'Deliverance' Actor Herbert Coward Killed in Car Accident

Herbert "Cowboy" Coward, who played Toothless Man in John Boorman's 1972 film Deliverance, has died. The 85-year-old and his girlfriend, Bertha Brooks, as well as their pet Chihuahua and pet squirrel were killed in a car crash in Haywood County, North Carolina Wednesday, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol officials, per local news outlets WLOS and FOX Carolina.

The accident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. local time on U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton as Coward was leaving a doctor's appointment. The actor reportedly pulled out onto U.S. Route 19 in front of a truck, which struck Coward's vehicle. Neither Coward nor Brooks were wearing seat belts at the time, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol. TMZ reported that Coward, Brooks and the pets were trapped inside the wreckage and had to be extracted from the car by first responders. Coward, Brooks, and their two pets died at the scene. The 16-year-old driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital. The teen was not believed to have been speeding. No charges were filed.

Herbert "Cowboy" Coward, the Toothless Mountain Man in 'Deliverance,' Dies at 85 https://t.co/WKL2ZsNXJ4

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 25, 2024

Before landing his memorable role as the Toothless Man in Deliverance, Coward worked various labor jobs to help support his family. He eventually landed a job as an outlaw gunfighter at a ghost town amusement park, where he was injured in an accident with a prop pistol, which caused two of his front teeth to be knocked out, per Us Weekly. It was while working at the amusement park that Coward first met Burt Reynolds, who at the time was working as a stuntman at the park. Years later, Reynolds recommended Coward for the 1972 thriller Deliverance.

"John Boorman, an Irish director, the best director I ever had, said, 'Where am I gonna find these guys ... the Mountain Men?' And I 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,'" Reynolds recalled to Conan O'Brien in 2018. "So I said, 'Let me bring him in. His name's Cowboy, and you'll see if you like him.'"

In the film, Coward starred as one of the men who held several of the paddlers at gunpoint. He notably delivered the line, "He got a real purty mouth, ain't he?" Along with Reynolds and Coawrd, the movie also starred Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox. The film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture, in 1973.

In addition to Deliverance, Coward reunited with McKinney for 2007's Ghost Town: The Movie, had a cameo in a Jody Medford music video in 2017, played a small role in Hillbilly Blood, and appeared as himself in an episode of Moonshiners, per Entertainment Weekly. Outside of Hollywood, Coward was recognized in Haywood County as "The Squirrel Man" because of his tamed pet squirrel, Cowgirl, which accompanied him nearly everywhere.