Fred Williamson
Encyclopedia
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson (born March 5, 1938) is an American actor
, architect
, and former professional American football
defensive back
who played mainly in the American Football League
during the 1960s.
for Northwestern
in the late 1950s, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers
#2 overall. When during training camp he was switched to their defense, his attitude over the switch prompted him to hit his assignment too hard, the 49ers coach
asked him to quit "hammering" his players. The nickname "The Hammer" stuck with him ever since. He played a year for the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the National Football League
in 1960
. He then switched 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
.
During his time with the Chiefs, Williamson became one of football’s first self-promoters, coining the nickname “The Hammer” — because he used his forearm to deliver karate
-style blows to the heads of opposing receivers. Prior to Super Bowl I
, he garnered national headlines by boasting that he would knock Green Bay Packers
starting receivers Carroll Dale
and Boyd Dowler
out of the game, stating “Two hammers to (Boyd) Dowler, one to (Carroll) Dale should be enough”. His prediction turned out to be ironic, because Williamson himself was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter, his head meeting the knee of Packer running back
Donny Anderson
. Williamson finished his eight-season NFL/AFL career in 1967 with 36 interceptions, which he returned for 479 yards and 2 touchdown
s, in 104 games. After a brief stint with the CFL
's Montreal Alouettes
in the 1968 season, he retired permanently from pro football.
Following his retirement from football, Williamson decided that a career in architecture wasn't his calling and tried his hand as an actor
, much in the mold of star running back
Jim Brown
. He also acted alongside Mr. Brown in films such as 1974's Three the Hard Way
, 1975's Take a Hard Ride, 1982's One Down, Two to Go, 1996's Original Gangstas
and 2002's On the Edge, along with guest starring with him in a handful of episodes of various television programs. Before Jim Brown did it in 1974, Fred posed nude for Playgirl
magazine in the October 1973 issue. One of Williamson’s early television
roles was a part in The Cloud Minders, a 1968 episode of Star Trek
, playing "Anka". Williamson also played Diahann Carroll’s love interest in the sitcom Julia
. In an interview for the DVD of Bronx Warriors, Williamson stated that the role in Julia
was created for him when he convinced the producers that the Black community was upset that Julia had a different boyfriend every week.
Williamson's early film work included roles in 1970
, M*A*S*H and Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
. He also got to play, in 1973
, an African-American mafioso
in Black Caesar
and its subsequent sequel
, Hell Up in Harlem
. He is also noted for portraying "Boss Nigger" in the 1975 blockbuster hit, Boss Nigger
. After this he appeared as an actor in several films, most of which are considered to be of the "blaxploitation
" genre.
In 1974 he starred alongside Peter Boyle
and Eli Wallach
in the movie Crazy Joe.
In 1974, he was selected by the ABC
television network
as a commentator on Monday Night Football
to replace Don Meredith
, who had left (temporarily, as it turned out) to pursue an acting and broadcasting career at rival network NBC
. Williamson was used on a few pre-season broadcasts, but he was judged to be unsuitable by ABC. He was relieved of his duties at the beginning of the regular season, becoming the first MNF personality not to endure for an entire season. He was replaced by the fellow former player (and fellow Gary, Indiana, native) Alex Karras
.
Since that time, Williamson has continued his career as an actor and director, recently appearing in the feature film version
of the 1970s television series Starsky and Hutch
.
During the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, Williamson frequently appeared on television as a spokesman for King Cobra (“Don’t let the smooth taste fool you.”)...as did fellow actor/martial artist Martin Kove
. In 1994, Williamson, along with many other black actors from the 'Blaxploitation
' movie era (namely Antonio Fargas
, Pam Grier
, Rudy Ray Moore
, and Ron O'Neal
) made a cameo appearance on Snoop Doggy Dogg's music video
"Doggy Dogg World
", where he appears as himself using his pro-football nickname "The Hammer."
Williamson co-starred with George Clooney
and Quentin Tarantino
in 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn
, written by Robert Rodriguez. He was in the cast of 1978's original The Inglorious Bastards, which inspired Tarantino's 2009 film of a similar name.
Williamson made a cameo appearance in the independent comedy feature Spaced Out
which was released by Ariztical Entertainment in 2009. When asked about his role in the film at the premiere screening in 2006, Williamson said,
(1975), a Western directed by Jack Arnold. With the second film he produced he also debuted as a director, Mean Johnny Barrows
(1976), was a significant predecessor of the Rambo films with its violent Vietnam vet story, however the novel First Blood (Rambo I) 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 like 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 gone straight to DVD, Williamson has continued working actively with films.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, and former professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
who played mainly in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
during the 1960s.
Football career
After playing college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in the late 1950s, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
#2 overall. When during training camp he was switched to their defense, his attitude over the switch prompted him to hit his assignment too hard, the 49ers coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
asked him to quit "hammering" his players. The nickname "The Hammer" stuck with him ever since. He played a year for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in 1960
1960 NFL season
The 1960 NFL season was the 41st regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, Pete Rozelle was elected NFL commissioner as a compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot. Meanwhile, the league expanded to 13 teams with the addition of the Dallas Cowboys. Also, the Cardinals...
. He then switched to the new American Football League. Williamson played four seasons for the AFL’s Oakland Raiders
History of the Oakland Raiders
-Early years :A few months after the first AFL draft in 1959, the owners of the yet-unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team in 1961, sending the AFL scrambling for a replacement. At the time, Oakland seemed an unlikely...
, making the AFL All-Star
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
team in 1961, 1962, and 1963. He also played three seasons for the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs
History of the Kansas City Chiefs
The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Chiefs, a professional American football franchise that began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans...
.
During his time with the Chiefs, Williamson became one of football’s first self-promoters, coining the nickname “The Hammer” — because he used his forearm to deliver karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
-style blows to the heads of opposing receivers. Prior to Super Bowl I
Super Bowl I
The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
, he garnered national headlines by boasting that he would knock Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
starting receivers Carroll Dale
Carroll Dale
Carroll Wayne Dale is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Virginia Tech from 1956–59. Dale was named second-team All American in 1958 and 1959....
and Boyd Dowler
Boyd Dowler
Boyd Hamilton Dowler is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played twelve seasons for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins from 1959 to 1971...
out of the game, stating “Two hammers to (Boyd) Dowler, one to (Carroll) Dale should be enough”. His prediction turned out to be ironic, because Williamson himself was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter, his head meeting the knee of Packer running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Donny Anderson
Donny Anderson
Garry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...
. Williamson finished his eight-season NFL/AFL career in 1967 with 36 interceptions, which he returned for 479 yards and 2 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, in 104 games. After a brief stint with the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
in the 1968 season, he retired permanently from pro football.
Acting career
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, much in the mold of star running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
. He also acted alongside Mr. Brown in films such as 1974's Three the Hard Way
Three the Hard Way (film)
Three the Hard Way is a 1974 action blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, and Jim Kelly, written by Eric Bercovici and Jerrold L. Ludwig and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr....
, 1975's Take a Hard Ride, 1982's One Down, Two to Go, 1996's Original Gangstas
Original Gangstas
Original Gangstas is a 1996 action movie set in urban Gary, Indiana starring Blaxploitation film stars such as Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, and Richard Roundtree....
and 2002's On the Edge, along with guest starring with him in a handful of episodes of various television programs. Before Jim Brown did it in 1974, Fred posed nude for Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
magazine in the October 1973 issue. One of Williamson’s early television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
roles was a part in The Cloud Minders, a 1968 episode of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, playing "Anka". Williamson also played Diahann Carroll’s love interest in the sitcom Julia
Julia (TV series)
Julia is an American sitcom notable for being one of the first weekly series to depict an African American woman in a non-stereotypical role. Previous television series featured African American lead characters, but the characters were usually servants. The show starred actress and singer Diahann...
. In an interview for the DVD of Bronx Warriors, Williamson stated that the role in Julia
Julia (TV series)
Julia is an American sitcom notable for being one of the first weekly series to depict an African American woman in a non-stereotypical role. Previous television series featured African American lead characters, but the characters were usually servants. The show starred actress and singer Diahann...
was created for him when he convinced the producers that the Black community was upset that Julia had a different boyfriend every week.
Williamson's early film work included roles in 1970
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
, M*A*S*H and Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon is a 1970 film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is based on the book by Marjorie Kellogg. The film starred Liza Minnelli as the title character, a girl whose face is scarred in a vicious battery acid attack by her boy friend. Later in an institution, she...
. He also got to play, in 1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
, an African-American mafioso
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
in Black Caesar
Black Caesar (film)
Black Caesar is a 1973 American blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen. It is a remake of the 1931 film Little Caesar. It features a notable musical score by James Brown , his first experience with writing music for film...
and its subsequent sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Hell Up in Harlem
Hell Up in Harlem
Hell Up in Harlem is a 1973 blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen...
. He is also noted for portraying "Boss Nigger" in the 1975 blockbuster hit, Boss Nigger
Boss Nigger
Boss Nigger is a 1975 blaxploitation film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars former football player Fred Williamson, who both wrote and co-produced the film. Boss Nigger is the first film for which Williamson was credited as screenwriter or producer....
. After this he appeared as an actor in several films, most of which are considered to be of the "blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
" genre.
In 1974 he starred alongside Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
and Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
in the movie Crazy Joe.
In 1974, he was selected by the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
as a commentator on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
to replace Don Meredith
Don Meredith
Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
, who had left (temporarily, as it turned out) to pursue an acting and broadcasting career at rival network NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
. Williamson was used on a few pre-season broadcasts, but he was judged to be unsuitable by ABC. He was relieved of his duties at the beginning of the regular season, becoming the first MNF personality not to endure for an entire season. He was replaced by the fellow former player (and fellow Gary, Indiana, native) Alex Karras
Alex Karras
Alexander George "Alex" Karras , nicknamed "The Mad Duck", is a former football player, professional wrestler, and actor, best known for his stint with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1958–1962 and 1964-1970 and for his role as Mongo in the film Blazing Saddles...
.
Since that time, Williamson has continued his career as an actor and director, recently appearing in the feature film version
Starsky & Hutch (film)
Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. The film stars Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and is a film adaptation of the original television series of the same name from the 1970s....
of the 1970s television series Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
.
During the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, Williamson frequently appeared on television as a spokesman for King Cobra (“Don’t let the smooth taste fool you.”)...as did fellow actor/martial artist Martin Kove
Martin Kove
Martin Kove is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series.-Film appearances:His best-known roles may have been on the 1980s hit CBS television series Cagney & Lacey as Detective Victor Isbecki and in the 1984 hit film The Karate Kid as Cobra Kai Sensei John Kreese...
. In 1994, Williamson, along with many other black actors from the 'Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
' movie era (namely Antonio Fargas
Antonio Fargas
Antonio Juan Fargas is an American actor famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies, as well as his portrayal of Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky and Hutch.-Biography:...
, Pam Grier
Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
, Rudy Ray Moore
Rudy Ray Moore
Rudy Ray Moore was an American comedian, musician, singer, film actor, and film producer. He was perhaps best known as Dolemite , the uniquely articulate pimp from the 1975 film Dolemite, and its sequel, The Human Tornado...
, and Ron O'Neal
Ron O'Neal
Ron O'Neal was an American actor, director and screenwriter...
) made a cameo appearance on Snoop Doggy Dogg's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
"Doggy Dogg World
Doggy Dogg World
"Doggy Dogg World" is the third single from Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album Doggystyle. It is the first European-only release with an American video TV-play. It features '70s funk band The Dramatics, with guest rap verses from Kurupt and Daz Dillinger , and chorus singing by background vocalist...
", where he appears as himself using his pro-football nickname "The Hammer."
Williamson co-starred with George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
and Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
in 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
, written by Robert Rodriguez. He was in the cast of 1978's original The Inglorious Bastards, which inspired Tarantino's 2009 film of a similar name.
Williamson made a cameo appearance in the independent comedy feature Spaced Out
Spaced Out (film)
Spaced Out is a sci-fi comedy feature directed by Scott Grenke. It was premiered in Chicago in 2006 and distributed by Ariztical Entertainment in 2009. It stars James Vallo and features appearances by Babette Bombshell, Butch Patrick, Robert Z'Dar, Fred Williamson, Larry Thomas, and many others...
which was released by Ariztical Entertainment in 2009. When asked about his role in the film at the premiere screening in 2006, Williamson said,
Career as a director and producer
Alongside acting, Williamson has since the middle 1970s appeared as a director and producer as well. His first film as a producer was Boss NiggerBoss Nigger
Boss Nigger is a 1975 blaxploitation film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars former football player Fred Williamson, who both wrote and co-produced the film. Boss Nigger is the first film for which Williamson was credited as screenwriter or producer....
(1975), a Western directed by Jack Arnold. With the second film he produced he also debuted as a director, Mean Johnny Barrows
Mean Johnny Barrows
Mean Johnny Barrows is a 1976 filmJohnny Barrows is dishonorably discharged from the army for punching out a fellow officer. Shipped back home to Spiddal, Johnny promptly gets mugged and hauled in by some racist cops for being drunk...
(1976), was a significant predecessor of the Rambo films with its violent Vietnam vet story, however the novel First Blood (Rambo I) 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 like Adios Amigo
Adios Amigo
Adiós Amigo is a comedy-Western starring Fred Williamson and Richard Pryor. The film was also written, produced and directed by Williamson....
(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 gone straight to DVD, Williamson has continued working actively with films.
Filmography
- M*A*S*H (1970)
- Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie MoonTell Me That You Love Me, Junie MoonTell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon is a 1970 film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is based on the book by Marjorie Kellogg. The film starred Liza Minnelli as the title character, a girl whose face is scarred in a vicious battery acid attack by her boy friend. Later in an institution, she...
(1970) - HammerHammer (film)Hammer is a 1972 blaxploitation film directed by Bruce Clark. The film was released following the successes of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and Shaft, notable 1971 films that popularized black cinema....
(1972) - The Legend of Nigger CharleyThe Legend of Nigger CharleyThe Legend of Nigger Charley is a 1972 blaxploitation western film directed by Martin Goldman. The story of a trio of escaped slaves, it was released during the heyday of blaxploitation films....
(1972) - The Soul of Nigger CharleyThe Soul of Nigger CharleyThe Soul of Nigger Charley is a 1973 blaxploitation western film directed by Larry Spangler and starring Fred Williamson. It is the sequel to 1972's The Legend of Nigger Charley. It is followed by Boss Nigger...
(1973) - Black CaesarBlack Caesar (film)Black Caesar is a 1973 American blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen. It is a remake of the 1931 film Little Caesar. It features a notable musical score by James Brown , his first experience with writing music for film...
(1973) - Hell Up in HarlemHell Up in HarlemHell Up in Harlem is a 1973 blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen...
(1973) - That Man BoltThat Man BoltThat Man Bolt is a 1973 action film directed by David Lowell Rich and Henry Levin. It stars Fred Williamson in the title role of a courier and Byron Webster. The film combined several genres of blaxploitation, the martial arts film and James Bond superspy films...
(1973) - Three the Hard WayThree the Hard Way (film)Three the Hard Way is a 1974 action blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, and Jim Kelly, written by Eric Bercovici and Jerrold L. Ludwig and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr....
(1974) - Black EyeBlack Eye (film)Black Eye is a 1974 action film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Fred Williamson....
(1974) - Mean Johnny BarrowsMean Johnny BarrowsMean Johnny Barrows is a 1976 filmJohnny Barrows is dishonorably discharged from the army for punching out a fellow officer. Shipped back home to Spiddal, Johnny promptly gets mugged and hauled in by some racist cops for being drunk...
(1974) - Crazy Joe (1974)
- Bucktown (1975)
- Take a Hard Ride (1975)
- Boss NiggerBoss NiggerBoss Nigger is a 1975 blaxploitation film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars former football player Fred Williamson, who both wrote and co-produced the film. Boss Nigger is the first film for which Williamson was credited as screenwriter or producer....
(1975) - Adiós AmigoAdios AmigoAdiós Amigo is a comedy-Western starring Fred Williamson and Richard Pryor. The film was also written, produced and directed by Williamson....
(1976) - Death Journey (1976)
- Joshua (spaghetti western) (1976)
- No Way BackNo Way Back (1976 Film)No Way Back is a 1976 Blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson who also starred in the film as Jesse Crowder, a private detective who once used to belong to a police force but that now finds himself taking odd jobs for a little extra money. Catchphrases include “ Never trust a woman with her...
(1976) - Mr. Mean (1977)
- The Inglorious Bastards (1977)
- Blind RageBlind RageBlind Rage is a blaxploitation martial arts film from 1978 starring the former all-star football star Fred Williamson, Tony Ferrer and D'Urville Martin, about 5 blind martial artists pulling off a bank robbery....
(1978) - Fist of Fear, Touch of DeathFist of Fear, Touch of DeathFist of Fear, Touch of Death, also known as The Dragon and the Cobra, is a 1980 martial arts film about a martial arts tournament at Madison Square Garden that will determine the supposed "successor" to Bruce Lee. Within the film, the tournament is hosted by Adolph Caesar...
(1980) - i nuovi barbari (1982)
- 1990: I guerrieri del Bronx (1982)
- One Down,Two To Go (1982)
- VigilanteVigilante (film)Vigilante is a 1983 film directed by William Lustig. It stars Robert Forster and Fred Williamson.-Plot:New York City factory worker Eddie Marino is a solid citizen and regular guy, until the day a sadistic street gang brutally assaults his wife and murders his child. But when a corrupt judge sets...
(1983) - Warrior of the Lost WorldWarrior of the Lost WorldWarrior of the Lost World is a 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic science fiction film written and directed by David Worth starring Robert Ginty, Persis Khambatta, and Donald Pleasence...
(1983) - Deadly Impact (1984)
- White FireWhite FireWhite Fire is a French-American-Italian-Turkish thriller film by Jean-Marie Pallardy...
(1985) - Fox Trap (1986)
- Black Cobra (1987)
- The Messenger (1987)
- Black Cobra 2 (1988)
- Black Cobra 3 (1990)
- South Beach (1993)
- From Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
(1996) - Original GangstasOriginal GangstasOriginal Gangstas is a 1996 action movie set in urban Gary, Indiana starring Blaxploitation film stars such as Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, and Richard Roundtree....
(1996) - RideRide (film)Ride is a 1998 comedy film, written and directed by Millicent Shelton. The film stars Fredro Starr, Malik Yoba, and Melissa De Sousa. The film is sometimes confused with The Ride, another film released in 1998.-Plot:...
(1998) - Carmen: A Hip HoperaCarmen: A Hip HoperaCarmen: A Hip Hopera is a 2001 musical film produced for television by MTV and directed by Robert Townsend. The film stars Beyoncé Knowles in her debut acting role, Mos Def, Rah Digga, Wyclef Jean, Mekhi Phifer, Da Brat, Joy Bryant, Jermaine Dupri and Lil' Bow Wow...
(made for TV) (2001) - Starsky & HutchStarsky & Hutch (film)Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. The film stars Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and is a film adaptation of the original television series of the same name from the 1970s....
(2004) - Interpolated! (2006)
- Resist Evil Part Two: God is Missing! Let us Quest for God! (2008)
- Resist Evil Part Three: Don't Stop or We'll Die (2008)
- Blending some Green Part 1 (2008)
- Spaced OutSpaced Out (film)Spaced Out is a sci-fi comedy feature directed by Scott Grenke. It was premiered in Chicago in 2006 and distributed by Ariztical Entertainment in 2009. It stars James Vallo and features appearances by Babette Bombshell, Butch Patrick, Robert Z'Dar, Fred Williamson, Larry Thomas, and many others...
(2009) - Zombie Apocalypse: RedemptionZombie Apocalypse: RedemptionZombie Apocalypse: Redemption is a upcoming independent action thriller post-apocalyptic zombie film directed by Ryan Thompson.-Plot:A viral outbreak has devastated the global population, resulting in the undead outnumbering a single human 10,000 to one...
(2010)
External links
- Fred Williamson: "I Like the Life.", an interview by Roger Ebert, from The Chicago Sun-Times May 17, 1983
- http://media7.podbean.com/pb/5011db7df8c09407615201d6c71ed0ff/4c241248/blogs7/145336/uploads/Episode123.mp3Fred Williamson Interview about working with Quinton Tarantino." An interview with the Slacker And The Man Podcast.
- Fred Williamson: Original Gangsta, an interview by Michael Mercadante 2006
- Williamson's 1965 Topps football card
- Fred Williamson statistics
- http://www.remembertheafl.com/1965ToppsRaiders.htm#FredWilliamson