Scott Wilson (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scott Wilson
Wilson in 2016
Born	William Delano Wilson (1942 -03-29)March 29, 1942 Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
Died	October 6, 2018(2018-10-06) (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1967–2018
Spouse(s)	Heavenly Wilson ​ (m. 1977)​

Scott Wilson (born William Delano Wilson) was an American actor. He was born on March 29, 1942, and passed away on October 6, 2018. He acted in over 50 movies during his career. Some of his well-known films include In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Great Gatsby, and Pearl Harbor.

In 1980, Scott Wilson was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in the movie The Ninth Configuration. Many people also know him for playing the kind veterinarian Hershel Greene on the popular TV show The Walking Dead. He also had important roles in other TV series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The OA.

Scott Wilson's Acting Journey

Scott Wilson at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con

Scott Wilson was born in a small town called Thomasville, Georgia, in the southern United States. He started his acting career by playing characters involved in mysteries in his first few movies.

His very first movie was In the Heat of the Night in 1967. In this film, he played a character suspected of a crime. Years later, in 2014, he visited Sparta, Illinois, where the movie was filmed, to celebrate the city's 175th birthday.

Early Film Roles

In the same year as his first movie, Scott Wilson also appeared in In Cold Blood. This movie was based on a famous book by Truman Capote. In the film, Wilson played a real-life person named Richard Hickock.

The director of In Cold Blood, Richard Brooks, chose Scott Wilson and another actor, Robert Blake, for the main roles because they were not well-known at the time. Brooks wanted the audience to see them as the characters, not as famous actors. Wilson later said that the director treated them "like two people he had somehow found."

Appearing in In Cold Blood was a big deal for Wilson. He was even featured on the cover of Life magazine on May 12, 1967, when he was just 25 years old. The cover showed him, Robert Blake, and author Truman Capote on a highway in Kansas.

Later Career Highlights

Scott Wilson continued to act in many different movies and TV shows. In 1974, he was in The Great Gatsby alongside famous actor Robert Redford.

His role in The Ninth Configuration in 1980 earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. He played a prison chaplain in the 1995 movie Dead Man Walking, which starred Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.

Wilson's long list of movies also includes The Right Stuff, Pearl Harbor, and Judge Dredd. He even filmed movies in places like South Korea, Japan, and Spain.

On television, he had a recurring role as Sam Braun in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Sam Braun was the father of one of the main characters, Catherine Willows.

The Walking Dead Role

In 2011, Scott Wilson was cast as Hershel Greene in the second season of The Walking Dead. His role as the wise and kind veterinarian was very popular with fans and critics. TV Guide praised him for bringing "subtle shades of humanity" to the character.

Wilson was offered the role while visiting his mother in Georgia. He said his mother was a big fan of the show! His character, Hershel, left the show in 2013. However, Scott Wilson made a few guest appearances later, with his last one in the ninth season of The Walking Dead.

Reflecting on Acting

In a 2011 interview, Scott Wilson talked about his acting career. He said, "It's been up and down. You have dry spells. At different times, you are starting over. If you love it, you stay with it." He also mentioned that he didn't want to be a huge movie star. Instead, he wanted to be the best actor he could be.

In 2014, he joined the cast of the Amazon series Bosch. In 2016, he appeared in the Netflix series The OA.

Personal Life

Scott Wilson was married to Heavenly Koh Wilson in 1977.

His Passing

Scott Wilson passed away on October 6, 2018, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 76 years old and died from leukemia, a type of cancer. He passed away just hours after the New York Comic Con event. The first episode of The Walking Dead's ninth season, which aired the day after his death, was dedicated to his memory.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Scott Wilson para niños