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Bill Thurman

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Full Name
  
Billie Thurman

Role
  
Film actor

Name
  
Bill Thurman

Years active
  
1963-1995 (secured)

Occupation
  
Actor


Bill Thurman wwwwearyslothcomGalleryActorsT17120gif

Born
  
November 4, 1920 (
1920-11-04
)
Texas, United States

Died
  
April 13, 1995, Dallas, Texas, United States

Movies
  
Mountaintop Motel Massacre, The Last Picture Show, Close Encounters of the Thir, Curse of the Swamp Creature, Where the Red Fern Grows

Similar People
  
Larry Buchanan, Charles B Pierce, Norman Tokar, Steven Spielberg, Peter Bogdanovich

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 movies and independent films, often playing "redneck types" or sheriffs. He worked with low-budget-director Larry Buchanan on numerous films, for example In the Year 2889 and 'It's Alive!'. Thurman was one of those Southern actors who were specialized in so called "regional" pictures, films which were made exclusively for distribution in the Southern States.

However, Thurman also appeared in two movies by Hollywood star director Steven Spielberg and played the Coach Popper, the apparently homosexual husband of Cloris Leachman, in Peter Bogdanovich's classic The Last Picture Show (1971). The character actor also appeared in popular television shows like Dallas and Centennial. One of his last big roles was Reverend McWiley in the horror film Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1986).

Filmography

Actor
1996
Painted Hero as
Old Man Bolen
1991
In Broad Daylight (TV Movie) as
Virgil Teague
1988
Hawken's Breed as
Jeb Kline
1988
It Takes Two as
Bus Driver
1985
The Long Hot Summer (TV Mini Series) as
Houstin
- Part 2 (1985) - Houstin
- Part 1 (1985) - Houstin
1985
Silverado as
Carter
1985
Stormin' Home (TV Movie) as
Bailiff
1985
Alamo Bay as
Sheriff
1984
Innocent Prey as
Jim Gardner
1984
Places in the Heart as
Homer
1978
Dallas (TV Series) as
Allen Murphy / Phil Bradley
- Check and Mate (1983) - Allen Murphy
- Digger's Daughter (1978) - Phil Bradley
1983
Mountaintop Motel Massacre as
Reverend Bill McWilley
1982
The Long Summer of George Adams (TV Movie) as
Floyd
1981
Raggedy Man as
Sheriff
1980
Skyward (TV Movie) as
Pilot #1
1980
Tom Horn as
Ora Haley
1979
The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) as
Sheriff
- The Sky Trap / Trampa en el cielo (1979) - Sheriff
1979
The Evictors as
Preacher Higgins
1978
River of Wealth, River of Freedom (Short) as
John
1978
Centennial (TV Mini Series) as
Uncle Dick Taylor
- The Longhorns (1978) - Uncle Dick Taylor
1978
The Beasts Are on the Streets (TV Movie) as
Carl Evans
1977
Keep My Grave Open as
Hitchhiker
1977
Close Encounters of the Third Kind as
Air Traffic
1977
Charge of the Model T's as
Sgt. Bond
1977
The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (TV Movie)
1976
Slumber Party '57 as
Mr. Willis
1976
Creature from Black Lake as
Sheriff Billy Carter
1975
The Florida Connection as
Deke
1974
Ride in a Pink Car as
Barlow
1974
Where the Red Fern Grows as
Sam Bellington
1974
The Sugarland Express as
Hunter
1973
The Pickle Goes in the Middle as
Mr. Stanovich
1973
'Gator Bait as
Sheriff Joe Bob Thomas
1972
Encounter with the Unknown as
Second Man (as Billy Thurman)
1971
The Last Picture Show as
Coach Popper
1971
Fairplay as
Jed Bartrum
1970
A Bullet for Pretty Boy as
Huddy
1969
Cry for Poor Wally as
Prisoner
1969
It's Alive! (TV Movie) as
Greely / Monster (as Billy Thurman)
1969
Hell Raiders (TV Movie) as
Tex (as Billy Thurman)
1969
In the Year 2889 (TV Movie) as
Tim Henderson (as Billy Thurman)
1968
Mars Needs Women (TV Movie) as
Drunk on Pier
1968
The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde as
Policeman (uncredited)
1968
Curse of the Swamp Creature (TV Movie) as
Driscoll West / The Swamp Creature
1967
Sam
1967
Zontar: The Thing from Venus (TV Movie) as
Police Chief Brad Crenshaw
1967
Night Fright as
Deputy Ben Whitfield
1967
Attack of the Eye Creatures (TV Movie) as
Sergeant on Guard
1967
Shameless Desire as
Cal
1967
Spiked Heels and Black Nylons as
Abel
1966
Hip Hot and 21 as
Lt. Lang
1966
The Black Cat as
Bartender
1965
Hot Blooded Woman as
Railroad Tough
1965
High Yellow as
Major Bates
1965
The Yesterday Machine as
Police Detective
1964
The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald as
Witness
Camera Department
1971
Strawberries Need Rain (key grip)
1966
The Black Cat (key grip - as Billie Thurman)
Thanks
1997
The Hypnotic Eye (TV Series) (dedicatee - 1 episode)
- Show # 5 (1997) - (dedicatee)

References

Bill Thurman Wikipedia