Ed Williams (actor)
American actor (1926–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edwin Wallace Williams (November 26, 1926 – October 2, 2025) was an American actor and comedian, who played Ted Olsen on the TV series Police Squad! and in The Naked Gun films.
Ed Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 26, 1926 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 2, 2025 (aged 98) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1941–2010 |
| Notable work | |
Life and career
Williams was born in San Jose, California, on November 26, 1926.[1][2] He was a broadcasting and speech teacher at Los Angeles City College in Southern California. He retired and then took acting classes. With the help of some contacts, he started acting as a second career.[citation needed]
He was best known for his role as Ted Olsen on the TV series Police Squad! and in The Naked Gun films: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). Despite the success of The Naked Gun films, Williams only had minor roles in other films, such as The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1991), Father of the Bride (1991) and Carnosaur (1993).
Williams later lived in Los Angeles. He died there on October 2, 2025, at the age of 98.[3][4]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Police Squad! | Ted Olsen | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1986 | Ratboy | Lake Reporter | |
| 1988 | Going to the Chapel | Reverend Morton | |
| 1988 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Ted Olsen | |
| 1990 | L.A. Law | Ed Tobias | |
| 1991 | High Strung | Boss | |
| 1991 | The Giant of Thunder Mountain | Mr. Macgruder | |
| 1991 | The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear | Ted Olsen | |
| 1991 | Father of the Bride | Reverend | |
| 1993 | Carnosaur | Dr. Sterling Raven | |
| 1994 | Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult | Ted Olsen |
