‘Will & Grace’ Actor Remembered by Family Following His Death at 95

Charles C. Stevenson, Jr. — best known for his role as the regular bartender, Smitty, on NBC’s Will & Grace — has died at age 95.

Variety reports that Stevenson died on January 19 at his Camarillo, California home of natural causes. His son, Scott, issued a statement to the outlet eulogizing his late father’s acting work and noted how much he enjoyed playing religious-leaning characters like priests and pastors.

“In his own words, his job was ‘marrying or burying people,’” the statement reads. “As he told it, the panic-stricken director would invariably come to him to beg him to find a way to fill in unscripted space between ‘We are gathered here together’ (where he’d probably get his close-up) and the ‘amen’ at the end of the scene (where he usually wouldn’t). Stevenson admitted that he got pretty good at that.”

Stevenson played Smitty for the final time in the 2020 revival of the show at age 89. In addition to his regular role on the sitcom, he had parts in projects like Ghost World, Murder She Wrote, Men in Black, Glee, Bunheads and more. His first role was reportedly in a 1982 episode of NBC’s Voyagers!

According to Deadline, Stevenson, a lifelong California native and U.S. Navy veteran who served during the Korean War, didn’t begin acting until age 50 after moving to Los Angeles for public service work.

Variety notes he is survived by his two children, Charles II and Valerie, from his first marriage to Barbara Keller. He is also survived by three children, Catherine, Scott and William, from his second marriage to late Hollywood agent and manager Joy Stevenson. Together, he had eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.