Trey Wilson

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

(1948-01-21)January 21, 1948
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 1989(1989-01-16) (aged 40)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeForest Park Cemetery, Houston, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Houston
Occupationactor
Years active1976–1989
Spouse(s)Cynthia June Brinson (1969–1974) (divorced)
Judy Blye Wilson (1975–1989) (his death)

Career

During 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 appeared in The Front Page at Lincoln Center and on Broadway, he 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 were in two films, 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

Born 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 age forty 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
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1976Drive-InGifford[5]
1977Three WarriorsChuck
1978Vampire HookersTerry Wayne[6]
1978The Lord of the RingsVoice role[5]
1979Three-Way WeekendHoward Creep
1984Places in the HeartTexas Voice #3Voice role
1984A Soldier's StoryColonel Nivens
1985The ProtectorTruck Driver
1985MarieFBI Agent
1986F/XLt. Murdoch
1987Raising ArizonaNathan Arizona, Sr.[5][7]
1987The House on Carroll StreetLieutenant Sloan[8]
1988Bull DurhamJim "Skip" Riggins[9][10]
1988Married to the MobRegional Director Franklin
1988TwinsBeetroot McKinley
1989Miss FirecrackerBenjamin Drapper
1989Great Balls of Fire!Sam Phillips
1989Welcome HomeColonel Barnes

References
  1. "Trey Wilson, 40, dies; a stage and film actor". New York Times. (obituary). January 17, 1989. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  2. Dansby, Andrew (January 21, 2007). "Houston's Trey Wilson: Best actor you've never heard of". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  3. "Actor Trey Wilson, 40". Bangor Daily News. Maine. Associated Press. January 18, 1989. p. 4.
  4. "Deaths elsewhere". Milwaukee Journal. January 18, 1989. p. 2A.
  5. King, Lynnea Chapman (2014). The Coen Brothers Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 196. ISBN 978-0810885769.
  6. Smith, Gary A. (2017). Vampire Films of the 1970s: Dracula to Blacula and Every Fang Between. McFarland & Company. p. 80. ISBN 978-0786497799.
  7. Orr, Christopher (September 9, 2014). "30 Years of Coens: Raising Arizona". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. DeMichael, Tom (2016). Baseball FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Pastime (FAQ Pop Culture). Backbeat. ISBN 978-1617136061.
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