Scott Wilson (actor)
Scott Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson in 2016 | |
| Born | William Delano Wilson[1] March 29, 1942 Thomasville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 2018 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Southern Polytechnic State University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1967–2018 |
| Spouse |
Heavenly Wilson (m. 1977) |
William Delano Wilson (March 29, 1942 – October 6, 2018), known professionally as Scott Wilson, was an American film and television actor.
His breakout role was as real-life murderer Richard Hickock in the critically-acclaimed film In Cold Blood (1967). He subsequently appeared in films like The Grissom Gang (1971), The New Centurions (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974), The Right Stuff (1983), A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984), The Exorcist III (1990), Dead Man Walking (1995), Shiloh (1996) and its sequels, Pride (1998), The Way of the Gun (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), The Last Samurai (2003), Junebug (2005), and The Host (2006).[2] He received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his role in William Peter Blatty's The Ninth Configuration (1980).[3][4]
On television, Wilson played Hershel Greene on the AMC series The Walking Dead (2011–14; 2018).[5] He also had a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as casino mogul Sam Braun, as well as a lead role on the Netflix series The OA as Abel Johnson.[6]
Early life and education
[edit]Wilson was born William Delano Wilson in the small Southern town of Thomasville, Georgia.[7] He attended Southern Polytechnic State University, where he studied architecture and played basketball, but on a whim decided to hitchhike to Los Angeles in pursuit of an acting career.[8] He worked several odd jobs while appearing in local theater productions.[8]
Career
[edit]
In his first three films he portrayed characters suspected of murder. In his debut film, a 25-year-old Wilson played a murder suspect in In the Heat of the Night (1967).[3] Director Norman Jewison spotted him a local stage production,[8] and cast him thanks to his quintessential "everyman Southerner" appearance and mannerisms.
His follow-up role, in the same year, was in the film version of In Cold Blood, based on the book of the same name by Truman Capote.[4] Wilson portrayed real-life murderer Richard Hickock, while Robert Blake played his partner, Perry Smith.
Director Richard Brooks cast Wilson and Blake in the starring roles specifically because they were unknown at the time.[4] The director passed over better-known actors, including Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, for the parts.[4] Wilson later explained Brooks' casting motivations: "Brooks hired two 'unknowns' and he wanted to keep it that way. We were treated like two killers he had somehow run across."[4]
The film earned Wilson an appearance on the cover of Life magazine, published on May 12, 1967.[4] Wilson was just 25 years old at the time.[4] The cover features Truman Capote standing between Wilson and Blake on an empty highway in Kansas.[4] The caption, Nightmare Revisited, appears with them on the cover.[4]
In 1974 Wilson appeared as a revengeful cuckold bearing his same surname in The Great Gatsby opposite Robert Redford.[3] He received a 1980 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Ninth Configuration by director and friend William Peter Blatty.[3][4] He lost the Golden Globe to Timothy Hutton. In 1995 Wilson got attention for his role as a prison chaplain in Dead Man Walking, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, based on the book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean.[3][4]
Wilson's filmography also includes The Gypsy Moths, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, Big Stan, Judge Dredd, the Shiloh film series and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Wilson has filmed on location in South Korea, Japan and Spain.[3] Wilson had a recurring role in several episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sam Braun, father of crime-scene investigator Catherine Willows (portrayed by Marg Helgenberger).[9] Braun was killed off in the episode "Built to Kill, Part 2". In the fall of 2011 he also made an appearance opposite Laura Dern in the HBO series, Enlightened.
Wilson was cast as veterinarian, Hershel Greene in the second season of The Walking Dead in June 2011.[5] The role has earned him positive reviews, including a "cheer" from TV Guide, which wrote that he had contributed "subtle shades of humanity to the character of Hershel Greene."[9] Wilson was offered the opportunity to join the show while visiting his 97-year-old mother in Georgia.[3] He has described his mother as "a fan of the show."[3] Wilson left the show in December 2013 after his character was killed off in the season 4 mid-season finale "Too Far Gone".[10] However, he made two guest appearances since his character's death, and made his last[11] onscreen appearance in the fifth episode of the ninth season of The Walking Dead.
Wilson reflected on his career in a 2011 interview with Access Atlanta's Rodney Ho: "It's been up and down. It's always been. You have dry spells. At different times, you are starting over. If you love it, you stay with it. That's what I'm doing. I've accomplished more than I would have hoped to have accomplished. I don't want to be a big movie star. I can be someone who walks the streets and not get mobbed. I want to be as fine an actor as I can be. I am still striving to be as good as I can be."[3] Wilson was filming scenes for The Walking Dead in Senoia, Georgia, at the time the interview took place.[3] In 2014, Wilson was cast in a recurring role as Dr. Guyot in the Amazon original series Bosch. In 2016, he appeared in the Netflix series The OA.[6]
Wilson appeared in Sparta, Illinois where In the Heat of the Night was filmed, on March 15, 2014, to celebrate the city's 175th anniversary in reference to his debut appearance in the film.
Personal life
[edit]Wilson married his Korean wife, Siok Tian Heavenly Koh, in 1977.[12][13][14]
Death
[edit]Wilson died from leukemia at his home in Los Angeles, on October 6, 2018, at the age of 76.[8][15][13][14] The premiere episode of The Walking Dead's ninth season, "A New Beginning", which aired the next day, was dedicated to Wilson's memory which is shown in the final credits of the episode.[16]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | In the Heat of the Night | Harvey Oberst | |
| In Cold Blood | Richard Hickock | ||
| 1969 | Castle Keep | Cpl. Clearboy | |
| The Gypsy Moths | Malcolm Webson | ||
| 1971 | The Grissom Gang | Slim Grissom | |
| 1972 | The New Centurions | Gus | |
| 1973 | Lolly-Madonna XXX | Thrush | |
| 1974 | The Great Gatsby | George Wilson | |
| 1976 | The Passover Plot | Judah | |
| 1979 | La Ilegal | Police Officer | |
| 1980 | The Ninth Configuration | Cpt. Billy Cutshaw | |
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Scott Crossfield | |
| 1984 | A Year of the Quiet Sun | Norman | |
| Río Abajo (On the Line) | Mitch | ||
| 1985 | The Aviator | Jerry Stiller | |
| 1986 | Blue City | Percy Kerch | |
| 1987 | Malone | Paul Barlow | |
| 1989 | Johnny Handsome | Mikey Chalmette | |
| 1990 | Young Guns II | Governor Lew Wallace | |
| The Exorcist III | Dr. Temple | ||
| La Cruz de Iberia | Johnson | ||
| 1991 | Femme Fatale | Dr. Beaumont | |
| Pure Luck | Frank Grimes | ||
| 1993 | Flesh and Bone | Elliot | |
| Geronimo: An American Legend | Redondo | ||
| 1995 | Tall Tale | Zeb | |
| Judge Dredd | Pa Angel | Uncredited | |
| The Grass Harp | Eugene Fenwick | ||
| Dead Man Walking | Chaplain Farley | ||
| Mother | Dr. Chase | ||
| 1996 | Shiloh | Judd Travers | |
| 1997 | Our God's Brother | Albert Chmielowski | |
| G.I. Jane | Captain Salem | ||
| 1998 | Puraido: Unmei no Toki | Joseph B. Keenan | |
| Clay Pigeons | Sheriff Dan Mooney | ||
| 1999 | Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season | Judd Travers | |
| The Debtors | Unreleased until 2023 | ||
| 2000 | South of Heaven, West of Hell | Clete Monroe | |
| The Way of the Gun | Hale Chidduck | ||
| 2001 | The Animal | Mayor | |
| Pearl Harbor | General George Marshall | ||
| 2002 | Bark! | Harold | |
| Coastlines | Pa Mann | ||
| Don't Let Go | Hershel Ray Stevens | ||
| 2003 | Monster | Horton / Last "John" | |
| The Last Samurai | Ambassador Swanbeck | ||
| 2005 | Junebug | Eugene Johnsten | |
| 2006 | Open Window | Eddie Delaney | |
| Come Early Morning | Lowell Fowler | ||
| Saving Shiloh | Judd Travers | ||
| The Host | US Military Doctor | ||
| Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon | Eugene | ||
| The Sensation of Sight | Tucker | ||
| 2007 | The Heartbreak Kid | Boo | |
| Big Stan | Warden Gasque | ||
| 2009 | Saving Grace B. Jones | Reverend Potter | |
| Bottleworld | Murray | ||
| For Sale by Owner | Dr. Banks | ||
| 2010 | Radio Free Albemuth | President Fremont | |
| 2011 | Dorfman | Winston Cooke Sr. | |
| 2017 | Hostiles | Cyrus Lounde |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Matthew Foreman | Episode: "Quarantine" |
| 1988 | Jesse | Sam Maloney | Television film |
| The Tracker | John "Red Jack" Stillwell | ||
| 1993 | Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story | Vernon Presley | |
| 1995 | Soul Survivors | Bradley Facemeyer | |
| 1999 | The Jack Bull | Governor | |
| 2000 | The X-Files | Rev. Orison | Episode: "Orison" |
| 2001–06 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sam Braun | 9 episodes |
| 2003 | Karen Sisco | Homer | Episode: "Dumb Bunnies" |
| 2005 | Law & Order | Ben Chaney | Episode: "Sport of Kings" |
| 2011 | Justified | Frank Reasoner | Episode: "Blaze of Glory" |
| Enlightened | Marv | Episode: "Someone Else's Life" | |
| 2011–14; 2018[a] |
The Walking Dead | Hershel Greene | 33 episodes |
| 2011 | Five | Old Bill | Television film |
| 2014–15 | Bosch | Paul Guyot | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Damien | John Lyons | 5 episodes |
| 2016–19 | The OA | Abel Johnson | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | Robot Chicken | Hershel Greene (voice) | Episode: "The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking" |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Institution | Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Film Festival | 1998 | Lifetime Achievement Award | N/a | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards[17] | 1981 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | The Ninth Configuration | Nominated |
| Golden Raspberry Awards | 1987 | Worst Supporting Actor | Blue City | Nominated |
| Mystfest | 1980 | Best Actor | The Ninth Configuration | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild | 2007 | Ralph Morgan Award[18] | N/a | Won |
Notes
[edit]- ^ In the Season 9 episode “What Comes After,” Wilson reprised his role as Hershel Greene in a dream sequence experienced by Rick Grimes.
References
[edit]- ^ Barnes, Mike (October 6, 2018). "Scott Wilson, Actor in 'The Walking Dead' and 'In Cold Blood,' Dies at 76". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "Scott Wilson". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ho, Rodney (October 25, 2011). "A talk with Atlanta native Scott Wilson, who plays Hershel on 'The Walking Dead'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lovell, Glenn (March 17, 1996). "Actor Anonymous: Scott Wilson hopes 'Dead Man Walking' will lead to the visibility that has long eluded him in films". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Ayres, Tom (June 26, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' cast expands by two". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (December 12, 2016). "'The OA' Trailer: Netflix Releases First Look & Sets Premiere Date For Drama". Deadline. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ EndPlay (October 7, 2018). "Georgia-born 'The Walking Dead' actor dead at 76". WSBTV. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Slotnik, Daniel E. (October 8, 2018). "Scott Wilson, 76, 'Walking Dead' and 'In Cold Blood' Actor, Dies". NY Times. The New York Times Company. p. B12. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ a b Fretts, Bruce (November 28, 2011). "Cheers & Jeers: The Walking Dead's Great Scott Wilson". TV Guide. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ "Off With Their Heads". Syfy. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ Davis, Brandon (October 6, 2018). "'The Walking Dead' Star Scott Wilson Has Died". comicbook.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "The Walking Dead actor dies aged 76". BBC News. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "Full Biography for Heavenly Wilson". smartvoter.org. March 6, 2007.
- ^ a b "Scott Wilson Cause of Death: How Did 'The Walking Dead' Hershel Actor Die?". heavy.com. October 6, 2018.
- ^ "The Walking Dead actor dies aged 76 In Loving Memory of Scott Wilson". BBC News. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Patten, Dominic; Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 7, 2018). "'The Walking Dead' Airs Scott Wilson Tribute After Tonight's Season Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees 1981". www.goldenglobes.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ McNary, Dave (April 2, 2007). "SAG honors Wilson". Variety. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
External links
[edit]
- Scott Wilson at IMDb
- 1942 births
- 2018 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from Atlanta
- People from Thomasville, Georgia
- Deaths from leukemia in California
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
- Southern Polytechnic State University