Will and Grace star Charles C. Stevenson has died at the age of 95. The longtime character actor, known for often playing men of the cloth, died of natural causes at his home in Camarillo, California, on January 19, his son Scott said in a statement. The veteran and California native was also known for his roles in House, Men in Black, and Ghost World, but his lasting image for many will be as Smitty the barman in Will and Grace, a character he continued to bring to life until the show’s end. He was 89 at the time. Astonishingly, he did not get into acting until he was 50 years old, securing his first major part at 76 in Snow Buddies. “In his own words, his job was ‘marrying or burying people,’” his son said. “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.” He’s survived by five children.
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