William Moseley (born November 11, 1951) is an American actor, primarily known for his performances in horror films. His best-known roles include Chop Top in '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'' (1986), Otis B. Driftwood in

Rob Zombie Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965), known professionally as Rob Zombie, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live show ...

's ''Firefly'' trilogy, Luigi Largo in '' Repo! The Genetic Opera'' (2008), and The Magician in '' Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival'' (2015). He had a recurring role as camp cook Possum on the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

TV series '' Carnivàle'' (2003–05). He has also released records with guitarist

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...

in the band

Cornbugs Cornbugs was an American avant-garde metal band formed in 1995. Comprising vocalist Bill "Choptop" Moseley, guitarist Buckethead, drummer Pinchface and keyboardist Travis Dickerson, the band released five albums, two DVDs, and three compilatio ...

, as well as featuring on the guitarist's solo work.

Early life

Moseley was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and grew up in Barrington Hills, Illinois. He is the son of Virginia Gillette (Kleitz), a journalist, and S. D. Moseley (Spencer Dumaresq Moseley), who was a member of the Yale Corporation, All-American captain and center of the 1942 Yale football team, and chairman and chief executive of the Railway Express Agency. His grandfather, George Moseley, also played football at Yale and was an All-American. He is a graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. For a period of time, Moseley operated as a journalist, writing for such magazines as '' Omni'', '' National Lampoon'' and ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. The publication began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The print magazine's reported circulation is 275,000 as of 2023. ...

''.

Acting career

At the age of 29, Moseley got his first film role in Alan Rudolph's ''Endangered Species'' as a cab driver. In 1985's ''Osa'' he played a character named "Quilt Face." His third role has become one of his most well known; he appeared as Chop Top in

Tobe Hooper Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of al ...

's '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'', after Tobe Hooper saw him in the independent short, ''The Texas Chainsaw Manicure''. In 2000 he reprised his role as Chop Top in '' All American Massacre'', which was directed by Tobe Hooper's son William, but the film was never released to the public. Two years after ''TCM 2'', he played Frank in 1988's ''Mamba''. Also in 1988 appeared as a soldier in the remake of the Steve McQueen film '' The Blob''. He next played Darrell in the film '' Pink Cadillac'' starring

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

. He then played the lead role of Ricky Caldwell in '' Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!''. In 1990, Moseley appeared in four films: ''Crash and Burn'', '' The First Power'', '' The End of Innocence'', and, playing Johnny, in

Tom Savini Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including ''Martin ( ...

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of George A. Romero's 1968 zombie film, ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...

''. In 1993, he had a small role in the cult hit ''

Army of Darkness ''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy film directed, co-written, and co-edited by Sam Raimi. The film is the third installment in the Evil Dead, ''Evil Dead'' film series and the sequel to ''Evil Dead II'' (1987). Starring ...

'' as the Deadite Captain. A year later, he was featured in the video game ''

Corpse Killer ''Corpse Killer'' is a horror-themed rail shooter developed and published by Digital Pictures for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers. An interactive variation on the zombie film genre, it utilizes li ...

''. In 1995, he did voiceover work for Anders Jacobsson's horror comedy film ''

Evil Ed ''Evil Ed'' is a 1995 Swedish horror comedy film directed, co-written, edited and shot by Anders Jacobsson and starring Johan Rudebeck, Per Löfberg and Olof Rhodin. The film's plot follows film editor Edward Tor Swenson, who begins to go insane ...

''. He would not, however, have another role as popular as Chop Top until 2003, when he starred as the maniacal Otis B. Driftwood (named after

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

's character from '' A Night at the Opera'') in

's directorial debut ''

House of 1000 Corpses ''House of 1000 Corpses'' is a 2003 American black comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the ''Firefly'' film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Ka ...

''. As Otis, he again became an icon in the horror community. In 2005, he reprised the role of Otis in the sequel ''

The Devil's Rejects ''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 American black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to Zombie's 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses'', and fol ...

'' and in 2009 he played Otis in a voice cameo in Rob Zombie's animated film ''

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto ''The Haunted World of El Superbeasto'' is a 2009 American adult animated superhero horror comedy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Rob Zombie. The film was written by Zombie and Tom Papa (who also the voice of El Superbeasto) from Zom ...

''. Moseley's performance in ''Rejects'' inspired an independent campaign for a Best Supporting Actor

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

nomination, which failed. He played in other Rob Zombie films such as ''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'' and the ''

Grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter, and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a f ...

'' fake trailer segment '' Werewolf Women of the SS''. In 2008, Moseley played the role of Luigi Largo in '' Repo! The Genetic Opera''. In this futuristic, genetic opera, he was able to network with

Nivek Ogre Kevin Graham Ogilvie (born December 5, 1962), known professionally as Nivek Ogre, is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor, best known for his work with the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded with cEvin Key. Si ...

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crom ...

and

ohGr ohGr is a Canadian industrial band formed by Nivek Ogre and Mark Walk of Skinny Puppy. Early ohGr releases incorporated hip hop and synth-pop influences, and in contrast to Skinny Puppy, utilized conventional structures and a lighter tone. Og ...

, subsequently appearing on

's new album ''

Devils in my Details ''Devils in my Details'' is the third studio album by the electro-industrial band ohGr. It was released in the U.K. and Europe on November 4, 2008, and in the United States on November 5, 2008. It was the only ohGr release through the German l ...

''. He mainly speaks at the beginning or ending of the songs in vivid, poetic rants. He appears on ''Eyecandy'', ''Feelin' Chicken'', ''Psychoreal'', ''Timebomb'', ''Smogharp'', and ''Witness''. Additionally, in 2008, Moseley appeared as a telemarketer in the music video for

Combichrist Combichrist is an American Electro-industrial, aggrotech / industrial metal band formed in 2003 by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua, who also founded the bands Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandinavian Cock and Scandy. Combichrist was formed in Atlan ...

's Sent to Destroy". Moseley contributed songs to the 2008 soundtrack of ''Vampira: The Movie'', a documentary by

Kevin Sean Michaels Kevin Sean Michaels is an American film director, artist, producer and entertainer. Biography and career Michaels is best known as an Art Director for Troma Entertainment as well as directing and producing his own documentaries, ''Vampira: The ...

Maila Nurmi Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American actress best known for creating the Camp (style), campy 1950s character Vampira. She was raised in Astoria, Oregon, where ...

, in which he also stars. It was released on Collectables Records, a division of Alpha Video. He appears as Kozlowski in

Robert Lieberman Robert Lieberman (July 16, 1947 – July 1, 2023) was an American film and television director. Career Lieberman was the founder of the commercial production company Harmony Pictures and directed close to two thousand commercials. He received ...

's 2009 thriller film ''

The Tortured ''The Tortured'' is a 2010 horror thriller film directed by Robert Lieberman, written by Marek Posival, and starring Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe, Fulvio Cecere, and Bill Moseley. Plot The film tells the story of a couple, Elise Landry ( ...

'', and in 2012 played as The Magician in '' The Devil's Carnival''. Moseley has also provided voice-over recordings for the Florida-based heavy metal band – Generichrist and also British goth-metal band Sinnergod on the track "Overture" which features on their 2013 debut album ''Seven Deadly Sinphonies''. He later made appearances in ''

Texas Chainsaw 3D ''Texas Chainsaw 3D'' (stylized on-screen and in home media simply as ''Texas Chainsaw'') is a 2013 American 3D slasher film directed by John Luessenhop, with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms. It is the seventh in ...

'' and '' American Exorcist''. In 2019, Moseley appeared in ''

Gothic Harvest ''Gothic Harvest'' is a 2019 erotic horror film shot in the French Quarter of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. It was directed by Ashley Hamilton, who also starred alongside Lin Shaye and Bill Moseley, Bill Mosley. Synopsis The film follows ...

'' with

Lin Shaye Lin Shaye (born October 12, 1943) is an American actress. In a career spanning over fifty years, Shaye has appeared in more than a hundred feature films. She is regarded as a scream queen due to her roles in various horror productions, which inc ...

and

Sofia Mattsson Sofia Magdalena Mattsson (born 11 November 1989) is a Swedish wrestler, who has won a World Championship, four European championships and an Olympic bronze medal. Profile Born in Gällivare, she is one of the highest-ranking female wrestle ...

, directed by

Ashley Hamilton Ashley George Hamilton (born September 30, 1974) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1993 film '' Beethoven's 2nd''. He has since starred in films such as ''Lost in Africa'' (1994), '' Off Key'' (2001), '' Lost Angeles'' ...

. He also reprised his role as Otis B. Driftwood in ''

3 From Hell 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

''. ''Horror Fuel'' magazine reports that Moseley will star in the horror film ''Jasper'' alongside

Michael Berryman Michael John Berryman (born September 4, 1948) is an American character actor. Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare condition characterized by the absence of sweat glands, hair, and fingernails; his unusual physical a ...

Kane Hodder Kane Warren Hodder (born April 8, 1955)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905–1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Americ ...

and

Bill Oberst William Oberst Jr. (born November 21, 1965) is an American stage, film and television actor of German descent. Known for his work in horror and cult films, his career includes projects in film, television and one-man-show theater performances ...

in 2022. He recorded voiceovers for

Ice Nine Kills Ice Nine Kills is an American heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts, who are signed to Fearless Records. Best known for its horror-inspired lyrics, Ice Nine Kills formed in its earliest incarnation in 2000 by high school friends Spenc ...

' 2021 horror film-themed album '' The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood''.

Music career

Moseley (as Chop Top) was the lead singer of

, a three-man band he had between 1999 and 2007 with avant-garde rock/metal guitarist

and

Deli Creeps The Deli Creeps were an avant-garde metal band consisting of singer Maximum Bob (singer), Maximum Bob, guitarist Buckethead, drummer Pinchface and various bass players, most recently Dan Monti, Daniel Monti. Though Buckethead is the only member ...

' drummer,

Pinchface Michael Andrew Hakopian, better known as Pinchface is an American drummer known for his work with the Deli Creeps, Giant Robot II, and the Cornbugs. He has also appeared on numerous Buckethead albums, such as '' Population Override'' and '' Gia ...

. He also contributed vocal parts to the songs ''I Come in Peace'' (as a news reporter) and ''Onions Unleashed'' (as Onions) from Buckethead's album ''

Giant Robot In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive ...

'' (1994) and ''Jowls'' from Buckethead's album ''

Monsters and Robots A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fea ...

'' (1999), also as Chop Top. Moseley, along with

Rani Sharone Rani Sharone (born June 2, 1978) is an American musician, who is known as the bassist/guitarist for the band Stolen Babies. He is the twin brother of drummer Gil Sharone. In 2010, Sharone and actor Bill Moseley William Moseley (born November ...

, released albums ''No Way Down and The Devil Rides West'', calling themselves Spider Mountain. In 2017, Moseley released the album ''Bill & Phil: Songs of Darkness and Despair'' with

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

frontman

Philip Anselmo Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American musician best known as the lead singer for groove metal band Pantera, southern metal supergroup Down, and hardcore band Superjoint, amongst other musical projects. He is the owner of H ...

Personal life

Moseley is married to actress

Lucinda Jenney Lucinda Jenney is an American actress. Personal life Jenney is married to actor Bill Moseley. Jenney was previously married to artist John Swanger, from 1989 to 1991. Early life Jenney was born in New York, NY. Career She began her acti ...

, with whom he has a daughter. He previously dated model Lisa Lindsay-Hogg. Moseley and Lindsay-Hogg's daughter, Jane Moseley, is a model, painter and sculptor based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

In popular culture

A sample of Moseley shouting "dog will hunt!" in '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'' is used in the hit Primus song "

Jerry Was a Race Car Driver "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" is a song by American rock band Primus. It was released as the first single from their second album, '' Sailing the Seas of Cheese'', and reached number 23 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The song tells the st ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Video games

References

External links

Chop Top's BBQ, Bill Moseley's official site
* * Interview with Bill Moseley a
Eye for Film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moseley, Bill 1951 births Living people Male actors from Illinois American male film actors American male television actors American sketch comedians Male actors from Stamford, Connecticut Yale University alumni People from Barrington Hills, Illinois Cornbugs members