close
Jump to content

Trey Wilson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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)
Resting place
Forest Park Cemetery, Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Houston
OccupationActor
Years active1976–1989
Spouses
Cynthia June Brinson
(m. 1969; div. 1974)
(m. 1975)

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]

Early life and education

[edit]

Wilson was born Houston, Texas, in 1948, 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] He was a cousin of former Texas Republican State Senator Kim Brimer.[2]

Career

[edit]

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 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 in 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]

Personal life

[edit]

Wilson married Judy Blye, a well-known New York soap opera casting agent, on August 25, 1975. He was previously married to Cynthia June Brinson.

Death

[edit]

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] The end credits of The Silence of the Lambs and Miss Firecracker dedicate the films to him.

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Trey Wilson film credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1976Drive-InGifford [5]
1977Three WarriorsChuck
1978Vampire HookersTerry Wayne [6]
The Lord of the RingsAdditional voices [5]
1979Three-Way WeekendHoward Creep
1984Places in the HeartAdditional voices
A Soldier's StoryColonel Nivens
1985The ProtectorTruck Driver
MarieFBI Agent
1986F/XLt. Murdoch
1987Raising ArizonaNathan Arizona, Sr. [5][7]
End of the LineSheriff Maxie Howell
The House on Carroll StreetLieutenant Sloan [8]
1988Bull DurhamJim "Skip" Riggins [9][10]
Married to the MobRegional Director Franklin
TwinsBeetroot McKinley
1989Miss FirecrackerBenjamin Drapper
Welcome HomeColonel Barnes Posthumous release
Great Balls of Fire!Sam Phillips

Television

[edit]
ACTOR television credits
YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 Robert Kennedy and His Times Jimmy Hoffa 3 episodes
1986–87 Spenser: For Hire Jack Weller / Terry Vogel 2 episodes
1987 The Equalizer Peter Marstand Episode: "A Place to Stay"
1990 Law & Order Defense Attorney Eddie Cosmatos Episode: "Everybody's Favorite Bagman"

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Trey Wilson, 40, dies; a stage and film actor". New York Times. (obituary). January 17, 1989. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dansby, Andrew (January 21, 2007). "Houston's Trey Wilson: Best actor you've never heard of". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Actor Trey Wilson, 40". Bangor Daily News. Maine. Associated Press. January 18, 1989. p. 4.
  4. 1 2 "Deaths elsewhere". Milwaukee Journal. January 18, 1989. p. 2A.
  5. 1 2 3 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.
[edit]