Gary Poulter | |
---|---|
Born | Upland, California, U.S. | September 16, 1959
Died | February 19, 2013 53) Austin, Texas, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | actor |
Gary Poulter (September 16, 1959 - February 19, 2013) was an American street performer [1] and actor known for his lead role alongside Nicolas Cage in David Gordon Green's 2013 film Joe . Poulter was homeless, living on the streets of Austin, Texas when he was cast in the role of Wade, the abusive alcoholic father of Gary, played by Tye Sheridan. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Poulter grew up in Upland, California. At 17, he joined the Navy and served on a ship in Japan. He went AWOL for 1+1⁄2 years in Japan and ultimately was court-martialed in Washington, D.C., whereupon he received a dishonorable discharge. [2]
In 2012, Poulter was recruited from the streets of Austin to play the third lead, "Wade", in the film Joe, which became his sole film performance, although he worked as a background extra in 1987 in the TV series Thirtysomething . Shortly before landing the film role, Poulter worked for a traveling carnival, but he was left naked on the side of the road after he was caught stealing money. [2]
The Independent summed up Poulter's performance in its movie review, writing, "In his only screen role, he offers an utterly compelling portrait of a man so consumed by self-loathing that he will go to extreme lengths to destroy the life of his son." [7]
Movie critic Peter Sobczynski in his review for RogerEbert.com described Poulter's film debut as a "stunning performance" and "one of the great one-shot performances in the history of the cinema." [8]
The Austin Film Critics Association gave Poulter the Special Honorary Award in 2014 for his performance in Joe. [9]
Before the film's release, Poulter was found dead on February 10, 2013, at the edge of Lady Bird Lake, a river-like reservoir in Austin, Texas. His death was ruled a result of drowning with acute ethanol intoxication, as determined by a medical examiner. [2] Director Green dedicated the film Joe to Poulter. [5]