Veteran actor Bill McKinney, known throughout the world for playing some of the most memorable villains in film history, has died according to a post on his Facebook page. He was 80.
Though younger audiences may not be immediately familiar with the name or face, long time film fans remember McKinney for such iconic and bloodcurdling roles as the Mountain Man in the 1972 horror/thriller "Deliverance," where he uttered the infamous line "I bet you can squeal like a pig."
McKinney's death follows a long battle with esophageal cancer.
A joining the Navy during the Korean War and serving four years of active duty, McKinney left the service in order to pursue an acting career, studying the craft alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse. After making his film debut in 1967, McKinney went on to appear in over a hundred films and TV shows and was reportedly still filming commercials less than two weeks before his death.
It's his work as a villain in "Deliverance" that McKinney will be remembered for, however (even his official website is named squeallikeapig.com), along with a series of films he made opposite Clint Eastwood, including the classic western "The Outlaw Josey Wales" as well as movies like "The Gauntlet," "Bronco Billy," "Any Which Way You Can" and "Pink Cadillac." He also appeared in hits such as "First Blood" and "The Green Mile."
McKinney is survived by his son as well as his ex-wives.
