Bill Thurman (November 4, 1920 – April 13, 1995) was an American film and television actor. From the early 1960s until his death in 1995, he frequently appeared in

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s and independent films, often playing "redneck types" or sheriffs. He worked with low-budget-director

Larry Buchanan Larry Buchanan (January 31, 1923 − December 2, 2004), born Marcus Larry Seale Jr., was a film director, producer and writer, who proclaimed himself a " schlockmeister". Many of his extremely low-budget films have landed on "worst movie" lists o ...

on numerous films, for example '' In the Year 2889'' and '' It's Alive!''. Thurman was one of those Southern actors who specialized in "regional" pictures, films made exclusively for distribution in the Southern States.Bill Thurman
'

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' However, Thurman also appeared in two movies by Hollywood star director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

and played Coach Popper, the apparently homosexual husband of

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomin ...

, in

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the "New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on R ...

's ''

The Last Picture Show ''The Last Picture Show'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed and co-written by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from the semi-autobiographical 1966 novel ''The Last Picture Show'' by Larry McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast includes T ...

'' (1971). The character actor also appeared in popular television shows like ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' and ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

''. One of his later roles was Reverend McWiley in the horror film ''

Mountaintop Motel Massacre ''Mountaintop Motel Massacre'' (originally released under the titles ''Mountaintop Motel'' and ''Horrors at Mountaintop Motel'') is a 1983 American independent psychological slasher film written and directed by Jim McCullough Sr. and starring An ...

'' (1983).

Selected filmography

* '' The Yesterday Machine'' (1963) - Police detective * '' The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald'' (1964) - Witness * ''

High Yellow High yellow, occasionally simply yellow (dialect: yaller, yella), is a term used to describe a light-skinned person of white and black ancestry. It is also used as a slang for those thought to have "yellow undertones". The term was in common use ...

'' (1965) - Major Bates * ''Hot Blooded Woman'' (1965) - Railroad Tough * ''The Black Cat'' (1966) - Bartender * '' Zontar, the Thing from Venus'' (1966, TV Movie) - Sheriff Brad Crenshaw * ''

Curse of the Swamp Creature ''Curse of the Swamp Creature'' is a 1968 American-made for television horror science fiction film directed by Larry Buchanan. Although Buchanan was producing low-budget 16mm color remakes of American International Pictures sci-fi movies for te ...

'' (1966, TV Movie) - Driscoll West / The Swamp Creature * ''Spiked Heels and Black Nylons'' (1967) - Abel * '' In the Year 2889'' (1967) - Lt. Lang * ''Shameless Desire'' (1967) - Cal * '' Night Fright'' (1967) - Deputy Ben Whitfield * '' Sam'' (1967) * '' The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde'' (1968) - Policeman (uncredited) * '' It's Alive!'' (1969, TV Movie) - Greely / Monster * '' A Bullet for Pretty Boy'' (1970) - Huddy * ''

'' (1971) - Coach Popper * '' Encounter with the Unknown'' (1973) - Second Man * ''

The Sugarland Express ''The Sugarland Express'' is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Steven Spielberg in his directorial debut. The film follows a woman (Goldie Hawn) and her husband (William Atherton) as they take a police officer (Michael Sacks) hostage a ...

'' (1974) - Hunter * ''Ride in a Pink Car'' (1974) - Barlow * '' 'Gator Bait'' (1974) - Sheriff Joe Bob Thomas * '' Where the Red Fern Grows'' (1974) - Sam Bellington * ''The Florida Connection'' (1976) - Deke * ''

Creature from Black Lake ''Creature from Black Lake'' is a 1976 American horror film written and directed by Joy N. Houck Jr. and starring Jack Elam, Dub Taylor, Dennis Fimple, John David Carson, and Bill Thurman. It follows two anthropology students from the Universit ...

'' (1976) - Sheriff Billy Carter * ''

Slumber Party '57 ''Slumber Party '57'' is a 1976 American comedy-drama film directed by William A. Levey and starring Debra Winger in her feature film debut. Cast *Janet Wood as Smitty *Noelle North as Angie *Bridget Holloman as Bonnie May *Debra Winger as Debbie ...

'' (1976) - Mr. Willis * ''

Charge of the Model T's ''Charge of the Model T's'' is a 1977 American comedy spy film directed by Jim McCullough Sr. with the screenplay by Jim McCullough Jr. based upon the novel of the same name by Lee Somerville. Starring John David Carson, Carol Bagdasarian, Louis ...

'' (1977) - Sgt. Bond * ''

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

'' (1977) - Air Traffic #2 * ''Keep My Grave Open'' (1977) - Hitchhiker * '' The Beasts Are on the Streets'' (1978, TV Movie) - Carl Evans * ''

The Evictors ''The Evictors'' is a 1979 American crime-horror film written and directed by Charles B. Pierce, and starring Vic Morrow, Michael Parks, and Jessica Harper. A period piece set in 1942, it follows a couple who are terrorized by a mysterious man on ...

'' (1979) - Preacher Higgins * ''

Tom Horn Thomas Horn Jr., (November 21, 1860 – November 20, 1903) was an American scout, cowboy, soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century and early 20th-century American Old West. Believed to have committed 17 killings as a ...

'' (1980) - Ora Haley * ''

Skyward Skyward is a software company specializing in K–12 school management and municipality management technologies, including student management, human resources, and financial management. Skyward is partnered with more than 1,900 school district ...

'' (1980, TV Movie) - Pilot #1 * ''

Raggedy Man ''Raggedy Man'' is a 1981 American drama film based on William D. Wittliff and Sara Clark's 1979 novel, and directed by Jack Fisk. It follows a divorced mother and telephone switchboard operator living with her two sons in a small town during Wo ...

'' (1981) - Sheriff * ''

'' (1983) - Reverend Bill McWilley * ''

Places in the Heart ''Places in the Heart'' is a 1984 American film written and directed by Robert Benton. It stars Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Ray Baker, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Jerry Haynes and Terry O'Quinn. The film's narrative ...

'' (1984) - Homer * '' Innocent Prey'' (1984) - Jim Gardner * ''

Alamo Bay ''Alamo Bay'' is a 1985 American drama film about a Vietnam veteran who clashes with Vietnamese immigrants who move to his Texas bay hometown. The film was directed by Louis Malle, and stars Amy Madigan and Ed Harris. Future Texas A&M and Dallas ...

'' (1985) - Sheriff * '' Silverado'' (1985) - Carter * ''Hawken's Breed'' (1987) - Jeb Kline * '' It Takes Two'' (1988) - Bus Driver * ''Painted Hero'' (1997) - Old Man Bolen (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurman, Bill 1920 births 1995 deaths American male film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Texas