Walking Dead actor Scott Wilson list of movie and TV roles

The Walking Dead’s Scott Wilson is a beloved actor who portrayed Hershel, patriarch of the Greene Family. His role in the series began in season 2 and continued until his death at the hands of the Governor (David Morrisey) in season 4. Many fans consider the episode of TWD set at the Greene farm as some of the best. Wilson started his acting career in 1967 and, throughout his career, would amass more than 50 film credits.

Born in Thomasville, Georgia, Wilson would portray murder suspects in his first two roles, In the Heat of the Night (1967) and In Cold Blood (1967). The second film was based on a book by Truman Capote where Wilson portrayed Richard Hickock, a real-life murderer with Robert Blake as his partner, Perry Smith. This role would land Wilson on the May 12, 1967, Life magazine cover with Capote and Blake. The trio stands on an empty Kansas highway with the caption Nightmare Revisited. 

In 1974, Wilson starred with Robert Redford in The Great Gatsby and received a 1980 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Ninth Configuration. 

Wilson would receive much attention for his role in Dead Man Walking, a film based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book, where he portrayed a prison chaplain. The movie starred Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.

Other films starring Scott Wilson:

• The Gypsy Moths (1969)
• The Right Stuff (1983)
• A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)
• Malone (1987)
• Young Guns II (1990)
• The Grass Harp (1995)
• Judge Dredd (1995)
• The Shiloh film series (1997)
• Pearl Harbor (2001)
• Monster (2003)
• Junebug (2005)
• The Host (2006)
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
• Big Stan (2007)

Wilson also had a lengthy TV career starring in many series and TV films. 

• The Twilight Zone (1986)
• The Tracker (1988)
• The X-Files (2000)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2001-2006)
• Law & Order (2005)
• Justified (2011)
• Bosch (20014-2015)
• The OA (2016-2019)

Wilson began his portrayal of Hershel Greene during the second season of The Walking Dead. TV Guide stated that Wilson’s portrayal of the character lent “subtle shades of humanity to the character of Hershel Greene.” He would appear in flashbacks during seasons five and nine of the series. He also voiced Hershel in 2017’s Robot Chicken episode “The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking.”

Scott Wilson was a fantastic addition to The Walking Dead series. The actor died in his home in Los Angeles from leukemia on October 6, 2018. The following evening, The Walking Dead aired the premiere episode of season 9, “A New Beginning,” which was dedicated to the memory of Wilson.

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