Scott Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson in 2016 | |
| Born | William Delano Wilson[1] (1942-03-29)March 29, 1942 Thomasville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 2018(2018-10-06) (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 | |
William Delano Wilson (March 29, 1942 – October 6, 2018), known professionally asScott Wilson, was an American film and television actor.
His breakout role was as real-life murdererRichard Hickock in the critically-acclaimed filmIn Cold Blood (1967). He subsequently appeared in films likeThe 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), andThe Host (2006).[2] He received aGolden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his role inWilliam Peter Blatty'sThe Ninth Configuration (1980).[3][4]
On television, Wilson playedHershel Greene on theAMC seriesThe Walking Dead (2011–14; 2018).[5] He also had arecurring role onCSI: Crime Scene Investigation as casino mogul Sam Braun, as well as a lead role on theNetflix seriesThe OA asAbel Johnson.[6]
Wilson was bornWilliam Delano Wilson in the smallSouthern town ofThomasville, Georgia.[7] He attendedSouthern Polytechnic State University, where he studied architecture and played basketball, but on a whim decided to hitchhike toLos Angeles in pursuit of an acting career.[8] He worked several odd jobs while appearing in local theater productions.[8]
In his first three films he portrayed characters suspected of murder. In his debut film, a 25-year-old Wilson played a murder suspect inIn the Heat of the Night (1967).[3] DirectorNorman Jewison spotted him a local stage production,[8] and cast him thanks to his quintessential "everymanSoutherner" appearance and mannerisms.
His follow-up role, in the same year, was in the film version ofIn Cold Blood, based on thebook of the same name byTruman Capote.[4] Wilson portrayed real-life murdererRichard Hickock, whileRobert Blake played his partner,Perry Smith.
DirectorRichard 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, includingSteve McQueen andPaul 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 ofLife magazine, published on May 12, 1967.[4] Wilson was just 25 years old at the time.[4] The cover featuresTruman Capote standing between Wilson and Blake on an emptyhighway inKansas.[4] The caption,Nightmare Revisited, appears with them on the cover.[4]
In 1974 Wilson appeared as a revengefulcuckold bearing his same surname inThe Great Gatsby oppositeRobert Redford.[3] He received a 1980Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inThe Ninth Configuration by director and friendWilliam Peter Blatty.[3][4] He lost the Golden Globe toTimothy Hutton. In 1995 Wilson got attention for his role as a prison chaplain inDead Man Walking, starringSusan Sarandon andSean Penn, based onthe book of the same name bySister Helen Prejean.[3][4]
Wilson'sfilmography also includesThe 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, theShiloh film series andBehind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Wilson has filmed on location inSouth Korea,Japan andSpain.[3] Wilson had a recurring role in several episodes ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sam Braun, father of crime-scene investigatorCatherine Willows (portrayed byMarg Helgenberger).[9] Braun was killed off in the episode "Built to Kill, Part 2". In the fall of 2011 he also made an appearance oppositeLaura Dern in theHBO series,Enlightened.
Wilson was cast as veterinarian,Hershel Greene in the second season ofThe Walking Dead in June 2011.[5] The role has earned him positive reviews, including a "cheer" fromTV Guide, which wrote that he had contributed "subtle shades ofhumanity 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 thefifth episode of theninth season ofThe Walking Dead.
Wilson reflected on his career in a 2011interview withAccess 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 forThe Walking Dead inSenoia, Georgia, at the time the interview took place.[3] In 2014, Wilson was cast in a recurring role as Dr. Guyot in theAmazon original seriesBosch. In 2016, he appeared in theNetflix seriesThe OA.[6]
Wilson appeared inSparta, Illinois whereIn 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.
Wilson married his Korean wife, Siok Tian Heavenly Koh, in 1977.[12][13][14]
Wilson died fromleukemia at his home inLos Angeles, on October 6, 2018, at the age of 76.[8][15][13][14] The premiere episode ofThe Walking Dead'sninth 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]
| 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 | GovernorLew 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 | GeneralGeorge 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 |
| 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" |
| 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 |
