BILL MCKINNEY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
 
Bill McKinney was born on September 12th, 1931 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  As a young boy his family moved to a variety of places and he never quite had a normal childhood.  After high school, he joined the United States Navy and fought during the Korean War.

After his military duty he decided he wanted to pursue a career as an actor.  He relocated to Southern California and enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse and then went on to study acting at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio with Dustin Hoffman as one of his classmates. 

Soon he broke into the film industry appearing in such films as, "She Freak" (1967) with Claire Brennen, Lee Raymond and Lynn Courtney, "Deliverance" (1972) starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty, "Junior Bonner" (1972) starring Steve McQueen, Joe Don Baker, Robert Preston, Dub Taylor, Barbara Leigh, Ben Johnson, Don 'Red' Barry, Mary Murphy and Ida Lupino, "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" (1972) starring Paul Newman, Anthony Perkins, Jacqueline Bisset, Victoria Principal, Tab Hunter, John Huston, Stacy Keach, Michael Sarrazin, Roddy McDowall, Ava Gardner, Richard Farnsworth, Anthony Zerbe, Matt Clark and Jack Colvin, "For Pete's Sake" (1974) starring Barbra Streisand, Michael Sarrazin and Estelle Parsons, "The Parallax View" (1974) starring Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, Hume Cronyn, Anthony Zerbe, Earl Hindman, William Joyce, Jim Davis, Jo Ann Harris and William Daniels and "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974) starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy, Gary Busey, Vic Tayback, Catherine Bach, Jack Dodson, Gregory Walcott and Geoffrey Lewis, a role for which he won his first Oscar.
 
Along with making quite a name for himself in the film industry he also appeared on a variety of television series early on in his career such as, "The Monkees" and "Alias Smith and Jones".

As his career progressed he alternated between film and television work.  Some of his more well known film roles included, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976) starring Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, Woodrow Parfrey, Will Sampson, Sheb Wooley, Joyce Jameson, Royal Dano, Paula Trueman, Richard Farnsworth, John Vernon, John Chandler, Kyle Eastwood, Doug McGrath, Matt Clark, John Quade, Len Lesser and John Russell and Geraldine Keams, "The Shootist" (1976) starring alongside John Wayne in his final film, with Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Harry Morgan, Richard Boone, Rick Lenz, Sheree North, Gregg Palmer, Scatman Cruthers, Hugh O'Brian and John Carradine, "The Gauntlet" (1977) starring Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, and Mara Corday, "First Blood" (1982) co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo with Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Jack Starrett, Chris Mulkey, Alf Humphreys and David Caruso, "Heart Like a Wheel" (1983) Bonnie Bedelia Hoyt Axton, Leo Rossi, Anthony Edwards, Tiffany Brissette and Beau Bridges, "Against All Odds" (1984) co-starring Rachel Ward, Jeff Bridges, Jane Greer, Alex Karras, Richard Widmark, Swoosie Kurtz, Dorian Harewood and James Woods, "Pink Cadillac" (1989) starring with Clint Eastwood, Bernadette Peters, Timothy Carhart, Gerry Bamman, Geoffrey Lewis, Dirk Blocker, Mara Corday and Jim Carrey, "Back to the Future Part III" (1990) starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Elisabeth Shue and Lea Thompson and Academy Ward winner "The Green Mile" (1999) starring Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Harry Dean Stanton, Sam Rockwell, Gary Sinise, Michael Jeter, Dabbs Greer, Patricia Clarkson, Doug Hutchison and James Cromwell.
 
Other television credits he added to his resume were appearances on, "Columbo", "Ironside", 'Mannnix", "Kodiak", "Sara", "Father Murphy", "The Master", "Legmen", "Cover Up", "Murder, She Wrote", "Baywatch", "Pointman" and "Hunter" among many others.

Along with his successful career as an actor in the 1990's he also became involved in the singing entertainment industry releasing an album composed of country & western music. 

Bill McKinney married only once to Jenell Booth in 1967 and this marriage only lasted one year.  He never re-married nor did he have any children.  He remained working as an actor with his final appearances being in the films, "How Do You Know" (2010) starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson and "The Custom Mary" (2011) with Alicia Sixtos, James Jolly, Travis Hammer and Henry LeBlanc.  McKinney passed away on December 1st, 2011 in Van Nuys, California after suffering from cancer of the esophagus at the age of eighty.

 
Filmography

2011         The Custom Mary
2010         How Do You Know
2009         Fuel
2008         Pride and Glory
2007         Ghost Town: The Movie
2007         Lucky You
2007         Take
2006         The Devil Wears Spurs
2006         The Garage
2006         Rocker
2005         2001 Maniacs
2004         Undertow
2003         Looney Tunes: Back in Action
2003         The Commission
2003         Hellborn
2003         True Legends of the West
2000         The Magnificent Seven 
2000         Paradise
1999         The Green Mile
1998         Where's Marlowe?
1996         It Came from Outer Space II
1996         The Lazarus Man
1996         A Promise to Carolyn 
1995         Walker, Texas Ranger 
1995         Batman
1995         Pointman 
1995         Lone Justice 2
1994         City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
1993         Love, Cheat & Steal
1993         Ned Blessing: The Story of My Life and Times 
1993         The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
1992         Baywatch 
1991         In the Heat of the Night
1990         Hunter 
1990         Back to the Future Part III
1990         The China Lake Murders
1990         Yellowthread Street
1989         Pink Cadillac
1989         Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
1988         War Party
1988         Under the Gun
1987         Ohara 
1987         Falcon Crest 
1987         Houston Knights
1986         Murder, She Wrote
1985         Final Justice
1983-1985     The A-Team 
1985         Riptide
1981-1985     The Fall Guy
1984         Cover Up
1984         Against All Odds
1984         Legmen
1984         The Master
1983         The Yellow Rose 
1983         The Mississippi 
1983         Heart Like a Wheel
1982         Father Murphy 
1982         First Blood
1982         Tex
1981         Bret Maverick 
1981         St. Helens
1981         The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo 
1979-1981     B.J. and the Bear 
1980         Any Which Way You Can
1980         Bronco Billy
1980         Carny
1980         Galactica 1980 
1979         Young Maverick
1979         The Runaways 
1979         When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?
1978         Every Which Way But Loose
1978         Starsky and Hutch
1977         Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A. 
1977         The Gauntlet
1977         Valentino
1976         The Shootist
1976         Cannonball!
1976         The Outlaw Josey Wales
1976         Sara
1975         Breakheart Pass
1975         Bronk 
1975         Baretta 
1975         The Family Holvak 
1975         Strange New World 
1975         The Manhunter 
1974         This Is the West That Was 
1974         The Godchild
1974         The Strange and Deadly Occurrence
1974         For Pete's Sake
1974         The Parallax View
1974         Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
1974         The Healers 
1974         The Underground Man 
1974         The Execution of Private Slovik
1974         Columbo 
1974         Mannix 
1974         Kodiak 
1973         The Outfit
1973         Cleopatra Jones
1973         Ironside 
1972         The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1972         Junior Bonner
1972         Deliverance
1971-1972     Alias Smith and Jones 
1970         Angel Unchained
1970         McCloud 
1970         The Bold Ones: The New Doctors 
1970         I Dream of Jeannie 
1968         The Monkees 
1968         Firecreek
1968         The Road Hustlers
1967         She Freak