Veteran actor William Smithers, best known for playing ruthless oil tycoon Jeremy Wendell on the hit CBS drama Dallas, has died at the age of 98. His death was reported by the Santa Barbara Independent.

Born on July 10, 1927, in Richmond, Virginia, Smithers served in the U.S. military before studying drama and launching a career that would span more than six decades. He became a familiar face on television with appearances on popular shows including The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The Waltons and L.A. Law.

Smithers made his film debut in the 1956 war drama Attack and later appeared in movies such as Trouble Man, Scorpio, The Last Picture Show and Papillon, where he played the strict prison warden Barrot.

While starring on the CBS drama Executive Suite from 1976 to 1977, William Smithers became involved in a major legal battle with MGM. He claimed the studio violated his contract by giving other cast members higher pay and better billing than he had been promised.

According to Smithers’ website, an MGM executive allegedly warned his agent that pursuing the dispute could hurt Smithers’ chances of getting future work with CBS. Although he initially backed down, Smithers eventually decided to move forward with the lawsuit despite concerns it could damage his career.

A jury ultimately ruled in Smithers’ favor, and the decision was later upheld by the California Supreme Court. Smithers later said the case was a major victory, and it has since become a well-known example studied in entertainment law courses.

Before Dallas, Smithers starred as David Schuster on ABC’s groundbreaking primetime soap Peyton Place. In 1981, he joined Dallas as Jeremy Wendell, the chairman of WestStar Oil and one of J.R. Ewing’s fiercest rivals. During his 50-episode run, Wendell was often portrayed as even more ruthless than the legendary oilman played by Larry Hagman.

Smithers later said, per the Hollywood Reporter, working opposite Hagman pushed him to be at the top of his game as an actor. However, his time on the series ended after a salary dispute when producers declined to meet the raise his representatives requested.

In addition to acting, Smithers served on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild and remained respected throughout Hollywood as a talented and dependable character actor.

Before his death, Smithers experienced the loss of his wife, respected acting coach S. Loraine Hull, who passed away in 2022, according to People.