As I'm watching these things, first of all, then I'll get up and go look in the mirror and say, 'God damn, that was a long time ago!' if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ He played the character of Linc Hayes in the police television series The Mod Squad from 1968 to 1973. Clarence Williams III, who was considered a Black power icon in the 1960s and '70s, breathed his last on Friday, June 4. Williams got his breakout role on The Mod Squad, which he led with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole during its run on ABC from 1968 through 1973. It made the whole idea of being a stage actor more magical somehow. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. His breakout role would come with The Mod Squad, which he led with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the play-by-play commentator for the SmackDown brand, and since 2020, has served as Vice President of Announcing. As an Amazon Associate, Boomer Magazine earns from qualifying purchases from linked book titles. Left a solid legacy, 'Stop it!' After a producer urged him to find a good drama class, the curly locked guy with piercing blue eyes found a life-changing teacher in Estelle Harman, studying with her for three years. Click to reveal With love, every day is the best day, he says. It is also believed that his family or his team never made the news of him suffering from cancer public. Today, Michael Cole is the last living member of The Mod Squad, aka "the hippest and first young undercover cops on TV". The show ran from on ABC from 1968 through 1973. The series earned rabid fans as well as six Emmy nominations and other accolades. His early marriage produced two children but ended in divorce by the time he was 20. [4], They were The Mod Squad ("One black, one white, one blonde"), described by one critic as "the hippest and first young undercover cops on TV". The pair shared a brief scene that appears to have been an intentional reunion.[19]. . Other film credits include the role of Mark in the 1966 science fiction film, The Bubble, later re-titled Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth, Spivey in the western Chuka (1967), Alan Miller in The Last Child (1971), which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and as Cliff Norris in Beg, Borrow or Steal (1973). Your IP: Harman helped establish UCLAs theater arts department and had students such as Carol Burnett and Tony Curtis. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Theres so much entertainment out there right now, its difficult to break through and become part of the national consciousness. Season 5 was released in Canada on November 19, 2013 and in the US on December 17, 2013. Michael Cole is an American actor who was born on July 3, 1940, in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. He is an actor, known for It (1990), Mr. Brooks (2007) and The Last Child (1971). She was 72.. Actor: It. [3] In 1970, the second-season episode, "In This Corner . He is an actor, known for It (1990), Mr. Brooks (2007) and The Last Child (1971). The executive producers of the series were Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas. Actress: Mod Squad. "The Return of Mod Squad," in 1979, which she . I really started to get in a lot of trouble drinking., On drinking at a young age, Michael confesses, I was very young when I started, probably about 12 or 13. Williams was born on August 21, 1939, and was raised by his grandparents. hitType: 'event', [8], The shows Star Trek (196669), I Spy (196568), The Bill Cosby Show (196971), Room 222 (196974), Mannix (196775), Mission: Impossible (196673), Julia (196871), The Flip Wilson Show (197074), and The Mod Squad (196873) were among the first programs to feature African-Americans as stars since the stereotyped roles of Amos 'n' Andy and Beulah (ABC, 195053). hitType: 'event', Home Yesteryear Nostalgia On the 50th Anniversary of Mod Squad, A new memoir from Michael Cole, who played the white guy. It made the whole idea of being a stage actor more magical somehow. The actors myriad other small-screen credits include guest-starring roles on The Cosby Show, Hill Street Blues, T.J. This page is for friends and fans of Michael Cole, star of TV's The Mod Squad and General Hospital. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. A trailblazing show for attempting to portray the hippie generation of the time, The Mod Squad was a star-maker for all three. I was in jail for being drunk, fighting, crap like that. [10] Spelling intended the show to be about the characters's relationships, and he promised that the Squad "would never arrest kidsor carry a gun or use one. Michael Cole was born on 3 July 1940 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. In the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now, The Mod Squads Michael Cole opens up about his tumultuous journey from Wisconsin to Hollywood, a childhood spent drinking and getting into trouble, and how he overcame the many hardships along the way. READ MORE, Celebrity deaths in 2021: From Christopher Plummer to Larry King, the full updated list of stars who'll never fade, How did Samuel E Wright die? Ur legacy is beyond secured. One concluded, He always knew the assignment. The net worth of Coles is an estimated huge amount but the exact numerical value of the net worth and salary has not been known. Mod Squad was being shown on MeTv+ late in 2021. pic.twitter.com/naS6ujPk3v, Was phenomenal in Sugar Hill!! It was a role that Cole did not want to take on initially. He was born on the 3rd of July, 1945 and has managed to become well known in the acting fraternity for his roles in the acting fraternity since 1961. Peggy Lipton said she participated in it as a favor to Aaron Spelling. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { They have a child named Jennifer Holly Cole together and are certainly living happily together. The Mod Squad is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. Groundbreaking in the realm of socially relevant drama,[2] it dealt with issues such as abortion, domestic violence, child abuse, illiteracy, slumlords, the anti-war movement, illegal immigration, police brutality, student protest, sex education, soldiers returning from Vietnam and PTSD, racism, euthanasia, and the illegal drug trade. "It was symbolic, a way of saying, We don't need that. Closer Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. I loved him on The Mod Squad when I was young and enjoyed his role as a professor on The Hallmark Chanel and as Princes father in Purple Rain. He appeared on Broadway opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppards Night and Day in 1979 before getting cast as the troubled father in Purple Rain, which came out in 1984. Michael Cole was born on July 3, 1940 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { On his way to the liquor store, Linc is mugged and hit over the head. The Mod Squad is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The young fans idolizing Pete likely had no idea that Coles story was as painful as some of the show plots. His career includes a leading role as Pete Cochrane on the television crime drama The Mod Squad, which ran 1968 to 1973. pg.acq.push(function() { Cole has managed to make appearances as Kipp in Gunsmoke and has also appeared in Wonder Woman, Chips as well as the TV thriller Evening in Byzantium. He also starred opposite Geraldine Page in The Great Outdoors on Broadway. If there are people out there in trouble with drugs or alcohol, I hope they get the message that they can do it, too, he shares. I straightened myself out with the help of AA. Along with love and sobriety, he enjoyed roles on TV shows like Diagnosis Murder and Mystery Woman, where he reunited with Williams. Clarence Williams III was an actor u can depend on to bring the heat in any film or show he was on. We are one of the worlds fastest growing Rest in Power, King. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); He also kept drinking. Thomas dies at 78, John Davis, real singer behind Milli Vanilli, dies of COVID-19 at 66. Performance & security by Cloudflare. With her expressive brown eyes and trademark long blonde hair, sylphlike Peggy Lipton was one third of a streetwise urban trio who - at least to baby boomers in the 60s - represented a . He was 81. According to the news tabloids, it has been known that his wife is still married to him with no imminent signs of a split between the couple. On August 20, 2013, it was announced that Visual Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series (under license from Paramount) and would release season 3 on DVD on September 24, 2013. Star Perdita Weeks' Bikini Photos, See Your Favorite Celebrity Couples in Swimsuits: Best Beach Photos, Meet Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone's Daughters Vivian and Georgette, What Happened to Ben Napier? We never had a dad well, we did for a while, but he passed., There were many times we didnt have a place to live and wed stay with aunts and uncles, he shares. I didnt want to lose her and she was right.. His casting as former delinquent-turned-undercover cop Linc Hayes on the highly popular TV cop series Mod Squad (1968) along with fellow white partners Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton was a huge break for all three relative unknowns. }); His other notable roles came in projects such as 52 Pick-Up, Tales from the Hood, Half Baked and Reindeer Games, and Season 2 of Twin Peaks. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. When I was a kid growing up in NYC, Clarence Williams III was a face on TV that I identified with and that inspired me, singer-actor Lenny Kravitz, 57, said in a homage to the late actor. Theres so much entertainment out there right now, its difficult to break through and become part of the national consciousness. He recently appeared in Lee Daniels The Butler in 2013. He was previously married to Paula Kelly Jr.. Amazed at still-thriving fan clubs, he remains close to Lipton and Williams and hopes his book will help others. Clarence Williams III, who broke new ground as hippie Detective Linc Hayes on The Mod Squad from 1968 to 1973, has died after a battle with colon cancer. I thought it was all over, but he said, Have your agent call me. Clarence Williams III When he comes to, he wanders around in a daze, unable to remember who he is or what he was doing. It catapulted Williams, Cole and Lipton to instant stardom. Afterwards, as the bus pulled away from the Plymouth Theater, we spotted the young actor who had electrified us for 2 1/2 hours, walking down the street. ga('ads.send', { },false) For his role of Alan Miller in The Last child, he obtained a Golden Globe Award nomination. gads_event = event; So talented. 100 acting credits on IMDB. TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time, "Can You Dig It? The unfortunate news was shared by the actor's management to the publication Variety over the weekend, citing colon cancer as the cause behind his death. My locker at school was just full of old wine bottles. Unfortunately, a few other celebrities such as 'Wahlburgers' fame Henry Nacho Laun, School of Rock actor Kevin Clark, Love Boat actor Gavin McLeod and The Wire actor Robert Hogan also lost their lives recently. I was married at 16, became a father and quit school., RELATED: Find Out How John Goodman Overcame His Hidden Struggles Obesity, Alcoholism and Insecurity, Michael moved to LA and eventually landed the iconic role of Pete Cochran on the hit series The Mod Squad from 1968 to 1973. [citation needed]. What an actor. hitType: 'event', if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ See 'Magnum P.I.' [Cole and Lipton were guests at the premiere which featured the stars of the film, Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes and Omar Epps. Jimmy Carter 1 episode, 1972 Edward Michael Bell . Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Sporting a huge Afro, paisley shirts, dark shades and spouting catchprase language like "dig it" and "solid," the . Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday. He explains, She realized the feelings inside me. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 1/2, Clarence Williams III was terrific on the stage, and even cooler out in the world that day.