Ed Williams has pᴀssed away. Although Williams did not appear in the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun, he played lab worker Ted Olson in every previous installment of the comedy franchise. This includes all three entries in the movie trilogy that ran from 1988 through 1994 and the original 1982 parody series Police Squad!.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Ed Williams’ granddaughter Stephanie Williams has confirmed that the star died at age 98. He is predeceased by many of his former Naked Gun co-stars, including Leslie Nielsen (who died of pneumonia in 2010), O.J. Simpson (who died of prostate cancer in 2024), and George Kennedy (who died of old age in 2016).

Williams lived many lives before debuting on television in Police Squad!. The actor, who was born in San Jose in 1926, spent years as a naval man, a KSJO Radio salesman, a KCET Television booth announcer, and a broadcasting professor at L.A. City College before he ever appeared onscreen, though he had already held many roles in live theater productions.

Additionally, his onscreen career extended far beyond the realm of the Leslie Nielsen movies, though he effectively quit onscreen acting after appearing in an episode of House in 2010. His only onscreen role after that performance was appearing as various characters in five episodes of the Zoom performance series Hollywood Radio Players throughout 2022 and 2023.

He took on a number of non-Olson roles between 1982 and 2010. This includes a wide variety of guest appearances on a number of well-known television series, such as MacGyver, Matlock, L.A. Law, and The Bold and the Beautiful.

On the big screen, one of his most notable roles was playing the Reverend in the Steve Martin movie Father of the Bride. Ed Williams frequently played reverends and priests in тιтles as widely varied as the biographical TV movie I Want to Live, the romantic drama Infidelity, and the Cloris Leachman comedy Going to the Chapel.

Additionally, he played Dr. Sterling Raven in the 1993 dinosaur horror movie Carnosaur, which became a surprise success in theaters thanks to its proximity to the release of Steven Spielberg’s mega-hit Jurᴀssic Park.

Ed Williams is survived by his wife, Nancy, his sons, Fred and Ian, and his grandchildren, Maureen and Stephanie. He is also survived by his Naked Gun co-star Priscilla Presley, and will be remembered by his fans for his lasting contributions to the entertainment industry.