Actor Herbert ‘Cowboy’ Coward, famous for his role in the 1972 hit movie Deliverance, has died at the age of 85. Coward and his girlfriend, Bertha Brooks, 78, were killed in a car crash alongside his pet Chihuahua and pet squirrel on Wednesday in Haywood County, North Carolina. The actor was turning onto the highway when he was hit by a truck driven by a 16-year-old. The driver was subsequently taken to hospital and Coward and his girlfriend were not wearing seatbelts.
Coward’s most famous part was as Toothless Man, one of two sadistic mountain men in Deliverance directed by John Boorman and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty. The movie was nominated for three Oscars, three BAFTAs and five Golden Globe Awards. It was the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1972.
Reynolds revealed in 2018 that he had recommended Coward for the role. He praised Boorman, an Irish director, and said: “I know a guy. He can’t read and he can’t write or anything, but I’m telling you, if we can get him we got something special. So I said, ‘Let me bring him in. His name’s Cowboy, and you’ll see if you like him’.”
Coward’s character in the film was involved in a violent assault scene with characters played by Voight and Beatty. Coward himself was often approached by fans of Deliverance and was happy to interact with them
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