Hollywood has lost another cherished piece of its classic comedic era. Ed Williams, the actor best remembered for his brilliantly straight-faced portrayal of eccentric lab scientist Ted Olsen in Police Squad! and The Naked Gun movies, passed away on October 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. He was 98, leaving behind decades of laughter, inspiration, and unforgettable cinematic moments.
Williams was among the few remaining cast members from The Naked Gun franchise — a series that redefined slapstick for modern audiences and solidified Leslie Nielsen’s place as an icon of deadpan comedy. His death symbolizes the quiet closing of another chapter in Hollywood’s golden generation of humor, a generation that thrived on clever timing, subtle absurdity, and the kind of comedy that resonates long after the credits roll.
The news was confirmed by his granddaughter, Stephanie Williams, who shared that her grandfather “lived a full and joyful life surrounded by family, laughter, and a love of storytelling until the very end.” Her words capture a man whose life extended far beyond the screen — a man who nurtured others, inspired countless students, and quietly shaped Hollywood from behind the scenes.
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Born in 1926 in San Jose, California, Ed Williams’ path to the screen was far from conventional. Before becoming a fixture in cult comedy, he served honorably in the U.S. Navy, worked as a radio salesman, and then carved a niche in broadcasting. Williams began as a booth announcer at KCET Television in Los Angeles, back when television was still in its formative years, exploring the medium with curiosity and dedication. Eventually, he transitioned to teaching broadcasting at Los Angeles City College, a role he embraced for decades, shaping the voices and careers of countless young communicators, many of whom went on to become influential journalists, broadcasters, and performers.
But his creative curiosity didn’t stop there. While teaching, Williams immersed himself in live theater, building a foundation in performance that would serve him well when Hollywood finally came calling. Unlike many, he didn’t begin his on-screen career as a young actor; instead, he embraced the challenge later in life, bringing a seasoned, nuanced perspective to his roles. His leap to acting came in the early 1980s, at a time when most people his age were contemplating retirement, proving it’s never too late to follow a passion.
In 1982, Williams landed the role of Ted Olsen in the short-lived but legendary television series Police Squad!, created by the masterminds behind Airplane! — David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. Though the show lasted only six episodes, it became a cult favorite and laid the groundwork for The Naked Gun film trilogy that would follow, captivating audiences with its unique blend of absurdity and meticulous deadpan delivery.
As Ted Olsen, Williams embodied the archetype of the well-meaning but absurdly literal scientist — a man who treated nonsense as serious science and danger as methodical experimentation. His scenes were precise, quick, and hilariously memorable. From dart-shooting cufflinks to anti-graffiti walls and the infamous “Swiss Army shoe,” Williams brought a sense of sincerity to the most ridiculous props, creating humor that relied on his complete commitment to character.
One of his most beloved lines — delivered with earnest perfection — came when he explained to Leslie Nielsen’s Lt. Frank Drebin: “As you know, Frank, billions of years ago, our Earth was a molten mass. But for some reason, not understood by scientists, the Earth cooled, forming a crust, a hard igneous shell. That’s what we scientists call ‘rock.’” The brilliance wasn’t in the words themselves, but in how Williams said them — serious, oblivious, perfectly timed — a masterclass in understated comedy.
Williams reprised Ted Olsen in the Naked Gun trilogy, released between 1988 and 1994, joining Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O.J. Simpson in one of comedy’s most enduring franchises. His scenes were often brief but impactful, each performance leaving a lasting impression and continuing to elicit laughter decades later.
Beyond his collaborations with the ZAZ team, Williams’ career spanned nearly three decades of television and film. Between 1982 and 2010, he appeared in dozens of shows, including MacGyver, Matlock, L.A. Law, and The Bold and the Beautiful. On the big screen, audiences may remember him as the kindly Reverend in Father of the Bride (1991), where he once again combined warmth, understated wit, and impeccable timing to delight viewers.
Interestingly, Williams often portrayed men of the cloth. He took on reverends and priests in several productions, including the biographical TV movie I Want to Live, the drama Infidelity, and the romantic comedy Going to the Chapel. While these roles could have been limiting, he brought to each the same authenticity that defined his comedic work, turning even the simplest lines into moments that felt alive and genuine.In 1993, Williams ventured into unexpected territory with the sci-fi horror film Carnosaur, a low-budget dinosaur thriller released just weeks before Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. Playing Dr. Sterling Raven, a scientist facing prehistoric chaos, Williams delivered his lines with the same seriousness and poise that elevated Carnosaur from mere B-movie to enduring cult classic, proving he could command any genre with understated authority.
