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Bill McKinney

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For other people named William McKinney, see William McKinney (disambiguation).

Bill McKinney
McKinney in Every Which Way but Loose
Born
William Denison McKinney

(1931-09-12)September 12, 1931
Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedDecember 1, 2011(2011-12-01) (aged 80)
San Fernando, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1967–2011
SpouseFelicity McKinney (divorced)
ChildrenClinton McKinney[1]

William Denison McKinney (September 12, 1931 – December 1, 2011) was an American character actor. He played the sadistic mountain man in John Boorman's 1972 film Deliverance and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films, most notably as Captain Terrill, the commander pursuing the last rebels to "hold out" against surrendering to the Union forces in The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Early life

William Denison McKinney was born September 12, 1931, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He had an unsettled life as a child, moving 12 times. At the age of 19, he joined the Navy during the Korean War. He served two years on a mine sweeper in Korean waters, and was stationed at Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California. While on leave, he visited Los Angeles and decided he wanted to become an actor.[2] Upon his discharge in 1954, he settled in California, attending acting school at the famous Pasadena Playhouse in 1957. His classmates included Dustin Hoffman and Mako Iwamatsu. During this time, McKinney supported himself by working as an arborist, trimming and taking down trees. He continued working in this field until the mid-1970s, by which time he was appearing in major films.[3]

Career

After the Pasadena Playhouse he moved onto Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, making his movie debut in exploitation pic She Freak (1967). For 10 years he was a teacher at Cave Spring Middle School. He made his television debut in 1968 on an episode of The Monkees and attracted attention as Lobo in Alias Smith and Jones. The film Deliverance (1972) proved to be his breakthrough.[1]

McKinney's other films in the early 1970s included appearances in Junior Bonner (1972),[2] The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) and The Parallax View (1974).[4]

It was with Clint Eastwood that McKinney would become most associated, becoming part of Eastwood's stock company[5] after they worked together in Michael Cimino's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974).[2]

He appeared in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) under Eastwood's direction.[2] He appeared in six more Eastwood films including The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Any Which Way You Can (1980) and Pink Cadillac (1989).[4]

Other memorable roles include Jay Cobb, who is done in by John Wayne in Wayne's final film The Shootist (1976). He also appeared in such later films as First Blood (1982), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and The Green Mile (1999). He appeared in the TV movie The Execution of Private Slovik (1974) and guest-starred on such television shows as Sara, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Starsky & Hutch, The A-Team, Hunter, Murder, She Wrote, Columbo: Swan Song and In The Heat of The Night.[4]

McKinney took up singing in the late 1990s, eventually releasing an album of standards and country and western songs appropriately titled Love Songs from Antri, reflecting Don Job's pronunciation of the infamous town featured in Deliverance. One of his songs featured in the film Undertow, directed by David Gordon Green.[5] He voiced Jonah Hex in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series called "Showdown". He appeared in a cameo in 2001 Maniacs (2005) and had a role in the Robin Hood–inspired horror film Sherwood Horror (2010).[6][7]

Death

On December 1, 2011, McKinney died from esophageal cancer at his home in San Fernando, California. He was 80. McKinney's death was announced on his Facebook page on the same day. The announcement read:[8][9][10]

Today our dear Bill McKinney passed away at Valley Presbyterian Hospice. An avid smoker for 25 years of his younger life, he died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 80 and still strong enough to have filmed a Dorito's commercial 2 weeks prior to his passing, and he continued to work on his biography with his writing partner. Hopefully 2012 will bring a publisher for the wild ride his life was. He is survived by son Clinton, along with several ex-wives. R.I.P. Bill sept.12 1931 – dec. 1 2011" [sic].

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b Slotnik, Daniel E. (December 5, 2011). "Bill Kinney, Actor in 'Deliverance,' Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bill McKinney Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Rosebrook, Jeb; Rosebrook, Stuart (2019). "Act One". Junior Bonner: The Making of a Classic with Steve McQueen and Sam Peckinpah in the Summer of 1971. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-62933-289-5.
  4. ^ a b c Cammila Collar (2015). "Bill McKinney". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 6, 2015 suggested (help)
  5. ^ a b Wiegand, Chris (December 8, 2011). "Bill McKinney obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  6. ^ "Sherwood Horror Adds a Legendary Character Actor". Dread Central. February 2, 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  7. ^ "Sherwood Horror Finds Deliverance Baddie". Shock Till You Drop. February 2, 2010. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  8. ^ O'Connell, Michael (December 2, 2011). "Bill McKinney, 'Deliverance' Mountain Man, Dies at 80". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  9. ^ Grossberg, Josh (December 2, 2011). "Bill McKinney, Deliverance's Mountain Man and Eastwood Sidekick, Dead at 80". E! News UK. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  10. ^ "Bill McKinney". Facebook. December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
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