Clarence Williams III, 'The Mod Squad's' Linc, dies at 81
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
Clarence Williams III, who played cool undercover cop Link Hayes on the counterculture series "The Mod Squad" and Prince's father in "Purple Rain," has died. He was 81 years old.
Williams died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles, his manager Alan Mindell said on Sunday. Tributes quickly poured in on social media from both those who worked with Williams and those who praised her for her stellar roles and impressive performances.
"Tales From the Hood" director Rusty Kundiff tweeted that her sadness at Williams' passing, "couldn't be higher. Her artistry and sheer coolness were extraordinary. I will always be indebted to her for her stellar performance in Tales From the Hood." Will stay. Loved working with him! Blessed travel good sir!”
Lenny Kravitz wrote on Twitter, "When I was a kid growing up in NYC, Clarence Williams III was a face on TV that I recognized and inspired me. From Mod Squad to Purple Rain and Sugar Hill, they've always been on the move. Performed with energy. Rest in power, King."
Director Peyton Reed tweeted that he worked with Williams in the 1995 TV movie "The Love Bug."
"I grew up seeing him as Link in 'The Mod Squad' and I thought he was the epitome of cool. Turns out he was. Rest in Peace, Clarence," Reid wrote.
A New York native, Williams' career spans more than five decades in theatre, television, and film. He was born in 1939 into a creative family and was raised by his musical grandparents. His grandfather was a jazz musician and pianist, his father was a musician and his mother, Eva Taylor, was a singer and actress. He made his acting debut on Broadway after a stint as a paratrooper and received a 1964 Tony nomination for his role in William Hanley's "Slow Dance on the Killing Ground."
His breakout role would come with "The Mod Squad", which he led alongside Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. Bill Cosby had seen Williams perform and told Aaron Spelling that he should consider him for the role of Link. The show ran on ABC from 1968 to 1973. A trailblazing show for attempting to portray the hippie generation of the time, "The Mod Squad" was a star-producer for the trio. But it was never too early for Williams to follow up on roles.
He appeared on Broadway in 1979 with Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard's "Night and Day", before being cast as the troubled father in "Purple Rain", which came out in 1984.
Director John Frankenheimer often became a collaborator. They first teamed up for the adaptation of Elmore Leonard's "52 Pick-Ups" when Williams didn't have much luck in Hollywood and crashed on Cosby's couch in order to have a roof over his head.
"He asked me to read for the part of one of the blackmailers, but after only four lines, he told me to stop," Williams recalled in a 1999 interview. "I thought it was all over, but he said, 'Have your agent called me. It's going to be a 10-week shoot. Thanks for coming in.' That's all.
Williams also appeared in a few episodes of Frankenheimer's "Against the Wall," "Reindeer Games" and "Tales from the Crypt."
Williams could command a wide variety of genres, including comedy. He played a drug lord alongside Dave Chappelle in "Half Baked" and stole scenes in Keenan Ivory Wayans's blaxploitation parody film "I'm Gonna Git You Succa". He also had a recurring role as an FBI agent in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks", who tells Agent Cooper that he has been suspended.
Other film roles include an uncredited role in "Tales from the Hood," "Deep Cover," "Sugar Hill," "The General's Daughter," Lee Daniels's "The Butler" and "American Gangster." And his There were many, many television appearances on everything from "Miami Vice" and "Hill Street Blues" to "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Justified".
He was married to actress Gloria Foster from 1967 to 1984.
Williams never seemed to fret over his longtime association with "The Mod Squad".
In an interview in 1999, he said, "Most people I know have spent two hours in a movie theater or in front of their TV." "There's so much entertainment out there, it's hard to break into and be part of the national consciousness. It's good to be recognized, and I have no problem with that."