Has passed.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/william-smith-dies-actor-brawled-175137773.html

He was a great actor, strongman, and very intelligent. RIP

Damn

I've been watching CHiPs lately...mostly for the cars but it's not a bad show. He was in at least one episode. He played a paramedic that was trying to teach John and Ponch how to assess accident victims before EMS could get on scene. It was a good episode.

what is the riddle of steel, boy.[Conan]

He taught at UCLA

Didn't know who he was by name when I saw your post. Then I scrolled and saw his picture. I only know him from a few 70's shows and he was so good at his bad guy part. Mostly know him from "The Rockford Files". Big tough guy usually just out of prison lol. I enjoyed his appearances on there. I was a little kid and loved tough guys like this and Rockford. I can't help but believe these kind of tough real men actors are on their way out, sadly. Here's a pic from that show. R.I.P.

I remember him mostly from Rockford. He was a great bad guy / tough guy. RIP. Not many genuine actors like him anymore.

Whenever it's airing on one of the retro channels I get I watch for cars too!!! And it's an okay show otherwise.

Last night I was flipping around channels and while I despise the NFL nowadays I did notice they were playing An NFL Life on NFL channel and it was featuring John Riggins. I just slightly remembered him as a little kid and my dad watching the Redskins a little bit. I stopped on the channel then couldn't change it. RIggins is another example of a real "Man's man". Tough no nonsense straight shooter. Something I think we're really lacking now and he played in an era when it was still a team sport and not "Me Me Me". No stupid dances after scoring, no kneeling for anthem, no ridiculousness whatsoever; just a bunch of big tough guys playing on a team with the goal to win. No politics, no self centered jerks (or very few). If you ever get the chance watch his "An NFL Life". One of the funniest parts is the story of him attending a "Salute to Congress Dinner". He apparently was friends with the Reagans, George and Barbara Bush and other Repubs so he was invited. He had too much to drink and the following occurred LOL:

O’Connor was about to leave because she had an early commitment the next morning. Riggins approached O’Connor’s seat, put his arm around her husband, looked over at the first female justice in history and uttered the famous line, “come on, loosen up, Sandy baby, you’re too tight.

He also played a Russian in the original Red Dawn

I won't hold that against him

That sequence when he is in front of the troops lecturing to them, you didn't need the English subtitles to get an understanding of the point he was getting across. One of my enjoyable movie clips.