Remembering Clarence Williams III, 'The Mod Squad 'Actor, Who Died at 81 | THR News - video Dailymotion

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Clarence Williams III, who starred as the brooding undercover cop Lincoln Hayes on the countercultural 1968-73 ABC drama 'The Mod Squad,' has died. He was 81.

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00:00Clarence Williams III, who starred in the ABC drama The Mod Squad, has died. He was 81.

00:05The Harlem native died on Friday in Los Angeles of colon cancer.

00:09The actor began his career on the stage and earned a Tony nomination in 1965

00:13for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Slow Dance on the Killing Ground.

00:17Williams went on to land a role in The Mod Squad, which aired for five seasons from 1968 to 1973,

00:23and followed young adults who had run-ins with the law before becoming undercover police officers.

00:28The series tapped into the counter-cultural vibe of the era, incorporating timely issues such as racism,

00:33anti-war protests, and drug addiction into storylines, as Link, Julie, and Pete infiltrated high schools,

00:39acting classes, movie sets, and more, all to catch the bad guys.

00:42Following The Mod Squad, Williams went on to act in such television shows as the original Twin Peaks

00:47and Star Trek Deep Space Nine, as well as making appearances on many others, including Miami Vice,

00:52Law & Order, Everybody Hates Chris, and Empire.

00:54On the big screen, he played Prince's father in 1984's Purple Rain.

00:59He also acted in such films as 1986's 52 Pickup, 1992's Deep Cover, 1993's Sugar Hill,

01:061995's Tales from the Hood, 1997's Hoodlum, 1998's The Legend of 1900, and 2000's Reindeer Games, among many others.

01:15And from 2003 to 2007, Williams starred in 10 mystery women telefilms on Hallmark Channel.

01:21For more on the life and career of Clarence Williams III, go to THR.com.

01:25For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.

Remembering Clarence Williams III, 'The Mod Squad 'Actor, Who Died at 81 | THR News

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