There’s always a debate going on about who the toughest actors are since some of them look like they could punch through a brick wall and have enough left in them to go another 9 rounds. But the fact is that a lot of the Hollywood ‘tough guys’ are really only that way on camera, when in real life they might be tough, but they’re not typically as trained as they might appear to be. Some of them are just as tough as they appear though, and William Smith is one of those that proved how tough he was for the duration of his career. The guy is in his 80s now so it’s fair to say that he’s not nearly as tough as he used to be, but it’s probably not a good idea to try him since there might still be fading glimmers of the guy he was just a few decades ago. Unlike a lot of movie tough guys that make a reputation out of appearing tough, strong, and ready to chew metal and spit nails, Smith is one of the genuine few that could actually take people to task and had a good deal of experience fighting and being a genuinely tough individual.
The argument over who would win in a fight between some of the toughest guys in Hollywood is fun for a few people to talk about and mull over, but the point is kind of moot these days since too many people are taken in by the big, muscular men that have been lighting up the screen in recent years. Many would gladly claim that men such as William would hand a lot of the current stars their butts in a matter of minutes, but there are times when it has more to do with the fact that some of the older actors were simply that tough and that practical to just go into a fight looking to take the other person out as quickly as possible, without the flips, kicks, and otherwise flashy moves that are best for the movies. That’s where too many people buy into the flash and pomp of the movies, as many of the movements and attacks in the movies we see today wouldn’t be as likely to do much damage as they appear to. Men such as William Smith understood the best way to win a fight was to either not fight in the first place or get it over with as quickly as possible since a prolonged fight doesn’t really produce a winner, just two severely winded and possibly wounded individuals that are bound to be feeling pretty lousy once it’s all over.
It’s fair to say that men like Smith paved the way for other action stars as they created characters that might not be as remembered as others, but the sheer toughness that they brought to the set was enough to act as an inspiration for others to follow. Smith was actually an amateur boxer with an impressive record, and he apparently had CIA and NSA clearance. He was also an avid student, proving that he wasn’t all brawn as he went on to earn a few degrees in his time. His move into acting wasn’t too surprising and he was welcomed in pretty readily it sounds like. While William never became one of the biggest actors in show business his time there was definitely appreciated and he did manage to snag a few roles that were memorable enough. He managed to play the role of Conan’s father in Conan the Barbarian, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a very long one since Conan’s village was burned to the ground at the beginning of the movie. He did rack up quite a few film roles in his time and while some of them aren’t as memorable there are plenty that allowed him to show just how tough of a person he really is. Granted, it’s one thing to show how tough you are on camera, where everything is controlled and everything is basically being faked, apart from the stunts that need to be taken seriously, but off-camera there are many people that aren’t nearly as tough as they make themselves out to be.
Taking a walk around Hollywood it’s easy to think that one could pick out a lot of people that look tough on-screen but are likely just going through the motions no matter how impressive of a physique they have. Believe it or not, the hard work and effort that goes into having a nice body doesn’t make you tough, though it might make a person look that way. Some of the toughest people in Hollywood don’t have six-pack abs, while some of the meanest and toughest-looking people tend to be those that are easily picked apart in a fight.
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