Actor. He was best known for being adept at portraying evil and violent characters in motion pictures. After a stint as a mine sweeper for the United States Navy in the Korean War, he settled in Los Angeles, California and attended acting classes at both the Pasadena Playhouse and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studios. His first film credit was in the 1967 exploitation movie "She Freak," and the following year his made his television debut on "The Monkees" comedy show. He also appeared in a recurring role as 'Lobo' on the tongue-in-cheek western series "Alias Smith and Jones." However, it was in 1972 that he landed his signature role as the sadistic mountain man who terrorizes Jon Voight and Ned Beatty in the film "Deliverance." His visceral, depraved performance contributed to the film's notoriety and huge box office success. Although now typecast as a villain, he enjoyed a busy career portraying bad guys in such films as Sam Peckinpah's "Junior Bonner," John Huston's "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean," the comedy "For Pete's Sake," and as the cold blooded assassin in "The Parallax View." He caught the attention of actor Clint Eastwood and became part of the his stock company, appearing in six Eastwood films, most memorably as 'Captain Redlegs Terrell' in "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Other notable film roles in his career included "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "The Shootist," "Against All Odds," "Back to the Future, Part III," "The Green Mile," and as Sylvester Stallone's nemesis in "First Blood," the first film in the popular "Rambo" series. In demand right up to the end of his life, he filmed a Doritos commercial two weeks before his death of cancer of the esophagus.
Actor. He was best known for being adept at portraying evil and violent characters in motion pictures. After a stint as a mine sweeper for the United States Navy in the Korean War, he settled in Los Angeles, California and attended acting classes at both the Pasadena Playhouse and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studios. His first film credit was in the 1967 exploitation movie "She Freak," and the following year his made his television debut on "The Monkees" comedy show. He also appeared in a recurring role as 'Lobo' on the tongue-in-cheek western series "Alias Smith and Jones." However, it was in 1972 that he landed his signature role as the sadistic mountain man who terrorizes Jon Voight and Ned Beatty in the film "Deliverance." His visceral, depraved performance contributed to the film's notoriety and huge box office success. Although now typecast as a villain, he enjoyed a busy career portraying bad guys in such films as Sam Peckinpah's "Junior Bonner," John Huston's "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean," the comedy "For Pete's Sake," and as the cold blooded assassin in "The Parallax View." He caught the attention of actor Clint Eastwood and became part of the his stock company, appearing in six Eastwood films, most memorably as 'Captain Redlegs Terrell' in "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Other notable film roles in his career included "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "The Shootist," "Against All Odds," "Back to the Future, Part III," "The Green Mile," and as Sylvester Stallone's nemesis in "First Blood," the first film in the popular "Rambo" series. In demand right up to the end of his life, he filmed a Doritos commercial two weeks before his death of cancer of the esophagus.
Bio by: Miracle Mile Tim
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