Donald Yearnsley "Trey" Wilson III (January 21, 1948 – January 16, 1989) was an American character actor known for playing rural, authoritarian-type characters, most notably in comedies such as Raising Arizona and Bull Durham.[1][2][3]
Trey Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Yearnsley Wilson III January 21, 1948 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 1989 (aged 40) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Park Cemetery, Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–1989 |
| Spouses | |
Career
editDuring his career, Wilson appeared in numerous stage productions and 30 films or television shows, including guest roles on Spenser: For Hire and The Equalizer. On stage, he co-starred in the ragtime-era musical Tintypes on Broadway, appeared in The Front Page at Lincoln Center and on Broadway, and appeared with Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan. He also appeared in Pat Benatar's music video "Love Is a Battlefield", as the father who throws her out of the house.
His most memorable roles on film were in Raising Arizona, as unpainted furniture store owner Nathan Arizona, and Bull Durham, as Joe Riggins, manager of the Durham Bulls minor league baseball team.[2][1] The end credits of The Silence of the Lambs and Miss Firecracker dedicate the films to him.
Personal life and death
editBorn in Houston, Texas, to Donald Yearnsley Wilson and Irene Louise Wilson, he attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire and then majored in English and theater at the University of Houston.[1] It was there that Wilson met Judy Blye, a well-known New York soap opera casting agent, and they were married on August 25, 1975. He was a cousin of former Texas Republican State Senator Kim Brimer.[2]
Wilson died at the age of 40 from a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City on January 16, 1989,[3][4] and was buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston five days later, on what would have been his 41st birthday.[2]
Released after his death, Wilson's final film was Great Balls of Fire!, the biopic of Jerry Lee Lewis, where he played American record producer Sam Phillips.[1][4] He had been cast in the Coen brothers' film Miller's Crossing at the time of his death,[3] and was replaced by Albert Finney.[2]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Drive-In | Gifford | [5] | |
| 1977 | Three Warriors | Chuck | ||
| 1978 | Vampire Hookers | Terry Wayne | [6] | |
| 1978 | The Lord of the Rings | Voice | [5] | |
| 1979 | Three-Way Weekend | Howard Creep | ||
| 1984 | Places in the Heart | Texas Voice #3 | Voice | |
| 1984 | A Soldier's Story | Colonel Nivens | ||
| 1985 | The Protector | Truck Driver | ||
| 1985 | Marie | FBI Agent | ||
| 1986 | F/X | Lt. Murdoch | ||
| 1987 | Raising Arizona | Nathan Arizona, Sr. | [5][7] | |
| 1987 | End of the Line | Sheriff Maxie Howell | ||
| 1987 | The House on Carroll Street | Lieutenant Sloan | [8] | |
| 1988 | Bull Durham | Jim "Skip" Riggins | [9][10] | |
| 1988 | Married to the Mob | Regional Director Franklin | ||
| 1988 | Twins | Beetroot McKinley | ||
| 1989 | Miss Firecracker | Benjamin Drapper | ||
| 1989 | Great Balls of Fire! | Sam Phillips | ||
| 1989 | Welcome Home | Colonel Barnes |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Trey Wilson, 40, dies; a stage and film actor". New York Times. (obituary). January 17, 1989. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Dansby, Andrew (January 21, 2007). "Houston's Trey Wilson: Best actor you've never heard of". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Actor Trey Wilson, 40". Bangor Daily News. Maine. Associated Press. January 18, 1989. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Deaths elsewhere". Milwaukee Journal. January 18, 1989. p. 2A.
- ^ a b c King, Lynnea Chapman (2014). The Coen Brothers Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 196. ISBN 978-0810885769.
- ^ Smith, Gary A. (2017). Vampire Films of the 1970s: Dracula to Blacula and Every Fang Between. McFarland & Company. p. 80. ISBN 978-0786497799.
- ^ Orr, Christopher (September 9, 2014). "30 Years of Coens: Raising Arizona". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Sherman, Fraser A. (2010). Screen Enemies of the American Way: Political Paranoia About Nazis, Communists, Saboteurs, Terrorists and Body Snatching Aliens in Film and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 189. ISBN 978-0786446483.
- ^ Nichols, Peter M., ed. (2004). The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made: An Indispensable Collection of Original Reviews of Box-Office Hits and Misses. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 150. ISBN 978-0312326111.
- ^ DeMichael, Tom (2016). Baseball FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Pastime (FAQ Pop Culture). Backbeat. ISBN 978-1617136061.
