Trey Wilson

 ( 1948 Births ) 

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.

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Career During his career, Wilson appeared in numerous stage productions and 30 films or television shows, including guest roles on and The Equalizer. On stage, he co-starred in the ragtime-era musical Tintypes on Broadway theatre, appeared in The Front Page at Lincoln Center and on Broadway theatre, 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. The end credits of The Silence of the Lambs and Miss Firecracker dedicate the films to him.

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Personal life and death Born in Houston, Texas, 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. It was there that Wilson met Judy Blye, a well-known New York soap opera casting agent, and they were married on August 25, 1975. He was a cousin of former Texas Republican State Senator Kim Brimer.

Wilson died at the age of 40 from a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City on January 16, 1989, and was buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston five days later, on what would have been his 41st birthday.

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. He had been cast in the Coen brothers' film Miller's Crossing at the time of his death, and was replaced by Albert Finney.

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Filmography

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Film

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Lynnea Chapman King (2025). 9780810885769, Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810885769

Gary A. Smith (2025). 9780786497799, McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786497799

Fraser A. Sherman (2025). 9780786446483, McFarland & Company. . ISBN 9780786446483

(2025). 9780312326111, St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9780312326111 Tom DeMichael (2025). 9781617136061, Backbeat. ISBN 9781617136061

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Television

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1986–1987		Jack Weller / Terry Vogel	2 episode
1987	The Equalizer	Peter Marstand	Episode: "A Place to Stay"
1990	Law & Order	Defense Attorney Eddie Cosmatos	Episode: "Everybody's Favorite Bagman"

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External links

Categories: 1948 Births, 1989 Deaths, American Male Film Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Musical Theatre Actors, American Male Stage Actors, American Male Voice Actors, Bellaire High School Alumni, Male Actors From Houston, University Of Houston Alumni, 20th-century American Male Actors, 20th-century American Singers, 20th-century American Male Singers

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