Z-Cars been running for seven years but which some considered 'cosy'. The one character present throughout the entire run (though not in every episode) was Bert Lynch, played by James Ellis (though John Phillips as Det. Chief Supt. Robins would reappear sporadically during the show's run – by the end of the series he had become Chief Constable). Other characters in the early days were Stratford Johns (Inspector Barlow), Frank Windsor (Det. Sgt Watt), Robert Keegan (Sgt Blackitt), Joseph Brady (PC "Jock" Weir) and Brian Blessed ("Fancy" Smith). Also in 1960s episodes as David Graham was Colin Welland, later a screenwriter.
William Smith (actor) William Smith (actor) William Smith (born March 24, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in almost three hundred feature films and television productions. One of his better-known roles was Anthony Falconetti in the 1970s television mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man". Smith is also known for films like "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), "Conan The Barbarian" (1982), "Rumble Fish" (1983), and "Red Dawn" (1984), as well as lead roles in several exploitation films during the 1970s. Born in Columbia, Missouri, Smith began his acting career at the age of eight in 1942; he entered films as a child