‘Will & Grace’ actor dies at 95, remembered by son for his heart and humor

Charles C. Stevenson Jr., the beloved character actor who played Smitty the bartender on Will & Grace, has died at the age of 95. His son confirmed he passed from natural causes on January 19 in Camarillo, California.

If you watched Will & Grace, you probably remember Smitty — the deadpan bartender who always seemed to have the perfect one-liner. That was Charles C. Stevenson Jr., a veteran actor who brought warmth and wit to even the smallest roles.

He first appeared on the hit NBC sitcom in 2002 and went on to appear in 12 episodes through 2020. His last role on the show came during its 11th and final season in the episode “Accidentally on Porpoise,” filmed when Stevenson was already 89.

While Stevenson wasn’t a main character, he became a memorable part of the show’s charm. His dry humor and spot-on timing made Smitty a quiet fan favorite.

Before he ever stepped onto the Will & Grace set, Stevenson had already built a rich acting career. He started in 1982 on the show Voyagers! and never stopped working, racking up dozens of credits over the years.

You might have seen him in films like The Naked Gun, Ed Wood, Men in Black, Pleasantville, and Ghost World. On TV, his resume reads like a guide to classic American television. He appeared in Cheers, Dynasty, Murder, She Wrote, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Office, Weeds, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, to name a few.

Many of his roles cast him as religious figures — ministers, priests, or officiants — and he had a clever take on that typecasting. His son Scott shared that Stevenson often joked his job was “marrying or burying people.”

“As he told it,” Scott said, “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 today’ and the ‘amen’ at the end. Stevenson admitted that he got pretty good at that.”

Charles C. Stevenson Jr. was more than just a hardworking actor — he was also a Navy veteran, a husband, a father, and a grandfather.

Born in Piedmont, California, he served during the Korean War before earning an English degree at UC Berkeley. He eventually followed his passion for storytelling into the world of acting.

He married Barbara Keller, with whom he had two children, and later married talent agent Joy Stevenson, with whom he had three more. In total, he is survived by five children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Stevenson may never have been a leading man, but he left a lasting mark on audiences and co-stars alike. His understated presence brought calm and comedy to every scene he was in.

As fans remember him through his work, his family remembers a man who brought joy, humor, and grace — both on and off camera.

“He never needed the spotlight to shine,” one fan wrote online. “Smitty always made me smile.”

In an industry often obsessed with fame, Stevenson showed that sometimes the most meaningful roles are the ones that quietly stick with us.