ICONIC VILLAIN

‘Dallas’ and ‘Peyton Place’ Star Dies at 98

He played the dastardly oilman Jeremy Wendell on “Dallas” from 1981 to 1989.

William Smithers, best known as the villainous Jeremy Wendell in the soap opera Dallas, has died at 98. Details about the date and cause of his death have not been disclosed. Smithers began his career on Broadway but quickly made his way to the big screen with roles in films such as 1956’s Attack, 1972’s Trouble Man, 1973’s Scorpio, and most famously, 1973’s Papillon, where he played Warden Barrot. The Virginia native had a lengthy career in television, starring as Peyton Mill owner David Schuster on ABC’s Peyton Place, the first primetime soap opera, in 1956. He played the dastardly oilman Jeremy Wendell on Dallas from 1981 to 1989, appearing in 50 episodes. Smithers also starred in the CBS drama Executive Suite in 1976, which resulted in a dramatic legal battle. He sued MGM after claiming the studio violated his contract, which stipulated that no more than three people could receive better billing or pay than he did. He alleged that a studio executive threatened to blacklist him if he followed through with the case. Smithers won, and the case is now part of the canon in entertainment law courses.