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Herbert Coward, known for his role as the “Toothless Man” in the movie “Deliverance,” died Wednesday in a car crash in North Carolina, according to authorities.
Coward, 85, Bertha Brooks, 78, a Chihuahua and Coward’s pet squirrel were killed in the crash, The Associated Press reported.
Herbert Coward, the actor whose career included the small but memorable role of Toothless Man in the 1972 thriller “Deliverance,” was killed on Thursday in a motor vehicle accident in North Carolina. He was 85. https://t.co/XAcTKemwK8
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 26, 2024
Coward, who lived in Canton, North Carolina, was often seen with his pet squirrel, according to The Charlotte Observer.
According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Coward pulled out onto U.S. Route 19 in Haywood County and hit a pickup.
Coward had earlier been at a doctor’s appointment, North Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. M.J. Owens said. Authorities don’t believe speed or distraction were factors in the crash, Owens said.
Coward was known for his role in the 1972 classic “Deliverance.” The film starred Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox as a group of businessmen canoeing down a river in remote Georgia when they encounter local mountain men who assault them.
Coward’s character spoke the line, “He got a real purty mouth, ain’t he?”
In a television interview in 2022, Coward said that he was illiterate and learned his lines for “Deliverance” by listening to a script on a tape recorder.
Coward went on to appear in the 2007 film “Ghost Town: The Movie” and in one episode of the TV series “Hillbilly Blood” in 2013, according to IMDb.
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