Actor William Smithers, who played the ruthless oil baron rival to J.R. Ewing in the primetime soap opera “Dallas,” died on May 26. He was 98.
Smithers’ death was first reported by the Santa Barbara Independent. The actor lived in Santa Barbara, California.
The veteran actor, who excelled at villainous roles during his career, also starred as the unyielding Devil’s Island Warden Barrot in the 1973 film, “Papillon.”
Born in Richmond, Virginia, on July 10, 1927, Smithers made his Broadway stage debut as Tybalt with Olivia de Havilland in a 1951 production of “Romeo and Juliet,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
William Smithers, Actor in 'Dallas' and 'Papillon,' Dies at 98 https://t.co/PdWny4sFeT
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 16, 2026
In “Papillon,” Smithers’ character tried to lay down the law to Steve McQueen’s character, Henri “Papillon” Charriere in a memorable monologue, the entertainment news website reported.
“The rule here is total silence. We make no pretense of rehabilitation here. We’re not priests, we’re processors,” Smithers tells McQueen. “A meat-packer processes live animals into edible ones. We process dangerous men into harmless ones. This we accomplish by breaking you. Breaking you physically, spiritually and here (pointing to his head). Strange things happen to the head here.”
McQueen never heeded the warden’s advice, continually trying to escape while keeping his sanity.
Smithers made his film debut in “Attack” (1956), and also had roles in “Trouble Man” (1972) and “Scorpio” (1973).
Turning to soap operas, Smithers played Peyton Mill owner David Schuster on “Peyton Place,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He joined the cast of “Dallas” during its fourth season in 1981 and had a recurring role as oil mogul Jeremy Wendell, the chairman of WestStar Oil.
During his 50-episode stint on the show through 1989, Smithers’ character was a formidable foe to Larry Hagman’s character of J.R. Ewing.
Working with Hagman “was always a challenge because (their characters) were always competitors because of the scripts,” Smithers said in an interview. “Larry was a strong actor. I feel like I had to be at the top of my game when I was working with him. It was very stimulating.”
In 1976, Smithers sued MGM over his billing in the television series “Executive Suite,” according to the Independent. Despite threats of being blacklisted, Smithers pursued the case and won it, receiving more than $2 million in damages.
The case would be appealed to the California Supreme Court, which upheld the original verdict, according to the newspaper.
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