Trey Wilson


Donald Yearnsley "Trey" Wilson III was an American character actor known for playing rural, authoritarian-type characters, most notably in comedies such as Raising Arizona and Bull Durham.

Career

During his career, Wilson appeared in numerous stage productions and 30 films or television shows, including guest roles on Spenser: For Hire and The Equalizer. On stage, he co-starred in the ragtime-era musical Tintypes on Broadway, appeared in The Front Page at Lincoln Center and on Broadway, 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.

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.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976Drive-InGifford
1977Three WarriorsChuck
1978Vampire HookersTerry Wayne
1978The Lord of the RingsVoice
1979Three-Way WeekendHoward Creep
1984Places in the HeartTexas Voice #3Voice
1984A Soldier's StoryColonel Nivens
1985The ProtectorTruck Driver
1985MarieFBI Agent
1986F/XLt. Murdoch
1987Raising ArizonaNathan Arizona, Sr.
1987End of the LineSheriff Maxie Howell
1987The House on Carroll StreetLieutenant Sloan
1988Bull DurhamJim "Skip" Riggins
1988Married to the MobRegional Director Franklin
1988TwinsBeetroot McKinley
1989Miss FirecrackerBenjamin Drapper
1989Great Balls of Fire!Sam Phillips
1989Welcome HomeColonel Barnes

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986–1987Spenser: For HireJack Weller / Terry Vogel2 episode
1987The EqualizerPeter MarstandEpisode: "A Place to Stay"
1990Law & OrderDefense Attorney Eddie CosmatosEpisode: "Everybody's Favorite Bagman"