Actor Charles C. Stevenson Jr., known for his role as bartender Smitty on the popular U.S. sitcom Will & Grace, has died. He was 95.
According to Variety on the 6th (local time), Stevenson died of natural causes on Jan. 19 in Camarillo, California. The obituary was announced by his son Scott Stevenson.
Charles C. Stevenson made 12 appearances over seven seasons on Will & Grace from 2002 to 2020, consistently beloved as the show's regular bartender Smitty. His final appearance was in season 11 episode "Accidentally on Porpoise," which aired on Feb. 20, 2020. He was 89 at the time of filming.
His son Scott recalled, "My father used to joke that his job was 'to marry people or to conduct funerals,'" and noted, "When directors asked him to fill in moments that weren't in the script, he was really good at naturally bridging from 'We are gathered here together' to 'Amen.'"
Stevenson was a Korean War veteran who served in the U.S. Navy and studied English literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Before becoming an actor, he worked in fundraising for organizations such as Project Hope and the Epilepsy Foundation, contributing to social service efforts.
Having lived in Los Angeles since the 1960s, he worked with Hollywood greats such as Henry Winkler, the late James Stewart and Jack Lemmon. His full-time acting career began relatively late, and his first recorded appearance was in the 1982 drama Voyagers!
He later appeared in small roles in popular 1980s dramas such as Cheers and Dynasty, and in the 1990s he showed up on Murder, She Wrote, Baywatch, Everybody Loves Raymond and Party of Five. In the 2000s he continued to appear on shows such as The Office, Weeds and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
His film credits include The Naked Gun, Ed Wood, Men in Black, Pleasantville and Ghost World. In particular, he worked alongside Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch in Ghost World.
He was married twice and is survived by five children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A longtime, quietly steadfast presence on set, a Hollywood scene stealer. Charles C. Stevenson's name is likely to be long remembered as Smitty, the bartender on Will & Grace.
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