to fictitious small town; Whiptail, California in search of her birth mother. [9][10] He is buried in St Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York. Shes the one I always wanted to be. There is no denying that Cole had talent, and would have perhaps made it as an A-lister if he didn't love the bottle more. University of Michigan Medical School. And from 2003-07, Williams portrayed father figure Philby Cross opposite Kellie Martin in 10 Mystery Woman telefilms on Hallmark Channel. Mr. Williams played an F.B.I. The trio investigates after an innocent bystander is killed by a speeding car after it narrowly misses Pete.The trio investigates after an innocent bystander is killed by a speeding car after it narrowly misses Pete.The trio investigates after an innocent bystander is killed by a speeding car after it narrowly misses Pete. The cause was colon cancer, his manager, Allan Mindel, said. The show aired on ABC from . Sometimes its just the little things you notice, she said. We all rushed over. He returned to Broadway, appearing as an African head of state, with Maggie Smith, in a Tom Stoppard drama, Night and Day (1979). 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. Born in New York City,[2] Williams was the son of a professional musician, Clarence "Clay" Williams Jr.,[3] and grandson of jazz and blues composer/pianist Clarence Williams and his singer-actress wife, Eva Taylor. Prince's estate paid tribute to him for. She made her television debut as a secretary on an episode of the sitcom Bewitched in 1965 and followed that with guest spots on series including Mr. 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. "It's not a 100-yard dash, it's a long-distance run," he said of his career in 1997. The news was confirmed by her two daughters Kidada and Rashida Jones (star of TV's "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation"), from Lipton's 15-year marriage to music producer Quincy Jones. He portrayed Linc Hayes, a hip undercover police officer who was teamed with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, Doja Cat and Lil Nas X arrive at the Met Gala, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. 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. 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. The showaired on ABC from 1968 to 1973. We had known each Other for many years and her beautiful girls were the loves of her life. Although The Mod Squad made Mr. Williams a symbol of the Vietnam War generation, he actually served in the military just before that era. In 2006, Williams told The Buffalo News about how much he loved playing Linc Hayes. Twice, the "Mr. Brooks" star had fatal accidents that had him thrown through his windshield. He also worked on shows such as The Eddie Capra Mysteries; Murder, She Wrote; Fantasy Island, and Diagnosis: Murder. The couple separated in 1986 and divorced in 1990. Back home, he played on Broadway in The Great Indoors and served as an artist-in-residence at Brandeis University before his big break on The Mod Squad. Unlike her co-star, she had a stable family life and left behind her daughters, Kidada and Rashida Jones, from her marriage to Quincy Jones. After appearing in an uncredited role in Lewis Milestones Pork Chop Hill (1959) and on Broadway in 1960s The Long Dream, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. We feel so lucky for every moment we spent with her. Williams added that he loved acting and wasnt interested in switching to directing the movies. 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. The three starred in The Mod Squad, which ran on ABC from 1968 to 1973. He got over a hundred stitches in his head, but it still wasn't a wakeup call. She was an exquisite human being On all levels. Williams married the actress Gloria Foster in 1967. 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. Born in New York in 1939, Williams was named, like his father, after his musician grandfather, a celebrated jazz pianist. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Williams is survived by his daughter Jamey Phillips, his sister Sondra Pugh, his niece Suyin Shaw, and his grandnephews and grandniece, NBC News reported. ", #PeggyLiptons generosity, wild sense of humor and style, and deeply sensitive wisdom inspired all who had the joy of meeting her. So many Hollywood stars like Dick Van Dyke, and Mary Tyler Moore, battled with a form of addiction. His mother is omitted from his biographies. Pictured are Peggy Lipton (Julie Barnes), Michael Cole (Pete Cochran) and Clarence Williams III (Lincoln Hayes) Williams' management team said the celebrated actor died of colon cancer. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. While Cole might have started on the wrong track, he is now healthy and happy. [8] Funes helped stage an intervention for Cole's alcoholism; Cole has been living sober ever since. Weve lost a beautiful soul. He changed his mind, however, when he read the script and gathered the show's potential appeal. I thought everybody was killed. In the 1990s, she played the role of Norma Jennings in the TV series "Twin Peaks." She was nominated for Emmys and won a Golden Globe in 1971 for her performance. She was battling cancer. agent on Twin Peaks in 1990 and appeared in many films and television series after The Mod Squad ended. [5] His breakout theatrical role was in William Hanley's Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, for which he received a Tony Award nomination. 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. Director Robert Michael Lewis Writers Mann Rubin Buddy Ruskin Tony Barrett Stars Michael Cole Clarence Williams III Peggy Lipton Clarence Williams III, who starred as the brooding undercover cop Lincoln Hayes on the countercultural 1968-73 ABC drama The Mod Squad, has died. Then The Mod Squad came along. Williams portrayed Prince's father in 1984's "Purple Rain" and . Following their divorce, they remained friendly and, upon her . Co-Director, Interdisciplinary Trauma Team Training. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter, The Harlem-born actor also received a Tony nom and appeared on the big screen in 'Purple Rain,' 'Sugar Hill,' 'Half-Baked' and 'Tales From the Hood.'. He was 81. 2023 BBC. "I'd done all I could with the part," he told the Chicago Tribune in 1997. 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. Clarence Williams III, who starred as the brooding undercover cop Lincoln Hayes on the countercultural 1968-73 ABC drama The Mod Squad, has died. In the past, it could be ugly out there, she told the Next Tribe website last year. Her death was confirmed by her daughters, the actresses Kidada and Rashida Jones. Continuing his work on stage, he appeared in Walk in Darkness (1963), Sarah and the Sax (1964), Doubletalk (1964), and King John. 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. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The actor best known for his breakout role playing undercover police officer Linc Hayes on the 1960s TV series "The Mod Squad," alongside costars Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole passed away . Addiction is like a thief that sneaks up on an unsuspecting victim. He was 81. It started with a sip, and soon, Cole discovered that he preferred it to the juice box boys his age loved. Is climate change killing Australian wine? #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. Her film debut was in Mosbys Marauders (1967), a Civil War drama. 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. He. The veteran actor's career spanned over five decades in theater, television and film. [2], Williams began pursuing an acting career after spending two years as a paratrooper in C Company, 506th Infantry, of the 101st Airborne Division. Aaron Spelling, the shows producer, never liked Lincs Afro, Mr. Williams recalled in an NPR interview in 1999, so the style was toned down. 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. Clarence Williams III, star of The Mod Squad, Purple Rain, and 10 Hallmark movies, has died. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. He is best known for his role as Pete Cochran on the television crime drama The Mod Squad (19681973). The drinking also separated Cole from his daughter, Jennifer, whom he didn't have a relationship with, during her childhood. 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. Foster guest-starred as a blind friend of Linc Hayes. Her "Twin Peaks" co-star Kyle MacLachlan tweeted, "The RR diner is dark today.". Mdchen Amick, left, as Shelly Johnson and Ms. Lipton as Norma Jennings in the reboot of Twin Peaks on Showtime in 2017. Cole has been married to Shelley Funes since 1996. Wed to wife Kelly until his death, Clarence was first married to actress Gloria Foster (1967-1984). The actor's management confirmed his death to multiple outlets on Sunday, sharing . Read about our approach to external linking. 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. He was formerly a York city councillor and Metro Toronto councillor, where he . In the Next Tribe interview, she mentioned one of the pleasures of being older. He has two children from his first marriage, and a daughter from the second marriage. Williams' breakout television role was as undercover cop Linc Hayes on the popular ABC counterculture police television series The Mod Squad (1968), along with fellow relative unknowns Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton. Clarence Williams III -- best known for roles in The Mod Squad, Purple Rain and Sugar Hill -- has died. Very sorry to hear Peggy Lipton is gone. He is best known for his role as Pete Cochran on the television crime drama The Mod Squad (1968-1973). 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. (Omar Epps played Linc opposite Claire Danes and Giovanni Ribisi in an ill-advised 1999 feature version of the series.). He was married once, to actress Gloria Foster, from 1967 to 1984. 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. ammy Davis Jr., Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton on "The Mod Squad" | Photo: Getty Images. 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. He told Buffalo News: We worked very, very hard in order to let the audience be aware of what the clues are so that they can solve the mystery as we are solving it on screen. I take it as an absolute compliment that they liked the show and liked my character and liked what I did with it.. He said he enjoyed the challenge of trying to breathe life into something on paper. See production, box office & company info, (Pete rescues a suicidal man here - stacks still standing), LADWP Valley Generating Station, 11819 Sheldon St., Sun Valley, California, USA. His career in TV, theater, and film lasted for four decades, NBC News shared. They were most definitely the hippest and coolest undercover cops on television at the time, notes the website Groovy History. His other roles on television include Hill Street Blues, the Canadian cult classic The Littlest Hobo, Miami Vice, The Highwayman, Burn Notice, Everybody Hates Chris, Justified, Cold Case, and Law & Order. The second One Black, one white, one blonde referred to the cast: Mr. Williams, Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton. Actress Peggy Lipton, known for her roles in "The Mod Squad" and "Twin Peaks" has died at 72. So sad to hear about #PeggyLiptonFrom the #ModSquad to #TwinPeaks and everything in between.Sweet, kind, beautiful & very cool.What a career what a life.Love, light, strength & prayers for Quincy, Kidada & Rashida.She always made me smile and ALWAYS made my heart flutter. Williams career started on the Broadway stage where he earned a Tony nomination for his acting in the three-person drama, "Slow Dance." Powered by. After the family moved to Los Angeles, in 1964, Peggy, then in her late teens, moved out. Mr. Cosby was the first Black actor to win a leading role in a prime-time American series, I Spy, beginning in 1965. He was 81. Peggy grew up in Lawrence, one of the so-called five towns clustered at the southwest corner of Nassau County on Long Island. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. After . Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday. He was married three times and divorced twice. He has performed multiple on-screen hosting and commentary roles across his two-decade-plus-long . [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]. "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.". "You need patience, because you're going for the distance.". Williams married the actress Gloria Foster in 1967. She shared her story consistently, hoping that it would help one person, just as Cole does, and hopefully, the good will outweigh the bad in the end. It comes in different forms for different people, and for Michael Cole, "The Mod Squad" actor, it came in the form of a bottle. KIDADA and Rashida shes your angel.". The trio's investigation of a cover-up in a construction-site murder leads them to a pair of bad heavies. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Actor Clarence . He was 81 years old. The prolific actor was also known for his roles on Purple Rain, Twin Peaks, and numerous other productions. Ms. Lipton received four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe Award for her performance. pic.twitter.com/EtgVuvJGNb, 'Twin Peaks' Actress Peggy Lipton dies at 72. 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. He first appeared on Broadway in The Long Dream (1960). In 1991, he joined the cast of General Hospital in the role of Harlan Barrett. Beginning in the 1980s, he had a busy film career. Hallmark fans know Williams best for his leading role in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series, Mystery Woman. He played the role of Philby in 10 movies from 2003 to 2007, including: Mystery Woman starred Kellie Martin as Samantha, a mystery bookstore owner who found herself thrust into a world of real-life murders. They had no children. (Photo by ABC/Hulton Archive/Courtesy of Getty . His character was asked by Samanthas late uncle, who originally owned her bookstore, to look out for her, The Buffalo News reported. He was best known for playing Linc Hayes on The Mod Squad and Prince's father in Purple Rain. He was 81. Im broken hearted to hear of the passing of my friend Peggy Lipton. Cole continues to act in various film and television projects, and played the character Charles Hadley in a 2006 episode of the television series ER. Promotional studio portrait of actors Michael Cole (L), Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton for the television series, 'The Mod Squad,' c. 1968. Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday. Hulton Archive/Getty. Rest In Peace. 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. Linc was a very different role for an African-American and a wonderful lead character that a lot of youngsters, Black and white, and principally African-American youngsters could identify with, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1995. Peggy Lipton with Michael Cole, left, and Clarence Williams III. The couple divorced in 1989. Clarence Williams III (August 21, 1939 June 4, 2021) was an American actor. He can be seen in films such as 52 Pick-Up, Life, The Cool World, Deep Cover, Tales from the Hood, Half-Baked, King: A Filmed Record Montgomery to Memphis, Hoodlum, Frogs for Snakes, Starstruck, The General's Daughter, Reindeer Games, Impostor, and as the early jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton in The Legend of 1900. He also served as artist-in-residence at Brandeis University in 1966.[6]. 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. Then [Williams] drove off and smashed right into a telephone pole. In the latter's case, it was genetic, and affected her mother, sister, and son; they all died before her. I like what they were sketching to me about Philby being an ex-international operative: CIA, MI5, MI6 and that it revolved around a book store, he said in the interview.Philby was a very good friend of Samanthas uncle. First they got busted; then they got badges summarized the shows back story: three hippies in trouble with the law who then joined the police force as plainclothes cops with built-in disguises their youth and their counterculture personas. 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. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. In the series, Williams played the role of Philby, a man with a mysterious past who helps Samantha solve mysteries. Comedian Kathy Griffin said she was "heartbroken":"Ive honestly always thought of Peggy asperfect. Williams died in Los Angeles on June 4, 2021, from colon cancer at the age of 81. Williams was born on Aug. 21, 1939, the son of professional musician Clay Williams. Their daughters, Kidada and Rashida Jones, were her only children. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day.