Hal Williams, the television veteran who appeared in such American comedies as “227” and “Sanford and Son,” has died, according to his manager. He was 91 years old.

“227” aired from 1985 to 1990 and followed a group of middle-aged tenants living together in an apartment building. Williams played Lester Jenkins, who, on the show, was the husband of Marla Gibbs’ Mary Jenkins and the father of Regina King’s Brenda Jenkins. “227” aired 116 episodes over five seasons on NBC. Series star Jackée Harry won an Emmy for best supporting actress for her work on the show in 1987. Other cast members included Helen Martin, Alaina Reed-Hall and Curtis Baldwin.

Williams appeared in 22 episodes of “Sanford and Son” as Officer “Smitty” Smith. The character was part of a duo with Howard Platt’s Officer “Hoppy” Hopkins. The pair had a recurring part where Hopkins would lead by describing a case in complicated police jargon, and it would be up to Smith to explain it all again in layman’s terms.

In a recent interview with WKYC, Williams explained how the Smitty and Hoppy joke came about: “We did it once in rehearsal and the producers thought it was funny. We did it in the first or second episode and it clicked. Some days, we’d get to rehearsal and they wouldn’t have anything solid. [The producers would then say,] ‘Come out, take a two-hour break and bring us something.’”

Williams’ other television credits include “On the Rocks,” “The Waltons,” “Private Benjamin” and “The Sinbad Show.” His most recent television role was in the CBS reboot of “Matlock.” In terms of film, Williams appeared in “Hardcore,” “The Rookie,” “Percy & Thunder,” “Guess Who” and “Flight.”