Bill McKinney, 'Deliverance' actor, dies

Bill McKinney, an actor most well known for starring in one of the most unsettling scenes ever put on film, has passed away at 80 years old, according to his Facebook page. McKinney, who played the terrifying mountain man who assaulted Ned Beatty’s character in Deliverance (1972), died of cancer of the esophagus. (See McKinney left, with Jon Voight.)

Though his Deliverance role gave him the most notoriety, McKinney also starred in several Clint Eastwood films, 1982’s First Blood, and 1999’s The Green Mile. More recently, he boasted appearances in films like 2010’s How Do You Know. Also, according to his Facebook, McKinney was in the midst of sharing his life story. Says a statement on the site: “He was 80 and still strong enough to have filmed a Dorito’s commercial 2 weeks prior to his passing, and he continued to work on his biography with his writing partner. Hopefully 2012 will bring a publisher for the wild ride his life was.”

The statement continues, “He is survived by son Clinton, along with several ex-wives.”