Ed Williams, a beloved actor best known for his role in the The Naked Gun film series, has passed away at the age of 98. His granddaughter, Stephanie Williams, confirmed the news that he died on October 2 in Los Angeles.
Williams was a familiar face to generations of comedy fans, having first gained recognition as the deadpan scientist in Police Squad!, the ABC series that later inspired the Naked Gun film franchise. He reprised his role in the iconic movie series, which recently saw a modern reboot featuring Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson.
In addition to his work in The Naked Gun, Williams also played the priest who married Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams) and Bryan MacKenzie (George Newbern) in Father of the Bride. The film co-starred Steve Martin and the late Diane Keaton, making it a standout in his career.
Before becoming an actor, Williams had set aside his dreams of starring on screen to teach speech classes at LA City College in the 1950s. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that he returned to acting, landing the role of earnest Ted Olson on Police Squad!.
“I made up for lost time and got a fairly decent part to start coming back into acting,” Williams said in a 2017 interview with Matthew Worley of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters.
He also shared how his agent often sent him for roles as “priests and ministers.” “So I got stuck on a lot of ministers for a long time there,” he admitted, though he acknowledged that it eventually led to his role in Father of the Bride.
“I was due to go up to see my mother, had an airplane booked even, and they said, ‘Oh no, no, you must stay,’ and so luckily Southwest was very kind—they moved the flight and I read for them and I got the part,” he recalled.
Describing his experience on the Father of the Bride set, he said, “It was a pleasure doing it and I was grateful to be in it.”
When asked about working with Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun franchise, Williams praised him as “a consummate professional.” “He really knew how to do it and do it well, and I have nothing but respect for him,” he said.
His granddaughter confirmed the news of his death to The Hollywood Reporter. He is survived by his wife Nancy, whom he married in 1954, as well as his sons Fred and Ian and grandchildren Stephanie and Maureen.
