William's lengthy career included roles in the film noir classic Crossfire, The War of the Worlds, Cat-Women of the Moon and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
William left the showbusiness in the late 1960s to live in Maui but returned to portray Theodore Roosevelt in the 1976 ABC miniseries Eleanor and Franklin, winner of 11 Emmy Awards. He then reprised the role in a commercial for Maxwell House coffee.
Tom Weaver, Phipps' friend and noteworthy author, announced the actor had died Friday night at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica after a battle with lung cancer.
Our thoughts go out to Phipps' friends and family.
