Bill Thurman
Known for Acting · 49 credits
- Born
- 1920-11-04
- Died
- 1995-04-13
- Place of birth
- Texas, USA
Biography
Character actor Bill Thurman was born on November 4, 1920 in Texas. A large, rugged, stocky man with a hard, lined, puffy face, a deep, twangy, amicable voice, a strong, bulky build and a charmingly low-key and down-to-earth unaffected natural screen presence, Thurman often portrayed police officers and assorted scruffy redneck types in a huge number of entertainingly cheap'n'cheesy Southern-fried fright flicks and delightfully down'n'dirty drive-in fare made throughout the 60s and 70s. Bill frequently acted in features for legendary Grade Z low-budget independent filmmaker Larry Buchanan; said movies include "The Eye Creatures," "High Yellow," "Zontar the Thing from Venus," "Mars Needs Women," "Curse of the Swamp Creature," "In the Year 2889," the especially atrocious "It's Alive!," and "A Bullet for Pretty Boy." Moreover, Thurman had bit parts in two Steven Spielberg films: he's a hillbilly hunter in "The Sugerland Express" and an air traffic controller in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Bill's other memorable roles include the abusive Coach Popper in Peter Bogdanovich's magnificent "The Last Picture Show," a doomed hitchhiker in "Keep My Grave Open," a corrupt sheriff in the Claudia Jennings exploitation classic "'Gatorbait," a mean small town deputy in "Ride in A Pink Car," a more amiable sheriff in the fantastic Bigfoot winner "Creature from Black Lake," Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith's father in "Slumber Party '57," a priest in "The Evictors," and the boozy, dissolute Reverend Bill McWiley in the enjoyably crummy "Mountaintop Motel Massacre." Bill Thurman died in Dallas, Texas on April 13, 1995. - IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders
Known For
TV Shows (2)
Movies (47)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
as Air Traffic
Silverado
1985
as Carter
The Last Picture Show
1971
as Coach Popper
The Sugarland Express
1974
as Hunter
Tom Horn
1980
as Ora Haley
Skyward
1980
as Pilot #1
Mars Needs Women
1968
as Drunk on Pier
Raggedy Man
1981
as Sheriff
It Takes Two
1988
as Bus Driver
Creature from Black Lake
1976
as Sheriff Billy Carter
Where the Red Fern Grows
1974
as Sam Bellington
Innocent Prey
1984
as Jim Gardner
In Broad Daylight
1991
as Virgil Teague
Alamo Bay
1985
as Sheriff
A Bullet for Pretty Boy
1970
as Huddy
Curse of the Swamp Creature
1968
as Driscoll West / The Swamp Creature
Painted Hero
1997
as Old Man Bolen
'Gator Bait
1974
as Sheriff Joe Bob Thomas
Spiked Heels and Black Nylons
1967
as Abel
The Evictors
1979
as Preacher Higgins
The Sky Trap
1979
as Sheriff
The Black Cat
1966
as Bartender
Slumber Party '57
1976
as Mr. Willis
Mountaintop Motel Massacre
1983
as Reverend Bill McWiley
Zontar: The Thing from Venus
1967
as Sheriff Brad Crenshaw
The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald
1964
as Witness
Encounter with the Unknown
1972
as Second Man
In the Year 2889
1969
as Tim Henderson
The Eye Creatures
1967
as Sergeant
Ride in a Pink Car
1974
as Barlow
Stormin' Home
1985
as Bailiff
Hawken's Breed
1987
as Jeb Kline
Hell Raiders
1969
as Tex
Charge of the Model T's
1977
as Sgt. Bond
The Florida Connection
1975
as Deke
The Long Summer of George Adams
1982
as Floyd
Fair Play
1972
as Jed Bartrum
Keep My Grave Open
1977
as Hitchhiker
High Yellow
1965
as Major Bates
The Beasts Are on the Streets
1978
as Carl Evans
The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde
1968
as Policeman (uncredited)
Night Fright
1967
as Deputy Ben Whitfield
Hot Blooded Woman
1965
as Railroad Tough
It's Alive
1969
as Greely / Monster
Sam
1967
Hip Hot and 21
1967
as Lt. Lang
The Pickle Goes in the Middle
1973
as Mr. Stanovich
About Bill Thurman
Character actor Bill Thurman was born on November 4, 1920 in Texas. A large, rugged, stocky man with a hard, lined, puffy face, a deep, twangy, amicable voice, a strong, bulky build and a charmingly low-key and down-to-earth unaffected natural screen presence, Thurman often portrayed police officers and assorted scruffy redneck types in a huge number of entertainingly cheap'n'cheesy Southern-fried fright flicks and delightfully down'n'dirty drive-in fare made throughout the 60s and 70s. Bill frequently acted in features for legendary Grade Z l… With 49 credits spanning from 1964 to 1997, Bill Thurman has appeared in 47 films and 2 TV shows.
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Most Popular Bill Thurman Movies
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) — as Air Traffic
- Silverado (1985) — as Carter
- The Last Picture Show (1971) — as Coach Popper
- The Sugarland Express (1974) — as Hunter
- Tom Horn (1980) — as Ora Haley
Where to Watch Bill Thurman Films
Most Bill Thurman movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Bill Thurman, check our movies catalogue and browse page.