Scott Wilson of The Walking Dead Remembered at Memorial

Scott Wilson, an acting veteran of half a century who was a high-profile member The Walking Dead cast, was remembered warmly at memorial ceremonies Saturday at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Wilson died at the age of 76 after a battle with leukemia on Oct. 6. The premiere episode of the ninth season of The Walking Dead aired the next day and was dedicated to Wilsons memory.

The Walking Dead cast members Danai Gurira, Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies and Greg Nicotero spoke at Saturdays event along with director Ernest Dickerson. Gurira recalled in her speech that Wilson went out of his way to make her feel comfortable on her first day when she joined the cast of The Walking Dead in its third season.

Scott made me feel like part of the family as soon as I met him, she said. He also taught me to how to smoke a cigar.

Lincoln said Wilson was particularly adept at dry humor about himself, asking him during a long break if he knew who was the first person to flip the bird in a movie: I said, Robert Mitchum? and he said, No, it was me.

Callies read the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem Thou Famished Grave. Nicotero led a toast at the reception.

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Wilson played rural farmer Hershel Greene on the series. He was a regular on The Walking Dead during its second, third and fourth seasons. His first credits came in 1967 as murder suspect Harvey Oberst in best picture Academy Award winner in In the Heat of the Night, and as murderer Richard Hickock opposite Robert Blake in Richard Brooks film adaptation of Truman Capotes In Cold Blood.

Other notable credits included Castle Keep, Dead Man Walking, A Year in the Quiet Sun, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and The Ninth Configuration, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

Actor Kent McCord spoke of Wilsons longtime activism in the Screen Actors Guild and recalled presenting him with the Ralph Morgan Award for service to the guilds Hollywood members in 2007. He noted that Wilson remained upbeat in recent years despite his illness.

I never once saw him shed a tear, McCord said. He was the finest person Ive ever known.

The events program included a quote from Wilsons Hershel Greene: You step outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life. And nowadays you breathe, you risk your life. Every moment now you dont have a choice. The only thing you can choose is what youre risking it for.

Those in attendance at the memorial ceremonies included Ed Asner, SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Jane Austin, Frances Fisher, Elliott Gould, Lainie Kazan and Connie Stevens. Wilson is survived by his wife, Heavenly, an artist and attorney.

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Scott Wilson of The Walking Dead Remembered at Memorial

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero