‘Will and Grace’ actor was 95
Charles C. Stevenson Jr., an actor known for roles in “Will and Grace,” “Dr. House,” “Ghost World” and more, died on January 19 in Camarillo, California, of natural causes. He was 95 years old.
Throughout his decades-long career, Stevenson became known for his supporting performances in a series of films and television shows. The actor was perhaps best known for his role as Smitty the bartender in the 1998 sitcom “Will and Grace,” where he appeared at the age of 89 until the show’s final season. He landed his first substantial role at the age of 76, playing a sheriff in the Disney film “Snow Buddies.”
Stevenson also specialized in playing roles as a preacher, priest or preacher; “In his own words, his job was ‘marry people or bury them,’” his son Scott said in a statement. “As he told it, the panicked director would invariably come to him to beg him to find a way to fill the unwritten space between “We are gathered here together” (where he would probably get his close-up) and the “amen” at the end of the scene (where he normally wouldn’t). Stevenson admitted he was pretty good at that.” Over the years, he also had roles in projects like “Murder, She Wrote,” “Men in Black,” ‘Glee’, ‘Bunheads’ and more.
Stevenson grew up in Piedmont, California. Before the acting bug broke out at age 50, he earned an English degree from UC Berkeley after serving in the Navy during the Korean War. After graduating, he began working in fundraising, department development and awareness campaigns for charities such as Project Hope and the Epilepsy Foundation. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where he worked on public service announcements and community events with Hollywood figures such as James Stewart, Jack Lemmon and Henry Winkler.
Stevenson is survived by two children, Charles III and Valerie, from his marriage to Barbara Keller, and three, Catherine, Scott and William, from his second marriage to the late Hollywood agent and manager, Joy Stevenson. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
