Riptide Actors You Might Not Know Passed Away

If you grew up in the '80s, "Riptide" is a show you might remember fondly today. It was co-created by Stephen J. Cannell, the famously prolific TV writer-slash-producer who also gave us "Baretta," "The Rockford Files," "The A-Team," "The Greatest American Hero," and "21 Jump Street," among others.

As "Magnum, P.I." was all the rage, the '80s became the era of the TV private eye. The premise of "Riptide" consists of two Vietnam vets, Cody (Perry King) and Nick (Joe Penny) launching a detective agency out of their boat, conveniently named "Riptide." Not to be outdone by the helicopter-heavy intro montage of "The A-Team," the "Riptide" crew also have their own chopper — "The Screaming Mimi." In addition to Cody and Nick, the "Riptide" team includes resident nerd and tech genius Murray 'Boz' Bozinsky (Thom Bray).

"Riptide" lasted three seasons of a grand total of nearly 60 episodes and enjoyed a second life in syndication. During its run, "Riptide" had a wide variety of guest stars who are no longer with us. Here's a list of "Riptide" actors you may not know have passed away.

While Ken Swofford is best known for playing Quentin Morloch on the series version of "Fame," he also guest starred in the "Home for Christmas" episode of "Riptide" as a character named Colonel Ryan.

An Illinois native, Swofford started acting in television on the '60s series "Surfside 6." He went on to appear in many other top-rated shows of the decade, including "The Wild Wild West," "I Spy," and "Adam-12."

In the early '70s, Swofford landed a role in the first big screen Michael Crichton adaptation, "The Andromeda Strain," as well as TV appearances on "The Waltons," "Kung Fu," "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and others.

On to the '80s, Swofford contributed a part to the movie version of the smash stage musical "Annie," but stayed primarily a television actor for the rest of his career, racking up appearances on "Knight Rider," "Falcon Crest," "Dynasty," "Dallas," and "Matlock." Swofford ended his career with a voiceover role in the cartoon short, "Happy the Angry Polar Bear," created by his grandson Brandon, whose credits also include jobs on "Bob's Burgers," "The Owl House" and Marvel's "What If... ?"

In his personal life, Swofford was sentenced to over two years in prison for a drunk driving accident. He would later campaign against drunk driving and narrate a documentary about the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Swofford died on November 1, 2018, at the age of 85.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall, William Smith usually played tough guys, but looks can be deceiving. While he was tall and intimidating, according to his official website he spoke five languages and wrote poetry.

Smith first broke into Hollywood as a child star with roles in "The Ghost of Frankenstein," "Going My Way," and "The Song of Bernadette." Once he was old enough to fight in the Korean War, he joined the NSA Security Squadron where his multi-linguistic skills came in handy. 

Smith appeared in many TV series and B-movies throughout his career including "Batman," "Combat!," "Mod Squad," "The Rockford Files," and "Hawaii Five-0," to name a few. In 1976, Smith became fairly well known for the role of  Falconetti, the villain in the highly rated mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man." On the big screen, Smith played a heavy in "Any Which Way You Can," the sequel to the wildly popular Clint Eastwood comedy "Every Which Way But Loose." He also worked alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian," and played a Russian bruiser in 1984's "Red Dawn."

On "Riptide," Smith played a character named Carter Chapman in a Season 1 episode called "The Hardcase." In this episode, the "Riptide" gang have to bring a murderer to justice and clear a woman who is suspected of the crime.

Smith died on July 5, 2021, at the age of 88.

Anne Francis started out as a child model who moved into TV and radio and made her Broadway debut when she was 11.

Francis became a contract player at MGM, which would eventually lead to her best-known role in the sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet." At first, Francis was frustrated with the roles she was getting at MGM, where she was little more than a pretty face, but she eventually landed much better movies including the Spencer Tracy classic "Bad Day at Black Rock," and "Blackboard Jungle."

In the '60s, Francis focused more on her television work while making occasional trips back to the big screen in "Funny Girl," the Jerry Lewis comedy "Hook, Line and Sinker," and the Don Knotts comedy "The Love God?"

On "Riptide," Francis had a recurring role as Mama Jo, who oversaw a boat inexplicably staffed entirely by young women in bikinis parked next to the Riptide boat. Francis died on January 2, 2011, at the age of 80.

While Cesar Romero was a tall, handsome, romantic leading man for much of his career, he'll always be best known as the Joker on the '60's TV version of "Batman."

Romero started out as a ballroom dancer, then worked his way up to the Broadway stage in the late 1920s. His first film was "The Shadow Laughs." His other prominent movie roles include the Shirley Temple film, "Wee Willie Winkie" and "Captain from Castile," where he played the role of Cortez.  

Romero then jumped to television in the '50s. According to his IMDb, a profit participation deal he negotiated for his role on the TV series "Passport to Danger" made him a wealthy man. The first actor to play the Joker, Romero famously refused to shave his moustache, so clown makeup had to be applied on top of it. He appeared on "Rawhide," "77 Sunset Strip," "Zorro," and in later years he contributed a regular role on "Falcon Crest." On "Riptide," Romero played a character named Angelo Guirilini the Season 2 episode "Arrivederci, Baby," as well as Season 3's "The Pirate and the Princess."

On the big screen, Romero starred as the memorable Disney villain, A.J. Arno in multiple films, including "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes," "Now You See Him, Now You Don't," and "The Strongest Man in the World," all opposite Kurt Russell. Other big screen credits include "Around the World in 80 Days," 1960's "Ocean's Eleven," "Marriage on the Rocks," and "Donovan's Reef" with John Wayne.

Romero died on January 1, 1994, at the age of 86.

Best known for playing principal Richard Vernon in "The Breakfast Club," Paul Gleason studied at the famed Actors Studio in New York under the legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, who was reportedly a mentor to Gleason, according to his IMDb bio. Gleason's career goes all the way back to the early '60s with tiny appearances in B-movies like "Panic in Year Zero!," "Ski Party," and "Winter A-Go-Go." He then moved on to series appearances in "The Green Hornet," "The Invaders," "The F.B.I.," and "Adam-12."

His big screen work included movies like "The Great Santini," "Arthur," "Trading Places," and "Tender Mercies" before finally landing his most memorable role in "The Breakfast Club."

Gleason was on two episodes of "Riptide," namely "Father's Day" where he played Commander Phillip Everitt, and "The Hardcase" where he played a different character, Detective Hallins. 

Gleason died on May 29, 2006, at the age of 67.

Frances Bay starter her acting career later than most screen and film performers, but quickly carved out a niche playing eccentric old lady roles when she was in her late 50s.

Her first role was on an episode of "Kojak." Several years later she made her big-screen debut in the 1978 Chevy Chase comedy "Foul Play" when she was 59 years old.

Bay's ability to convey low-key eccentricity landed her in comedies like "Happy Gilmore" and TV shows like "Who's the Boss?" and "Seinfeld." There's evidence to suggest David Lynch saw something special in her, as he cast her in "Blue Velvet," Wild at Heart," and mostly famously in "Twin Peaks" where she played the menacing supernatural entity Mrs. Tremond.

In the episode "The Play's the Thing," which also featured Bernard Fox and David White, Bay played a librarian. She died on September 15, 2011, at the age of 92.