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Burton Gilliam | |
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 Gilliam at the 2019 GalaxyCon Raleigh | |
| Born | August 9, 1938 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse | Susan Gilliam |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Hollie Vise (granddaughter) |
Burton Gilliam (born August 9, 1938) is an American actor. He is best known for memorable roles in several popular 1970s movies such as Blazing Saddles [1] and Paper Moon , as well as comedic cameos in Back to the Future, Part III (1990) and Honeymoon in Vegas .
Before acting, Gilliam was a member of the Coast Guard's boxing team, where he won 201 out of 217 fights. [2] He remained in the boxing world for decades, working as a referee in California.
While working as a firefighter for the city of Dallas, [2] Gilliam appeared in the role of "Floyd", the desk clerk, in the film Paper Moon . He then went on to appear in such popular movies as Blazing Saddles and Back to the Future Part III . Performing in Blazing Saddles was difficult for him, since he played a despicable racist who repeatedly hurls racial insults (including "nigger") at the black characters, especially the hero, played by Cleavon Little. Gilliam was so uncomfortable with his use of that slur that he apologized to Little, who had to remind him that it simply was a word in the script and that the racial insults were treated unambiguously negatively since he was playing a villain. Gilliam was also embarrassed by being the main protagonist in the infamous campfire (eating baked beans and farting) scene. [3]
Gilliam also has had roles in movies such as Honeymoon in Vegas , Thunderbolt and Lightfoot , Farewell, My Lovely , Fletch , Gator , Telefon and The Terror Within II . His television appearances include Alice , Charlie's Angels , The A-Team , The Dukes of Hazzard and The Fall Guy , and he appeared as a regular on Evening Shade .
Gilliam was born in Dallas, Texas. He lives with his wife, Susan, in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas. He has two children and four grandchildren. His granddaughter Hollie Vise is an American former world champion artistic gymnast.
Gilliam graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1956 and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2004. In 2018, he was the grand marshal of the Dallas St. Patrick's Day parade.
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 American satirical postmodernist Western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Bergman. The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. Brooks appears in two supporting roles: Governor William J. Le Petomane, and a Yiddish-speaking Indian chief; he also dubs lines for one of Lili Von Shtupp's backing troupe and a cranky moviegoer. The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens, Alex Karras and David Huddleston, as well as Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman. Bandleader Count Basie has a cameo as himself, appearing with his orchestra.
Joseph Pujol, better known by his stage name Le Pétomane, was a French flatulist and entertainer. He was famous for his remarkable control of the abdominal muscles, which enabled him to seemingly fart at will. His stage name combines the French verb péter, "to fart" with the -mane, "-maniac" suffix, which translates to "fartomaniac". The profession is referred to as "flatulist", "farteur", or "fartiste".
Louis Burton Lindley Jr., better known by his stage name Slim Pickens, was an American actor and rodeo performer. Starting off in the rodeo, Pickens took up acting, and appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows. For much of his career, Pickens played cowboy roles. He played comic roles in Dr. Strangelove, Blazing Saddles, 1941, and his villainous turn in One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando.
William Emmett Smith was an American actor. In a Hollywood career spanning more than 79 years, he appeared in almost three hundred feature films and television productions in a wide variety of character roles, often villainous or brutal, accumulating over 980 total credits, with his best known role being the menacing Anthony Falconetti in the 1970s television mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. Smith is also known for films like Any Which Way You Can (1980), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), and Red Dawn (1984), as well as lead roles in several exploitation films during the 1970s and 1990s.
George Clifton James was an American actor known for roles as a prison floorwalker in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), the sheriff in Silver Streak (1976), a Texas tycoon in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977), and the owner of the scandalous 1919 Chicago White Sox baseball team in Eight Men Out (1988).
Andrew Bergman is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. His best-known films include Blazing Saddles, The In-Laws, The Freshman and Striptease.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a 1974 American crime comedy film written and directed by Michael Cimino and starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis. The film followers John "Thunderbolt" Doherty, a disguised preacher who is almost assassinated, before being unintentionally rescued by a young car thief, named "Lightfoot", who partners with him in a series of thefts. It is soon discovered that "Thunderbolt" is a fugitive bank robber who is being hunted by his former gang.
Walter Clarence "Dub" Taylor Jr. was an American character actor who from the 1940s into the 1990s worked extensively in films and on television, often in Westerns but also in comedies. He is the father of actor and painter Buck Taylor.
Richard Douglas Hurst is an American actor who portrayed Deputy Cletus Hogg, Boss Hogg's cousin, in the 1980 to 1983 seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard as well as The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! in 1997 and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood in 2000.
John William Saunders III, better known by the stage name John Quade, was an American character actor who starred in film and in television. He was best known for his role as Cholla, the leader of the motorcycle gang the Black Widows in the Clint Eastwood films Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and its sequel Any Which Way You Can (1980).
Jerry Elijah Rushing was an American best known for his years as a bootlegger or "moonrunner".
David William Huddleston was an American actor. An Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films, including Rio Lobo, Blazing Saddles, Crime Busters, Santa Claus: The Movie, and The Big Lebowski.
Roy Cameron Jenson, also known and credited as Roy Jensen, was a Canadian American football player, stuntman, and actor.
Honeymoon in Vegas is a 1992 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman and starring James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Gregory Walcott was an American film and television actor. Although he appeared in over 100 films and television series, he is perhaps best known for his leading role in the 1957 film Plan 9 from Outer Space, directed by Ed Wood. He also starred as Det. Roger Havilland on the 1960s police procedural series 87th Precinct, and appeared in several films starring his real-life friend Clint Eastwood.
John Leonard Morris was an American film, television, and Broadway composer, dance arranger, conductor, and trained concert pianist. He collaborated with filmmakers Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder.
Lazy Dragon Con was a three-day relaxacon held in McKinney, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas in both 2007 and 2008. Lazy Dragon Con was sponsored by Lazy Dragon LLC, dealers of blades "From Pocketknives to Broadswords," and was not related to the Atlanta-based Dragon Con in any way.
William C. Watson was an American actor.
The Cinematic Symphony is a musical ensemble based in Austin, Texas. The group is composed of volunteers and is dedicated to preserving and performing the music of film and television.
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