‘Police Squad!’ and ‘Naked Gun’ Actor, Dead at 98

Ed Williams, the actor best known for his role as Ted Olson on the TV show Police Squad! and the original Naked Gun films, has passed away at the age of 98. His granddaughter, Stephanie Williams, confirmed his death on October 2 in Los Angeles to The Hollywood Reporter.

Williams had a long and diverse career in entertainment. Early on, he acted in plays at San Jose State and Stanford and took part in numerous radio productions run by Lillian Fontaine, mother of actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.

In 1955, he moved to Los Angeles and joined The Don Martin School of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences, putting his acting career on hold to teach.

It wasn’t until the early 1980s that Williams returned to acting while teaching speech classes at L.A. City College. He landed the role of Ted Olson on ABC’s Police Squad!, a comedy that parodied police procedurals and starred Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin. “I made up for lost time and got a fairly decent part to start coming back into acting,” Williams said in a 2017 interview.

Though the show only lasted six episodes, it later inspired The Naked Gun film series, in which Williams and Nielsen were the only actors to appear in both versions.

Throughout his career, Williams often portrayed reverends, priests, and ministers. He married Annie Banks and Bryan MacKenzie in the 1991 film Father of the Bride. He also appeared in movies like Ratboy, Nickel & Dime, High Strung, and Carnosaur, and on TV shows such as Cheers, MacGyver, Matlock, L.A. Law, and House. Even into his 90s, Williams continued acting.

Williams had a notable teaching career as well. He taught broadcasting at L.A. City College and served as a booth announcer at KCET television. Among his students were “Real” Don Steele, who became a famous DJ, and Bob Eubanks, who went on to host The Newlywed Game.

Reflecting on his long gap away from acting, Williams said, “I felt like the [guy] who’s been trained to be a surgeon, but he didn’t quite get in the operating room. I wanted to get in the operating room.”

Ed Williams is survived by his wife Nancy, whom he married in 1954, their two sons Fred and Ian, and grandchildren Stephanie and Maureen. His long career in entertainment and education left a lasting mark on both his students and fans of his work.

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