Bill McKinney: Movies & Box Office

William Denison McKinney, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on September 12, 1931, was an eminent American character actor. He lived an unsettled life in his childhood, moving 12 times before joining the Navy at the age of 19 during the Korean War. After serving for two years in Korean waters, he eventually settled in California where he studied acting at Pasadena Playhouse alongside contemporaries such as Dustin Hoffman and Mako Iwamatsu. His acting prowess led him to significant roles in films and television, his breakthrough coming from John Boorman's 1972 film Deliverance where he played a sadistic mountain man. He further cemented his career in Hollywood by appearing in seven Clint Eastwood films, most notably as Captain Terrill in The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Moreover, McKinney segued into teaching and for a decade, he shared his craft with students at Cave Spring Middle School. His collaborations with Eastwood became a defining part of his career, particularly their work in Michael Cimino's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. His association with Eastwood resulted in roles in renowned films like The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, and Pink Cadillac. His acting range was expansive with credits in a plethora of genres from Back to the Future Part III to The Green Mile. In his twilight years, he even ventured into the music industry, releasing an album of standards and country and western songs titled Love Songs from Antri. Sadly, he succumbed to esophageal cancer at 80, but not before completing a commercial and working on his biography.