Forever to be recalled as Linc Hayes, the Afro-sporting member of "The Mod Squad" trio, whose favorite expression was "Solid!," Clarence Williams III has gone on to become an established character actor, particularly rediscovered in the 1980s and 90s by young African-American directors. Born and raised in Harlem, Williams began his career in theater with a small part in "Dark of the Moon" (c. 1957) and then moved to Broadway where he had five lines in the 1960 production of "The Long Dream." After a stint in the Air Force, he returned to NYC, where he won critical praise and awards for his work on Broadway in "Slow Dance on the Killing Ground" (1964). Though his stage appearances would run in spurts after his TV and film breaks, Williams never abandoned the theater and won much praise starring opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard's "Night and Day" (1979).