Halroy Candis Williams (December 14, 1934 – July 15, 2026) was an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Officer Smith ("Smitty") on Sanford and Son (1972–1976), Harley Foster on The Waltons (1973–1980), and as family patriarch Lester Jenkins on the NBC sitcom 227 which originally aired from 1985 until 1990. His film credits include Private Benjamin (1980), Guess Who (2005), and Flight (2012).
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Early life
Halroy Candis Williams was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1934, 1938, or 1939. However, one source says he was born on December 14, 1938.
Career
In the early 1960s, Williams began acting in community theater in Ohio. Williams worked as a postal worker and corrections officer before moving to Hollywood to pursue an acting career in 1968.
Williams began pursuing his acting career full-time in 1970. In 1973, he appeared as a guest star on the television series Kung Fu, playing a friend of Caine named Caleb in the second-season premiere. In 1975, he reprised the role in the 24th episode of the third season. From 1972 to 1976, Williams had a recurring role as Officer "Smitty" Smith on Sanford and Son and the follow-up series Sanford. From 1973 to 1980, he played Harley Foster on The Waltons.
Willams appeared in the 1974 Disney film Herbie Rides Again as a Police Officer. He also appeared in Paul Schrader's 1979 film Hardcore as an auditioning adult film actor. The following year, he co-starred as Drill Sergeant L.C. "Ted" Ross in Howard Zieff's Private Benjamin, a role he would reprise in the television series of the same name. After the series concluded, Williams was cast as working-class husband and father Lester Jenkins in 227, which ran from 1985 until 1990. In the early to mid-1990s, he co-starred with the comic Sinbad in The Sinbad Show and The Cherokee Kid. His guest appearances over the years included Good Times, The Jeffersons, Hill Street Blues, Magnum, P.I., Night Court, and Moesha, among others.
Williams was also frequently cast as law enforcement characters, such as a police detective in Clint Eastwood's 1990 film The Rookie. He portrayed Howard Jones, the father to Bernie Mac's character, in the 2005 film Guess Who. He also voiced the role of Whip's Dad in the 2012 film Flight.
In 2024, Williams played Autry in the second episode of the TV series Matlock (drawn from the original series of the same name, and reprised the role the following year in the series' tenth episode.
Personal life and death
Williams was married twice, and had three children. He died from natural causes at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on July 15, 2026.