# Clarence Williams III
**Clarence Williams III** (August 21, 1939 – June 4, 2021) was an American actor best known for playing the undercover cop Lincoln "Linc" Hayes on the ABC television series *The Mod Squad* (1968–1973) and Prince's father in the film *Purple Rain* (1984).[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) Born in Harlem, New York City, he began as a Broadway stage actor, won a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for *Slow Dance on the Killing Ground* (1964), and built a five-decade career as an intense character actor in film and television.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/clarence-williams-iii-91215) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/clarence-williams-iii)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | August 21, 1939, New York City; June 4, 2021, Los Angeles, of colon cancer, at age 81[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) |
| Signature role | Linc Hayes on *The Mod Squad*, ABC, 1968–1973, one of three young undercover cops alongside Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) |
| Stage honors | Theatre World Award and Tony Award nomination, Best Featured Actor in a Play, for *Slow Dance on the Killing Ground* (1964)[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/clarence-williams-iii-91215) |
| Family | Raised by his grandparents, jazz composer-pianist Clarence Williams and blues singer Eva Taylor; married actress Gloria Foster from November 1967 to 1984 (divorced)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/bio/) • [1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) |
| Notable films | *Purple Rain* (1984), *52 Pick-Up* (1986), *Deep Cover* (1992), *Sugar Hill* (1993), *Tales from the Hood* (1995), *Half Baked* (1998), *The Butler* (2013)[5](https://www.thewrap.com/clarence-williams-iii-star-of-mod-squad-purple-rain-dies-at-81/) |
| Career scale | Nearly 100 movies and television shows over more than five decades[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) |
## Early life and stage career
Williams was born in Harlem, the son of musician Clarence "Clay" Williams Jr., and was raised by his paternal grandparents, the composer-pianist Clarence Williams, who wrote songs including "T'Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do" and "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home," and the blues singer and actress Eva Taylor.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/bio/) He became interested in dramatics as a teenager at a local YMCA, where his sister got him to read lines for a production; the cast of that early show included, in first or second roles, [Cicely Tyson](https://www.edgepedia.org/cicely-tyson), Roscoe Lee Browne, and [Isabel Sanford](https://www.edgepedia.org/isabel-sanford).[6](https://freshairarchive.org/segments/archives-actor-clarence-williams-iii)
His military service is reported differently by sources: IMDb and Fandango describe a two-year hitch in the U.S. Air Force, while Encyclopedia.com lists service in the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division, and The Washington Post describes him as an Army paratrooper.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/bio/) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/williams-clarence-iii-1939-0) • [1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html)
On Broadway he had five lines in *The Long Dream* (1960), appeared in *The Great Indoors* (1966), and originated the role of Randall in William Hanley's three-person drama *Slow Dance on the Killing Ground* (1964), which brought him a Theatre World Award and a 1965 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/clarence-williams-iii-91215) He was artist in residence at [Brandeis University](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandeis-university) in 1966–67.[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/williams-clarence-iii-1939-0)
## The Mod Squad
[Bill Cosby](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-cosby), then co-starring in *I Spy*, saw Williams in *Slow Dance on the Killing Ground* and recommended him to producer [Aaron Spelling](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-spelling); Williams was flown to Los Angeles for what he was told was a guest shot on *The Danny Thomas Hour* and turned out to be a screen test for a new series.[6](https://freshairarchive.org/segments/archives-actor-clarence-williams-iii) *The Mod Squad* ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, to August 23, 1973, for five seasons and 123 episodes, with Williams as Linc Hayes opposite [Peggy Lipton](https://www.edgepedia.org/peggy-lipton) as Julie Barnes, Michael Cole as Pete Cochran, and Tige Andrews as Captain Adam Greer.[8](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mod-squad-the)
The premise placed three young former delinquents in plainclothes police work, using their counterculture personas to infiltrate youth settings such as underground newspapers, campus anti-war organizations, and drug scenes.[9](https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mod-squad) The show was among the first to examine the hippie generation, with episodes on the [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war), abortion, and drug use, and among the first to feature an interracial cast.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) Williams's Linc, with an Afro and catchphrases such as "solid," became a defining image of the series; in a 1995 interview Williams recalled that the three leads never once carried guns on the show.[6](https://freshairarchive.org/segments/archives-actor-clarence-williams-iii) He reprised the role in the 1979 television movie *The Return of the Mod Squad*.[10](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/clarence-williams-iii-linc-mod-193902978.html)
## Return to the stage and film career
When *The Mod Squad* ended, Williams turned down film offers for years because he was not impressed by the roles available to African American actors, saying he had no interest in one-dimensional characters in blaxploitation (1970s film genre exploiting Black stereotypes for Black audiences) action movies; instead he returned to Broadway in [Tom Stoppard](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-stoppard)'s *Night and Day* (1979) opposite [Maggie Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/maggie-smith).[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/williams-clarence-iii-1939-0)
**Purple Rain and the 1980s.** In 1984 he played Prince's father in *Purple Rain*, a once-talented musician who has become alcoholic and abusive toward his wife and son; critics of the film singled out Williams's performance for its power.[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/williams-clarence-iii-1939-0) • [11](https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/uncanny-talent-clarence-willams-1939-2021) Director John Frankenheimer cast him in the 1986 adaptation of [Elmore Leonard](https://www.edgepedia.org/elmore-leonard)'s *52 Pick-Up* as the kidnapper Bobby Shy, and Frankenheimer became a frequent collaborator, later directing Williams in *Against the Wall* (1994), *George Wallace* (1997), and *Reindeer Games* (2000).[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) • [11](https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/uncanny-talent-clarence-willams-1939-2021) Frankenheimer considered Williams one of the greatest character actors of his lifetime.[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/uncanny-talent-clarence-willams-1939-2021)
**Later film and television.** His 1990s roles included a devoutly religious detective in *Deep Cover* (1992), [Wesley Snipes](https://www.edgepedia.org/wesley-snipes)'s drug-addicted father in *Sugar Hill* (1993), an inmate leader in the Attica prison film *Against the Wall* (1994), the mortician Mr. Simms in *Tales from the Hood* (1995), and a drug lord opposite [Dave Chappelle](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-chappelle) in *Half Baked* (1998).[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) • [5](https://www.thewrap.com/clarence-williams-iii-star-of-mod-squad-purple-rain-dies-at-81/) On television he played FBI agent Roger Hardy in [David Lynch](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-lynch) and Mark Frost's *Twin Peaks* (1990), appeared in *Hill Street Blues*, *Miami Vice*, *Law & Order*, *Justified*, and *Empire*, played George Wallace's fictional butler Archie in the 1997 TNT film *George Wallace*, and voiced Councilor Andam on the Disney animated series *American Dragon: Jake Long* (2005–2007).[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/uncanny-talent-clarence-willams-1939-2021) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/clarence-williams-iii) From 2003 to 2007 he had a recurring role as Philby Cross in the Hallmark Channel's *Mystery Woman* television movie series.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/clarence-williams-iii) In *American Gangster* (2007) he played Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, a character he had earlier appeared alongside in *Hoodlum* (1997), where Laurence Fishburne played Johnson.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/bio/) One of his last movie roles was the mentor of a White House domestic worker in Lee Daniels's *The Butler* (2013).[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html)
## Recognition and personal life
Williams received NAACP Image Award nominations for *Hoodlum* (1997), *Millennium* (1996), and *[The General's Daughter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-generals-daughter-film)* (1999), and a 2007 nomination for *Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery*.[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/williams-clarence-iii-1939-0) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/awards/) He married actress [Gloria Foster](https://www.edgepedia.org/gloria-foster), the original Oracle in *The Matrix* films, in November 1967; they divorced in 1984, remained close, and when Foster died in 2001 it was Williams who announced her death to the media.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) • [11](https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/uncanny-talent-clarence-willams-1939-2021) Survivors included a daughter, Jamey Phillips, and a sister.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html)
He died on June 4, 2021, at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html) Williams often said he did not mind being known for *The Mod Squad*, even though his career stretched across nearly 100 movies and television shows.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html)
## References
1. [Clarence Williams III, who starred as Linc on 'The Mod Squad,' dies at 81, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-williams-iii-dead/2021/06/07/dbeb9194-c799-11eb-afd0-9726f7ec0ba6_story.html)
2. [Clarence Williams III, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/clarence-williams-iii-91215)
3. [Clarence Williams III, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/clarence-williams-iii)
4. [Clarence Williams III Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/bio/)
5. [Clarence Williams III, Star of 'Mod Squad' and 'Purple Rain,' Dies at 81, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/clarence-williams-iii-star-of-mod-squad-purple-rain-dies-at-81/)
6. [From the Archives: Actor Clarence Williams III, Fresh Air Archive](https://freshairarchive.org/segments/archives-actor-clarence-williams-iii)
7. [Williams, Clarence III 1939–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/williams-clarence-iii-1939-0)
8. [Mod Squad, The, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mod-squad-the)
9. [The Mod Squad, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mod-squad)
10. [Clarence Williams III, Linc on 'The Mod Squad,' Dies at 81, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/clarence-williams-iii-linc-mod-193902978.html)
11. [Uncanny Talent: Clarence Williams III, 1939-2021, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/uncanny-talent-clarence-willams-1939-2021)
12. [Clarence Williams III, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/awards/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Wh to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license