Billy Redden
Encyclopedia
Billy Redden is an American
actor
best known for his role as Lonnie, the banjo-playing boy, in the 1972 movie Deliverance
.
Redden, then 15, earned his role in Deliverance during a casting call at Clayton Elementary School in Clayton, Georgia
. To add authenticity and humor to the film, the filmmakers found Redden to fit the look of the inbred and mentally retarded banjo
boy called for by the book, although Redden himself is neither. His distinctive look was enhanced using special makeup.
In his famous scene, Redden plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos
" opposite actor Ronny Cox
on guitar. It is noted for foreshadowing the film's theme: exploring unknown and potentially dangerous territory. Redden could not actually play the banjo. A local musician, Mike Addis, reached around from behind Redden; this was disguised using careful camera angles.
Jon Voight
claimed Redden "was a boy who had a genetic imbalance
– a product of his mother and his brother, I think. He was quite amazing, a very talkative fellow."
Redden also appeared in Tim Burton
's 2003 film Big Fish
. Burton was intent on getting Redden, who hadn't appeared in a film since Deliverance, to play the role of a banjo-playing welcomer in the utopian town of Spectre. Burton eventually found him in Clayton, Georgia, where Redden worked as a cook, dishwasher, and part-owner of the Cookie Jar Café.
In 2004, Redden made a guest appearance on Blue Collar TV
playing an inbred car repairman named Ray in a "Redneck Dictionary" skit, for the word "raisin bread" (as in "Ray's inbred"). He played a banjo in the skit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his role as Lonnie, the banjo-playing boy, in the 1972 movie Deliverance
Deliverance
Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the...
.
Redden, then 15, earned his role in Deliverance during a casting call at Clayton Elementary School in Clayton, Georgia
Clayton, Georgia
Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,019 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Rabun County and is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains.-History:...
. To add authenticity and humor to the film, the filmmakers found Redden to fit the look of the inbred and mentally retarded banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
boy called for by the book, although Redden himself is neither. His distinctive look was enhanced using special makeup.
In his famous scene, Redden plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos
Dueling Banjos
"Dueling Banjos" is an instrumental composition by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. The song was composed in 1955 by Smith as a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos", which contained riffs from "Yankee Doodle". Smith recorded it playing a four-string plectrum banjo and accompanied by...
" opposite actor Ronny Cox
Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox is an American character actor, singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Personal life:Cox, the third of five children, was born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the son of Lounette and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico...
on guitar. It is noted for foreshadowing the film's theme: exploring unknown and potentially dangerous territory. Redden could not actually play the banjo. A local musician, Mike Addis, reached around from behind Redden; this was disguised using careful camera angles.
Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
claimed Redden "was a boy who had a genetic imbalance
Genetic imbalance
Genetic imbalance is to describe situation when the genome of a cell or organism has more copies of some genes than other genes due to chromosomal rearrangements or aneuploidy....
– a product of his mother and his brother, I think. He was quite amazing, a very talkative fellow."
Redden also appeared in Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's 2003 film Big Fish
Big Fish
Big Fish is a 2003 American fantasy adventure film based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film was directed by Tim Burton and stars Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Marion Cotillard. Finney plays Edward Bloom, a former traveling salesman from...
. Burton was intent on getting Redden, who hadn't appeared in a film since Deliverance, to play the role of a banjo-playing welcomer in the utopian town of Spectre. Burton eventually found him in Clayton, Georgia, where Redden worked as a cook, dishwasher, and part-owner of the Cookie Jar Café.
In 2004, Redden made a guest appearance on Blue Collar TV
Blue Collar TV
Blue Collar TV was a television program that aired on The WB Television Network with lead actors Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary American society, and especially hillbilly, redneck, and Southern stereotypes. The show was...
playing an inbred car repairman named Ray in a "Redneck Dictionary" skit, for the word "raisin bread" (as in "Ray's inbred"). He played a banjo in the skit.