Fred Williamson

Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938),<ref name=Bo/><ref name=B/> nicknamed "the Hammer", is an American actor, filmmaker, and former football player. He played professional football as a defensive back, primarily in the American Football League (AFL) during the 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a top sports star during the decade, and became a leading man in blaxploitation and action films beginning in the 1970s.<ref name="B" />

WIlliamson played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats, and played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one season. In the AFL, Williamson played with the Oakland Raiders for four seasons, becoming a three-time AFL All-Star (1961, '62, '63). He then played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where was a one-time AFL champion ('66). During his football career, he earned the nickname "the Hammer" for his aggressive playing style, which incorporated martial arts techniques.<ref name="Nor" />

After retiring from football in 1968, Williamson made a string of guest and supporting roles on television and in films. He played his first leading role in the blaxploitation Western The Legend of Nigger Charley (1972), which he reprised in two sequels. He starred as Tommy Gibbs in the 1973 crime drama film Black Caesar and its sequel Hell Up in Harlem.<ref name="B" /> Williamson also had roles in other 1970s blaxploitation films such as Hammer (1972), That Man Bolt (1973)<ref name="B" /> and Three the Hard Way (1974). Later in the decade, he worked extensively in Italian cinema, and also began to direct and produce his own films.

Early life and education

Born in Gary, Indiana,<ref name=B/> Williamson was the only child born to Frank, a welder<ref name=Bo>Template:Cite book</ref> and Lydia Williamson. Williamson attended Froebel High School in Gary, where he ran track and played football. He graduated in 1956.<ref name=Ind./> After high school, Williamson left Gary to attend Northwestern University<ref name=Nor>Template:Cite web</ref> on a track and field scholarship,<ref name=Ind./> earning a degree in architecture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Professional football career

After playing college football for Northwestern<ref name=Nor/> in the late 1950s, Williamson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When during training camp he was switched to their defense, his attitude over the switch prompted him to play his position with too much aggression, and the coach of the 49ers asked him to quit "hammering" his players. Thus, "The Hammer"<ref name=Nor/> quickly stuck and became his nickname.

Williamson was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers and played one year for the Steelers in the National Football League in 1960.<ref name=Bo/><ref name=B/> Next, he moved to the new American Football League. Williamson played four seasons for the AFL's Oakland Raiders, making the AFL All-Star team in 1961, 1962, and 1963. He also played three seasons for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs.<ref name=Bo/> During his period of playing for the Chiefs, Williamson became one of football's first self-promoters, nurturing the nickname "The Hammer" because he used his forearm to deliver karate-style blows to the heads of opposing players, especially wide receivers. Before Super Bowl I, Williamson garnered national headlines by boasting that he would knock the Green Bay Packers starting receivers, Carroll Dale and Boyd Dowler, out of the game. He stated "Two hammers to Dowler, one to Dale should be enough".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

His prediction turned out to be an ironic one because "they (Green Bay) broke the hammer" as Williamson himself was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter on the way to a 35–10 defeat. Williamson's head met the knee of the Packers' running back Donny Anderson. Williamson later suffered a broken arm from his own teammate when Chiefs linebacker Sherrill Headrick fell on him.<ref name=Herskowitz>Mickey Herskowitz, "Winning the Big I", The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America's Greatest Game. Simon and Schuster, 1990. Template:ISBN.</ref> Williamson finished his eight-season pro football career in 1967 with a history of many hard tackles, passes knocked away, and 36 pass interceptions in 104 games. Williamson returned his interceptions for 479 yards and two touchdowns. After signing with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League during the 1968 season, but not having played in a league game, Williamson retired.

Acting career

File:Fred williamson Sitges2008 by willstotler.jpg

Williamson at the Festival de Cine de Sitges, October 2008.

Williamson acted alongside further American football player Jim Brown in Three the Hard Way (1974), Take a Hard Ride (1975), One Down, Two to Go (1982),<ref name=B/> Original Gangstas (1996) and On the Edge (2002).<ref name=B/> Williamson also guest starred with Brown in various television roles. In October 1973, Williamson posed nude for Playgirl magazine, predating Brown's appearance in 1974. Williamson's early television roles included a role in the original Star Trek episode "The Cloud Minders" (1969), in which he played Anka. He also played Diahann Carroll's love interest in the sitcom Julia.<ref name=B/>

Monday Night Football

In 1974, Williamson was hired by the ABC television network to serve as a color commentator on Monday Night Football, replacing Don Meredith, who had left to pursue an acting and broadcasting career at rival network NBC. Williamson was used on a few pre-season broadcasts, and was quickly declared unsuitable by ABC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Working with clique of actors

Williamson has co-starred in a number of films with Bo Svenson. They include, The Inglorious Bastards (1978),<ref>TimeOut, Friday 10 February 2023 - The 50 best World War II movies, 40. The Inglorious Bastards (1978) Written by Phil de Semlyen, Tom Huddleston</ref> Deadly Impact (1984),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Delta Force Commando (1987),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Kill Reflex (1989),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Three Days to a Kill (1991),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Steele's Law (1991).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Directing and producing

Since the 1970s, Williamson has had another career as a director and producer. His first film as producer was Boss Nigger (1975), in which he also starred. His second film as producer was with Mean Johnny Barrows (1976), a predecessor of the Rambo films which similarly featured a violent Vietnam Vet plot (though the novel First Blood on which the film First Blood was based was written in 1972). He has since directed over 20 features. In the middle of the 1970s, Williamson relocated to Rome, Italy and formed his own company Po' Boy Productions, which started to produce actioners including Adios Amigo (1976) and Death Journey (1976), both of which starred and were directed by Williamson. Although his most recent efforts as director and producer have mainly been direct-to-video, Williamson remains an active filmmaker.

Personal life

Williamson has been married twice. His first marriage was to Ginette Lavonda from 1960 until 1967.<ref name=XA/> Williamson has been married to Linda Williamson since 1988.<ref name=XA/> Williamson has at least three children<ref name=EB/> and some sources state he has at least six.<ref name=Ind./> Since 1997, Williamson has had a home in Palm Springs, California.<ref>Blair, Iain (January 3, 2008). "Desert home companions: a wide range of industry pros, from stars to stuntmen, have put down roots in P.S.". Daily Variety: V Plus: Palm Springs International Film Festival. Reed Business Information, Inc.</ref>

In June 2020, The Daily Beast reported that Williamson had allegedly attempted to grope an assistant costume designer during a wardrobe fitting. He denied the charge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	M*A*S*H	Dr. Oliver "Spearchucker" Jones
	Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon	Beach Boy
1972	The Legend of Nigger Charley	Nigger Charley
	Hammer	B.J. Hammer
1973	Black Caesar	Tommy Gibbs
	The Soul of Nigger Charley	Charley
	Hell Up in Harlem	Tommy Gibbs
	That Man Bolt	Jefferson Bolt
1974	Crazy Joe	Willy
	Three Tough Guys	Joe Snake
	Black Eye	Shep Stone
	Three the Hard Way	Jagger Daniels
1975	Boss Nigger	Boss Nigger
	Bucktown	Duke Johnson
	Take a Hard Ride	Tyree
	Mean Johnny Barrows	Johnny Barrows	Also director
	The New Spartans	Lincoln Jefferson Washington IV
1976	Adios Amigo	Ben "Big Ben"	Also director
	Death Journey	Jesse Crowder	Also director
	No Way Back		Also director
	Blind Rage
	Joshua	Joshua
1977	Mr. Mean	Mr. Mean	Also director
1978	The Inglorious Bastards	Private Fred Canfield
1980	Fist of Fear, Touch of Death	Himself
1981	Fear In The City	John Dikson
1982	Vigilante	Nick
	1990: The Bronx Warriors	The Ogre
	One Down, Two to Go	Cal	Also director
	The New Barbarians	Nadir
1983	The Last Fight	Jesse Crowder	Also director
	The Big Score	Detective Frank Hooks	Also director
	Warrior of the Lost World	Henchman
1984	Warriors of the Year 2072	Abdul
	Deadly Impact	Lou
1985	White Fire	Noah Barclay
1986	Foxtrap	Thomas Fox	Also director
	The Messenger	Jake Sebastian Turner	Also director
1987	Black Cobra	Detective Robert Malone
	Inglorious Bastards 2: Hell's Heroes	Feather
1988	Delta Force Commando	Captain Samuel Beck
	Taxi Killer
	Deadly Intent	Curt Slate
1989	Black Cobra 2	Detective Robert Malone
1990	The Kill Reflex	Soda Cracker	Also director
	Delta Force Commando II: Priority Red One	Captain Sam Back
	Black Cobra 3	Detective Robert Malone
1991	Black Cobra 4
	Steele's Law	Lieutenant John Steele	Also director
1992	Three Days to a Kill	Cal	Also director
	State Of Mind	Loomis
	Deceptions	Brady
1993	South Beach	Mack Derringer	Also director
1995	Silent Hunter	Sheriff Mantee	Also director
1996	From Dusk till Dawn	Frost
	Original Gangstas	John Bookman
1997	Night Vision	Dakota "Dak" Smith
	Pitch	Himself	Documentary
1998	Ride	Casper's Dream Dad
	Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror	Sheriff Skaggs
	Whatever It Takes	Paulie Salano
2000	Active Stealth	Captain Reynolds
	Submerged	Captain Masters
	Down 'n Dirty	Dakota Smith	Also director
	The Independent	Himself
2001	Deadly Rhapsody	Jake
	Shadow Fury	Sam
	The Rage Within	Dakota Smith
2002	On the Edge		Also director
2004	Starsky & Hutch	Captain Doby
	If Love Hadn't Left Me Lonely	Willie Brownlee Davis	Also director
2005	Transformed	"The Hammer"
2006	Spaced Out	"The Hammer"
	Crooked	Jack Paxton
2007	Vegas Vampires	Fred Pittman	Also director
	Fighting Words	Gabriel
	Revamped	Captain Michaels
2010	Shoot the Hero!	The General
	Street Poet	Gabriel
	Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption	Moses
2012	The Voices from Beyond	Agent Farley
	Last Ounce of Courage	Warren Hammerschmidt
	Dropping Evil	Commander Death Blood
2013	.357	"Hammer"
2014	Billy Trigger	Pops
2015	Atomic Eden	Stoker
2017	Check Point	Chester
	A Chance in the World	Charlie
2018	Unkillable	Master Lee
	Jackson Bolt	Tommy
	A Stone Cold Christmas	Mark Kurt
2019	Bodyguard Wars
	VFW	Abe Hawkins
2021	Devil's Triangle	Pluto

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	Ironside	Detective Sergeant La Peer	1 episode
1969	The Outsider	Randall	1 episode
	Star Trek: The Original Series	Anka	Episode: "The Cloud Minders" Template:Small
	The Bold Ones: The Protectors	Arnold Bartell / Officer Williams	2 episodes
1969–1971	Julia	Steve Bruce / Dave Boyd	17 episodes
1972–1974	Soul Train	Guest
1973–1976	Police Story	Sergeant Bunny Green / "Snake" McKay	2 episodes
1974	The Rookies	Johnny Barrows	1 episode
1978	Wheels	Leonard Wingate	TV miniseries
1979	Supertrain	Al Roberts	1 episode
	CHiPs	Ty	2 episodes
	Fantasy Island	Jackson Malone	1 episode
1981	Lou Grant	"Crusher" Carter	1 episode
1985	Half Nelson	Chester Long	7 episodes
	The Equalizer	Lieutenant Mason Warren	Episode: "Reign of Terror"
	The Equalizer	Lieutenant Mason Warren	Episode: "Back Home"
1988	Amen	Barnet Thompson	1 episode
1994	Renegade	Jean-Luc Leveaux	1 episode
1996	Arliss	Fred Williamson	1 episode
1997–1998	Fast Track	Lowell Carter	22 episodes
1998	Blackjack	Tim Hastings	TV movie
	Psi Factor	Fred Milton Di genova / Fred Milton Di Genova	2 episodes
2000	The Jamie Foxx Show	Himself	1 episode
2001	Carmen: A Hip Hopera	Lou	TV movie
2002	Sexual Preadator Alert	Host
2005	Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide	Coach Stax	1 episode
2007–2008	Hello Paradise
2009	Knight Rider	DEA Director	1 episode
	Pushing Daisies	Roland "Rollie" Stingwell	1 episode
2012–2015	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Chief / Dale's Boss	2 episodes
2014–2016	Real Husbands of Hollywood	Jet Black	2 episodes
2017	Being Mary Jane	Frank Pearl	3 episodes

See also

• List of American Football League players

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0004365

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