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 type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

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 or ...

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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

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

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

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 received many accolades including 22 Primetime Emmy nominations and won eight, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus ...

, in

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...

's ''

The Last Picture Show ''The Last Picture Show'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and co-written by Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry, adapted from the 1966 semi-autobiographical novel by McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast incl ...

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

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'' and ''

Centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

''. One of his later roles was Reverend McWiley in the horror film '' Mountaintop Motel Massacre'' (1983).

Selected filmography

* '' The Yesterday Machine'' (1963) - Police detective * '' The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald'' (1964) - Witness * '' High Yellow'' (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'' (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 comedy-drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film follows a woman ( Goldie Hawn) and her husband ( William Atherton) as they take a police officer ( Michael Sacks) hostage and flee acros ...

'' (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 Unive ...

'' (1976) - Sheriff Billy Carter * '' Slumber Party '57'' (1976) - Mr. Willis * '' Charge of the Model T's'' (1977) - Sgt. Bond * ''

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

'' (1977) - Air Traffic #2 * ''Keep My Grave Open'' (1977) - Hitchhiker * '' The Beasts Are on the Streets'' (1978, TV Movie) - Carl Evans * '' The Evictors'' (1979) - Preacher Higgins * ''

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

'' (1980) - Ora Haley * '' Skyward'' (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 (Sissy Spacek) living with her two sons in a sma ...

'' (1981) - Sheriff * '' Mountaintop Motel Massacre'' (1983) - Reverend Bill McWilley * ''

Places in the Heart ''Places in the Heart'' is a 1984 American drama 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 f ...

'' (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 Dalla ...

'' (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