William Lucking, an actor many knew from the acclaimed FX series Sons of Anarchy, has died. Lucking died peacefully in his Las Vegas home on Monday, October 18, at the age of 80, though the news is just now reaching fans.
Reports of William Lucking's passing came from fellow actor Stephen Macht. Macht posted about Lucking's death on Tuesday, November 2, and Lucking's widow, Sigrid Insull Lucking, wrote an obituary as well. Read an excerpt from the obituary, which talked about how Lucking's on-screen roles weren't representative of the person he was in real life.
Although William often played toughs and strongmen, in his actual life he was an elegant man with a brilliant intellect who loved to argue about politics and current affairs, discuss philosophy and physics, and assert fine-pointed opinions about art and poetry. He was a giant of a man with the soul of a poet, one who 'contained…a tension of sorts within his being…like a boulder teetering on a hill…or a balloon expanding towards its extreme,' as one friend put it.
William Lucking had a career in acting that started back in the late 1960s, but modern audiences would likely know him as Piermont “Piney” Winston on Kurt Sutter's Sons of Anarchy. Piney was one of the first and founding members of SAMCRO, otherwise known as the First 9. Piney was the father of Ryan Hurst's Opie Winston and had a few notable storylines throughout the run of the series.
Sons of Anarchy fans definitely remember Piney's demise and the character's noble attempt to stand up to Clay Morrow before his fate was brutally sealed. He stood out as one of the best early members of SAMCRO, which may be why so many associate William Lucking with that performance.
Outside of Sons of Anarchy, William Lucking had a few notable roles over the years to hang his hat on. In television, Lucking found work in a variety of roles, from anything from guest spots on Murder, She Wrote, The West Wing, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Lucking’s first big credited break in television came in a guest role in the Raymond Burr-led series, Ironside.
Television was where William Lucking found the bulk of his work, but he also dabbled in movies as well. Lucking had a role in films such as Erin Brockovich, K-Pax, and Slipstream. Interestingly enough, one of the first movies he ever did, Hell’s Belles, was a film in the biker genre. Lucking led an interesting career, to say the least, and could really jump across genres, which may be why his credits are so far-reaching.
CinemaBlend would like to extend its well wishes and thoughts to the friends and family of William Lucking and help celebrate his life in the wake of the news of his death. The world lost another great actor and one that many won't soon forget.
