William Denison McKinney (September 12, 1931 – December 1, 2011) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

. He played the

sadistic Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...

mountain man A mountain man is an explorer who lives in the wilderness. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental in opening up ...

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as '' Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), '' Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977 ...

's 1972 film ''

Deliverance ''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapt ...

'' and appeared in seven

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

films, most notably as Captain Terrill, the commander pursuing the last rebels to "hold out" against surrendering to the Union forces in '' The Outlaw Josey Wales''.

Early life

William Denison McKinney was born September 12, 1931, in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

. He had an unsettled life as a child, moving 12 times. At the age of 19, he joined the Navy during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. He served two years on a mine sweeper in Korean waters, and was stationed at

Port Hueneme Port Hueneme ( ; Chumash: ''Wene Me'') is a small beach city in Ventura County, California, surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Santa Barbara Channel. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within the city limits. P ...

Ventura County, California Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxn ...

. While on leave, he visited

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and decided he wanted to become an actor. Upon his discharge in 1954, he settled in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, attending acting school at the famous

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

in 1957. His classmates included

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

and

Mako Iwamatsu was a Japanese-American actor, credited mononymously in almost all of his acting roles as simply Mako. His film roles include Po-Han in '' The Sand Pebbles'' (1966) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) ...

. During this time, McKinney supported himself by working as an

arborist An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dend ...

, trimming and taking down trees. He continued working in this field until the mid-1970s, by which time he was appearing in major films.

Career

After the

he moved onto

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

, making his movie debut in exploitation pic ''

She Freak ''She Freak'' (sometimes stylized as ''She-Freak'') is a 1967 American exploitation horror film directed by Byron Mabe and starring Claire Brennen, Lee Raymond, and Lynn Courtney. It is an unofficial remake of the 1932 film '' Freaks''. An alterna ...

'' (1967). For 10 years he was a teacher at Cave Spring Middle School. He made his television debut in 1968 on an episode of ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

'' and attracted attention as Lobo in ''

Alias Smith and Jones ''Alias Smith and Jones'' is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are tryin ...

''. The film ''

'' (1972) proved to be his breakthrough. McKinney's other films in the early 1970s included appearances in ''

Junior Bonner ''Junior Bonner'' is a 1972 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Joe Don Baker and Ida Lupino. The film focuses on a veteran rodeo rider as he returns to his hometown of Prescott, Arizon ...

'' (1972), ''

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1972) and ''

The Parallax View ''The Parallax View'' is a 1974 American political thriller film produced and directed by Alan J. Pakula, and starring Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels and Paula Prentiss. The screenplay by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr. was base ...

'' (1974). It was with

that McKinney would become most associated, becoming part of Eastwood's stock company after they worked together in

Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Cimino achieved fame with ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Bes ...

's ''

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot ''Thunderbolt and Lightfoot'' is a 1974 American crime comedy film written and directed by Michael Cimino and starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy, and Geoffrey Lewis. Plot A young ne'er-do-well, Lightfoot steals a car. Elsewh ...

'' (1974). He appeared in '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976) under Eastwood's direction. He appeared in six more Eastwood films including '' The Gauntlet'' (1977), ''

Every Which Way but Loose ''Every Which Way but Loose'' is a 1978 American action comedy film released by Warner Bros., produced by Robert Daley and directed by James Fargo. It stars Clint Eastwood in an uncharacteristic and offbeat comedy role as Philo Beddoe, a tr ...

'' (1978), ''

Any Which Way You Can ''Any Which Way You Can'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Buddy Van Horn and starring Clint Eastwood, with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, and Ruth Gordon in supporting roles. The film is the sequel to the 1978 hi ...

'' (1980) and '' Pink Cadillac (1989)''. Other memorable roles include Jay Cobb, who is done in by

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

in Wayne's final film ''

The Shootist ''The Shootist'' is a 1976 American Western film directed by Don Siegel and based on Glendon Swarthout's 1975 novel of the same name.Swarthout, Glendon (1975). ''The Shootist'', New York, New York: Doubleday. It is John Wayne's final film ro ...

'' (1976). He also appeared in such later films as ''

First Blood ''First Blood'' (also known as ''Rambo: First Blood'') is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's ment ...

'' (1982), ''

Back to the Future Part III ''Back to the Future Part III'' is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the final installment of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary St ...

'' (1990) and '' The Green Mile'' (1999). He appeared in the TV movie ''

The Execution of Private Slovik ''The Execution of Private Slovik'' is a nonfiction book by William Bradford Huie, published in 1954, and an American made-for-television movie that aired on NBC on March 13, 1974. The film was written for the screen by Richard Levinson, Wil ...

'' (1974) and guest-starred on such television shows as ''

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

'', ''

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" bookend segments filmed in Wilmington, Nort ...

'', ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

'', ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'', ''

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'', '' Columbo: Swan Song'' and '' In The Heat of The Night''. McKinney took up singing in the late 1990s, eventually releasing an album of standards and

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while t ...

songs appropriately titled ''Love Songs from Antri'', reflecting Don Job's pronunciation of the infamous town featured in ''Deliverance.'' One of his songs featured in the film ''Undertow,'' directed by David Gordon Green. He voiced

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

in an episode of '' Batman: The Animated Series'' called "Showdown". He appeared in a cameo in ''

2001 Maniacs ''2001 Maniacs'' is a 2005 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Sullivan and starring Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Jay Gillespie, Dylan Edrington, and Matthew Carey. It is a remake of the 1964 film ''Two Thousand Maniacs!'' written and dire ...

'' (2005) and had a role in the Robin Hood–inspired horror film ''Sherwood Horror'' (2010).

Death

On December 1, 2011, McKinney died from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voi ...

at his home in

San Fernando, California San Fernando ( Spanish for " St. Ferdinand") is a general-law city in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It is bordered on all sides by the City of Los Angeles. As of the 20 ...

. He was 80. McKinney's death was announced on his Facebook page on the same day. The announcement read:

Today our dear Bill McKinney passed away at Valley Presbyterian Hospice. An avid smoker for 25 years of his younger life, he died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 80 and still strong enough to have filmed a Dorito's commercial 2 weeks prior to his passing, and he continued to work on his biography with his writing partner. Hopefully 2012 will bring a publisher for the wild ride his life was. He is survived by son Clinton, along with several ex-wives. R.I.P. Bill sept.12 1931 – dec. 1 2011" ic

Selected filmography

* ''She Freak'' (1967) – Steve St. John * ''

Firecreek ''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year alongside Sergio Leone's ''Once Upon a Time in the West''. The film is similar ...

'' (1968) – Bearded Gunfighter (uncredited) * '' The Road Hustlers'' (1968) – Hays * ''

Angel Unchained ''Angel Unchained'' (also known as ''Hell's Angels Unchained'') is a 1970 American action thriller film directed by Lee Madden for American International Pictures and starring Don Stroud as the title character Angel. It was released in the United ...

'' (1970) – Shotgun * ''

'' (1972) – Mountain Man * ''

'' (1972) – Red Terwiliger * ''

Kansas City Bomber ''Kansas City Bomber'' is a 1972 American sports drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Raquel Welch. It also marks one of the earliest film appearances of Jodie Foster. Plot The film is an ins ...

'' (1972) – Buddy Taylor (uncredited) * ''

'' (1972) – Fermel Parlee * ''

Cleopatra Jones ''Cleopatra Jones'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett. Tamara Dobson stars as an undercover government agent who uses the day job of supermodel as her cover and an excuse to travel to exotic places. Bernie Casey, S ...

'' (1973) – Purdy * '' The Outfit'' (1973) – Buck Cherney * ''

'' (1974) – Crazy Driver * ''

'' (1974) – Parallax Assassin * '' For Pete's Sake'' (1974) – Rocky – Cattle Rustler (uncredited) * '' Breakheart Pass'' (1975) – Rev. Peabody * '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976) – Captain Terrill * ''

Cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

'' (1976) – Cade Redman * ''

'' (1976) – Cobb * '' Valentino'' (1977) – Policeman * '' The Gauntlet'' (1977) – Constable * ''

'' (1978) – Dallas (Black Widow) * ''

When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? ''When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?'' is a play by Mark Medoff. The setting is Foster's Diner, a New Mexico rest stop that lost most of its clientele when a new highway bypass opened. Employees include restless cook Stephen (nicknamed "Red Ryder ...

'' (1979) – Tommy Clark * ''

Carny Carny, also spelled carnie, is an informal term used in North America for a traveling carnival employee, and the language they use, particularly when the employee operates a game ("joint"), food stand ("grab", "popper" or "floss wagon"), or ride ...

'' (1980) – Marvin Dill * ''

Bronco Billy ''Bronco Billy'' is a 1980 American Western comedy-drama film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin. Plot Bronco Billy McCoy (Clint Eastwood) is a stuntman performing in front of a me ...

'' (1980) – Lefty LeBow * ''

'' (1980) – Dallas (Black Widow) * '' St. Helens'' (1981) – Kilpatrick * '' Tex'' (1982) – Pop McCormick * ''

'' (1982) – Captain Dave Kern * ''

Heart Like a Wheel ''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and ...

'' (1983) – Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits * '' Against All Odds'' (1984) – Head Coach * '' Final Justice'' (1985) – Chief Wilson * ''The Highwayman'' (1987, TV Series) – Deputy Stephan * ''Under the Gun'' (1988) – Miller * '' War Party'' (1988) – The Mayor * '' Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects'' (1989) – Father Burke * '' Pink Cadillac'' (1989) – Coltersville Bartender * ''

'' (1990) – Engineer * '' Love, Cheat & Steal'' (1993) – Kolchak * '' City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold'' (1994) – Matt * ''Lone Justice 2'' (1995) – Verlon Borges * ''

Walker Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Te ...

'' (1995) - Sheriff Bridges (Episode:Point After) * ''

Where's Marlowe? ''Where's Marlowe?'' is a 1998 comedy mystery film written by Daniel Pyne and John Mankiewicz. Daniel Pyne also directed the film, which stars Miguel Ferrer, Mos Def, John Slattery, and John Livingston. Plot After making a three-hour fiasco ...

'' (1998) – Uncle Bill * '' The Green Mile'' (1999) – Jack Van Hay * ''Paradise'' (2000) – Kerr * '' Hellborn'' (2003) – Gas Station Attendant * ''The Commission'' (2003) – Roy S.Truly * '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003) – Acme VP, Nitpicking * ''True Legends of the West'' (2003) – The Mayor * '' Undertow'' (2004) – Grandfather * ''

'' (2005) – The Chef * '' The Garage'' (2006) – Bernie * ''The Devil Wears Spurs'' (2006) – Barkepper * ''The Bliss'' (2006) – Mr. Hill * ''

Take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

'' (2007) – Benjamin Gregor * ''Lucky You'' (2007) – Satellite Cashier * ''Ghost Town'' (2007) – Victor Burnett * '' Pride and Glory'' (2008) – Crime Scene Cop * ''Fuel'' (2009) – Jake * ''

How Do You Know ''How Do You Know'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed, written and produced by James L. Brooks, and starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson in his final film role. It was the third film to feature W ...

'' (2010) – Maitre d' * '' The Custom Mary'' (2011) – The Silent Boss (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mckinney, Bill 1931 births 2011 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male film actors American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from Tennessee Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from esophageal cancer Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Male actors from Tennessee People from Chattanooga, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee