Beloved actor William Smithers has sadly died at the age of 98. The star, who appeared in everything from Hawaii Five-O to Star Trek, died on May 26th in Santa Barbara, California. He was best known for his role as Jeremy Wendell in US soap opera Dallas, appearing in 50 episodes, as well as being featured in Mission Impossible and 1973 prison film Papillon.

Born in Virginia, William moved to Santa Barbara in 1995 with his wife, acting teacher S. Loraine Hull, who sadly died in 2022.

Smithers made headlines in 1976 when he sued MGM studios while working on CBS drama Executive Suite. He claimed the studio violated his contract which said that with three named exceptions, no other member of the cast could be paid more than him or receive higher billing.

Despite allegedly being threatened with blacklisting, the actor went ahead with the lawsuit and won – with the case since being cited in various entertainment law courses at university.

Smithers also struggled with low wages on Dallas, claiming he was "paid very little" and quit in a dispute over pay.

He said: "My agent was convinced that they would come to the figure that we asked for, but they didn’t. So that ended the whole thing.”

Tributes have flooded in from fans after his death, with one tweeting: "We are sharing the sad news that William Smithers (Jeremy Wendell) has passed away at age 98. Sending thoughts to his loved ones."

Another echoed: "Sorry to hear that. RIP, played Jeremy Wendell so well, and gave JR something to be concerned about."

While a third posted: "He played such a bad guy, loved that show. He lived a long life."