Scott Wilson

One chillingly infamous screen role for 'Scott Wilson' (qv) in 1967 set the tone for an actor who went on to prove himself an invaluable character player for five decades. Born on March 29, 1942, the Atlanta native was awarded a basketball scholarship following high school at Georgia's Southern Tech University to study architecture. Instead, Wilson hitchhiked to Los Angeles on a whim and hooked up one day with an actor he met in a bar who took him to one of his auditions. Allowed to audition himself by chance, Wilson lost the part but was absolutely hooked. Working an assortment of menial jobs, he studied for nearly five years while gaining experience in such local theater productions as "The Importance of Being Earnest."Scott's fledgling career took off big time after being discovered by director 'Norman Jewison' (qv) who cast him as a murder suspect in _In the Heat of the Night (1967)_ (qv) starring 'Sidney Poitier' (qv) and Best Actor Oscar winner 'Rod Steiger' (qv). If that weren't a sufficient beginning, Wilson immediately followed this with the co-lead role of murderer Richard Hickok in the stark and disturbing _In Cold Blood (1967)_ (qv), a superlative adaptation of the 'Truman Capote' (qv) best-selling docu-novel. It didn't hurt that Scott himself had a startling resemblance to the real-life killer. Partnering up with 'Robert Blake' (qv) as two ex-cons who are eventually executed for the senseless, brutal slaughter of an entire Kansas farm family, the critically acclaimed film put both men squarely on the movie map.Although a serious contender, out-and-out stardom did not come about for the quietly handsome, slightly forlorn-looking actor. Major roles in major pictures, however, did. Among Scott's early film work were _Castle Keep (1969)_ (qv) and _The Gypsy Moths (1969)_ (qv), both starring 'Burt Lancaster' (qv); _The Grissom Gang (1971)_ (qv); _Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973)_ (qv) (again with Steiger); _The New Centurions (1972)_ (qv); _The Great Gatsby (1974)_ (qv), in which he earned raves as the garage owner who shoots 'Robert Redford' (qv)'s title character to death in Gatsby's backyard swimming pool; _The Ninth Configuration (1980)_ (qv), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination; _The Right Stuff (1983)_ (qv); the Venice Film Festival winner _A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)_ (qv); _Malone (1987)_ (qv); and _Johnny Handsome (1989)_ (qv). TV also showed off Scott's dark, controlled intensity and wide range in later years, appearing in guest spots on such popular dramas as "The X-Files" and "The Twilight Zone," and in a recurring role as 'Marg Helgenberger' (qv)'s unscrupulous mobster father in "CSI." In mini-movies Scott played everything from Elvis's father in _Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story (1993)_ (qv) to a Wyoming governor in _The Jack Bull (1999)_ (qv).Hardly one of Hollywood's flashiest good ol' boys, the taciturn, unassuming actor preferred to remain discrete and let his performances do the talking. His output was minimal compared with other character stars, but he remained in the quality ranks nevertheless, mixing his standard penchant for darker movies with such family-oriented films as _Shiloh (1996)_ (qv) and its sequels.Supporting the newer "young guns" these days, he appeared with 'Vince Vaughn' (qv) in _Clay Pigeons (1998)_ (qv) and 'Ryan Phillippe' (qv) in _The Way of the Gun (2000)_ (qv), and ended up one of serial killer 'Charlize Theron' (qv)'s victims in _Monster (2003)_ (qv). Other strong showings on the big screen have included a lead part as a rockabilly star in _Don't Let Go (2002)_ (qv) and his down-home patriarch in the superb ensemble art film _Junebug (2005)_ (qv), a breakout hit with Academy voters.Into the millennium, Scott maintained a strong film output with gritty roles in _Come Early Morning (2006)_ (qv), _Saving Shiloh (2006)_ (qv), _Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)_ (qv), _The Heartbreak Kid (2007)_ (qv), _Saving Grace B. Jones (2009)_ (qv), _Radio Free Albemuth (2010)_ (qv), _Dorfman in Love (2011)_ (qv) and _Hostiles (2017)_ (qv). He ended his career strongly on TV with regular/recurring roles on _Damien (2016)_ (qv), as adoptive father Abel Johnson in the mystery series _The OA (2016)_ (qv), and gained a notable following sporting a full gray beard and ponytail as grizzled farm owner Hershel Greene on the popular horror series _The Walking Dead (2010)_ (qv).Wilson lived in Los Angeles with his attorney/wife of four decades, Heavenly, who also was an accomplished artist and writer. Diagnosed with leukemia, Scott died on October 6, 2018, aged 76.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net