End Credits #86: Cinema's 2018 Lost Treasures Scott Wilson

These are some of Cinema's sad departures of 2018 taken from my personal notes soon after the events took place: 

What an enormously sad and tragic loss this is… for several reasons: Actor Scott Wilson brought such unique characters to life with every film appearance, all of his roles were vividly memorable no matter how little the part or how notable the stars were he appeared with. Secondly, he was only 76 years of age (a victim of leukaemia). He commanded both screens, the big, even in small parts (as a murder suspect in his film debut In the Heat of the Night) and big parts on the small screen (the authoritative Herschel Greene in The Walking Dead) with such elevated sincerity and conviction, all of the other actors he played opposite of practically disappeared. He made an indelible impression in his co-starring lead role in In Cold Blood, and created distinctively strong supporting turns in Castle Keep, The Gypsy Moths, The Grissom Gang, Lolly-Madonna XXX, The Great Gatsby and so many others. Although I never met him, I felt I knew him through the many memorable characters he enlivened and some interviews he gave. I cannot stop thinking of the powerful emotions he conveyed through his amazing heartfelt performances. What a sad loss... and too damn soon. Our deepest condolences to family and friends. Scott Wilson (March 29, 1942 – October 6, 2018) R.I.P.

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Scott Wilson with Sidney Poitier in In the Heat of the Night (1967)

with Robert Blake in In Cold Blood (1967)

in The Gypsy Moths (1969)

in The Grissom Gang (1971)

with Karen Black in The Great Gatsby (1974)

in The Exorcist III (1990)

with Juliette Lewis in The Way of the Gun (2000)

in Monster (2003)