'Sanford and Son' Actor Hal Williams Worked Post Office Overnight Shifts While Filming Hit Show

Hal Williams, who played Officer "Smitty" Smith on the NBC sitcom "Sanford and Son," died on 15 July 2026 at 91 in Rancho Mirage, California. No cause was disclosed. During the show's peak run in the 1970s, Williams kept working overnight postal shifts, unable to afford quitting — a stark illustration of the economic precacity facing working character actors even on top-rated television.