William Redden (born October 13, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as a backwoods mountain boy in the 1972 film ''
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own Deliverance (novel), 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into th ...
,'' where he played Lonnie, a
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin.
...
-playing teenager in north
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, who played the noted "
Dueling Banjos" with Drew Ballinger (
Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor and musician. He has appeared in numerous films and television series since his acting debut in ''Deliverance'' (1972). He is best known for his roles in ''RoboCop'' (1987) and '' Total ...
).
Early life
Redden was born in
Rabun County, Georgia, on October 13, 1956.
Career
At the age of 15, he was discovered by
Lynn Stalmaster, who was scouting for the movie ''
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own Deliverance (novel), 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into th ...
''. Stalmaster recommended Redden to director
John Boorman—though Redden was not an
albino
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos.
Varied use and interpretation of ...
child, as Boorman had requested—and Redden was cast.
He portrayed a
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin.
...
-playing "local" in the film's famous "dueling banjos" scene. Boorman felt that Redden's skinny frame, large head, and almond-shaped eyes made him the natural choice to play the part of an "
inbred
Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...
from the back woods." Because Redden could not play the banjo, he wore a special shirt that allowed a real banjo player to hide behind him. The scene was then shot with carefully chosen camera angles to conceal the player, whose arms were slipped around Redden's waist to play the tune.
[Potempa, Philip (October 19, 2008)]
"Burt Reynolds and 'Deliverance' boy reunited "
''The Times of Northwest Indiana
''The Times of Northwest Indiana'' (NWI) is a daily newspaper headquartered in Munster, Indiana. It is the second-largest newspaper in Indiana, behind only ''The Indianapolis Star''.
History
The paper was founded on June 18, 1906, as ''The Lake ...
''. The hidden banjo player was shown playing in the bar-fingered "
clawhammer
Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or most commonly known as frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The style likely descends from that of West African lutes, suc ...
" style, while the banjo heard on the soundtrack was played in three-finger "
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...
" style, using finger picks.
After ''Deliverance'', Redden was cast in
Lamberto Bava
Lamberto Bava (born 3 April 1944) is an Italian film director. Born in Rome, Italy, Rome, Bava began working as an assistant director for his director father Mario Bava. Lamberto co-directed the 1979 television film ''La Venere d'Ille'' with his f ...
's 1984 film ''
Blastfighter''. The film was recorded in and around
Clayton, Georgia
Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 2,003 at the 2020 census. The county seat of Rabun County, it is in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
History
The area that eventually became Clayton was called the Dividi ...
, and many people recall it as a mixture of ''Deliverance'' and ''
First Blood
''First Blood'' is a 1982 American war action film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the film was co-written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Stallone, deriving from the 1972 no ...
''.
Redden next appeared in
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
's 2003 film ''
Big Fish
''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy drama film directed by Tim Burton. It is based on the 1998 novel '' Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions'' by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange ...
''. Burton was intent on getting Redden, as he wanted him to play the role of a banjo-playing "welcomer" in the utopian town of Spectre. Burton located Redden in Clayton, where he was part-owner of the Cookie Jar Café, and also worked as a cook and dishwasher.
In 2004, Redden made a guest appearance on ''
Blue Collar TV
''Blue Collar TV'' is an American sketch comedy television series that aired on The WB from July 29, 2004 to July 26, 2006 starring Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary Am ...
,'' playing a car repairman named Ray in a "Redneck Dictionary" skit. He represented the word "raisin bread" (as in "Ray's inbred"). He played a banjo in the skit.
In 2009, Redden was cast as a banjo player in Ace Cruz's film
Outrage: Born in Terror'.
In 2012, 40 years after the release of ''Deliverance'', Redden was interviewed in association with a documentary, ''The Deliverance of Rabun County'' (2012). It explored the feelings of people in
Rabun County four decades later about the 1972 film. Redden said that though ''Deliverance'' was the best thing that happened to him, he never saw much money from the movie:
Noting some locals objected to the stereotypes in the movie, Redden said that the people in Rabun County were good people:
Filmography
*''
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own Deliverance (novel), 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into th ...
'' (1972) - Lonnie (Banjo Kid)
*''
Blastfighter'' (1984) - Banjo Man (uncredited)
*''
Big Fish
''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy drama film directed by Tim Burton. It is based on the 1998 novel '' Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions'' by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange ...
'' (2003) - Banjo Man
''Outrage'' (2009) - Banjo Man
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redden, Billy
1956 births
Living people
American male film actors
American male child actors
Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Clayton, Georgia