Fred Williamson

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title: "Fred Williamson" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1938-births", "african-american-film-directors", "african-american-male-actors", "american-football-cornerbacks", "american-football-league-all-star-players", "american-male-film-actors", "film-directors-from-indiana", "kansas-city-chiefs-players", "living-people", "male-actors-from-indiana", "male-actors-from-palm-springs,-california", "male-spaghetti-western-actors", "nfl-announcers", "northwestern-wildcats-football-players", "oakland-raiders-players", "people-with-lupus", "playgirl-men-of-the-month", "sportspeople-from-palm-springs,-california", "players-of-american-football-from-riverside-county,-california", "american-football-league-players", "northwestern-university-alumni", "african-american-architects", "players-of-american-football-from-gary,-indiana", "actors-from-gary,-indiana", "film-directors-from-california", "21st-century-african-american-sportsmen", "20th-century-african-american-sportsmen", "pittsburgh-steelers-players", "film-directors-with-disabilities", "21st-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American football player and actor (born 1938)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Williamson" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American football player and actor (born 1938) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
image	FredWilliamsonJun10.jpg
caption	Williamson in 2010
birth_name	Frederick Robert Williamson
birth_date
birth_place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
other_names
alma_mater	Northwestern University
occupation
yearsactive	1968–present
spouse	{{plainlist
* {{marriage	Ginette Lavonda
* <ref name	XA/
children	3 or 6
module	{{Infobox NFL biography
embed	yes
number	24
position	Defensive back
height_ft	6
height_in	3
weight_lbs	220
college	Northwestern
undraftedyear	1960
pastteams	* Pittsburgh Steelers ()
highlights	* AFL champion (1966)
pfr	W/WillFr02
statlabel1	Interceptions
statvalue1	36
::

| image = FredWilliamsonJun10.jpg | caption = Williamson in 2010 | birth_name = Frederick Robert Williamson | birth_date = | birth_place = Gary, Indiana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | alma_mater = Northwestern University | occupation = | yearsactive = 1968–present | spouse = {{plainlist|

| children = 3 or 6 | module = {{Infobox NFL biography | embed = yes | image = | number = 24 | position = Defensive back | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 3 | weight_lbs = 220 | college = Northwestern | undraftedyear = 1960 | pastteams = * Pittsburgh Steelers ()

• Oakland Raiders (1961–1964)
• Kansas City Chiefs (1965–1967) | highlights = * AFL champion (1966)
• 3× AFL All-Star (1961, 1962, 1963) | pfr = W/WillFr02 | statlabel1 = Interceptions | statvalue1 = 36

Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938), He was a top sports star during the decade, and became a leading man in blaxploitation and action films beginning in the 1970s.

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.

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. Williamson also had roles in other 1970s blaxploitation films such as Hammer (1972), That Man Bolt (1973) 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, and Lydia Williamson. Williamson attended Froebel High School in Gary, where he ran track and played football. He graduated in 1956. on a track and field scholarship,

Professional football career

After playing college football for Northwestern 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" 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.

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. 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Fred_williamson_Sitges2008_by_willstotler.jpg" caption="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), Original Gangstas (1996) and On the Edge (2002). 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.

''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.

Working with clique of actors

Williamson has co-starred in a number of films with Bo Svenson. They include, The Inglorious Bastards (1978), Deadly Impact (1984), Delta Force Commando (1987), The Kill Reflex (1989), Three Days to a Kill (1991), and Steele's Law (1991).

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.

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.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table title=""]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	MAS*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

::data[format=table title=""]

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" (S3.E21)
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
::

References

References

1. Melvin Donalson. (2010). "Black Directors in Hollywood". UOT.
2. Vincent LoBrutto. (). "TV in the USA: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [3 volumes]". .
3. Harold D. Edmunds. (2015). "The Hammer: An American Hero". Xlibris Corporation.
4. . (January 1975). ["At Home, Fred's A Nice, Nice Guy"](https://books.google.com/books?id=6MwDAAAAMBAJ&q=fred+williamson+married&pg=PA50). *EBONY Magazine/Johnson Publishing Company*.
5. . (1996). ["Indiana Football Hall of Fame"](http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/711).
6. (2007). "Fred Williamson". [[The New York Times]].
7. Louis Paul. (2002). "Tales from the Cult Film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror". McFarland.
8. . (November 5, 2016). ["Fred "The Hammer" Williamson – The Man With a Plan"](http://chicago.nflalumni.org/news/fred-the-hammer-williamson-the-man-with-a-plan/). **.
9. "Recent standouts among top 100 undrafted free agents". NFL.com.
10. Mickey Herskowitz, "Winning the Big I", ''The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America's Greatest Game''. Simon and Schuster, 1990. {{ISBN. 0-671-72798-2.
11. "A History of Monday Night Football".
12. ''TimeOut'', Friday 10 February 2023 - [https://www.timeout.com/film/50-best-world-war-ii-movies The 50 best World War II movies, 40. The Inglorious Bastards (1978) Written by Phil de Semlyen, Tom Huddleston]
13. Budnik, Daniel R.. (2017). "''{{'}}80s Action Movies on the Cheap''".
14. "Delta Force Commando". [[TV Guide]].
15. (1989). "The Kill Reflex (1989) Film Details". [[British Film Institute]].
16. (1991). "Three Days to a Kill (1991), Film Details". British Film Institute.
17. (1991). "Steele's Law (1991), Film Details". British Film Institute.
18. Williamson has been married to Linda Williamson since 1988. Williamson has at least three children and some sources state he has at least six. Since 1997, Williamson has had a home in [[Palm Springs, California]].Blair, Iain (January 3, 2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20140610074226/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-173786975.html "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.
19. Stern, Marlow. (2020-06-06). "How a Right-Wing Movie Studio Enabled the 'Harvey Weinstein' of Indie Film". The Daily Beast.

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