William Kerwin
Born(1927-04-17)April 17, 1927
San Diego, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 27, 1989(1989-10-27) (aged 62)
Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
Other names
  • Thomas Sweetwood
  • Thomas Wood
  • Rooney Kerwin
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1958)​
    ​
    (m. 1964)​
    Children3

    William Kerwin (April 17, 1927 – October 27, 1989) was an American actor and filmmaker. He was most well known for his character roles in the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis.

    Career

    Kerwin enjoyed some success on the stage and screen before being discovered by Herschell Gordon Lewis through the promotional short Carving Magic. His first feature film with Lewis was Living Venus, and he went on to star in some of the director’s best known works such as Blood Feast. In addition to playing principal roles, Kerwin served variously as the assistant director, makeup technician, gaffer, key grip and prop man for Lewis’ films.[1] Kerwin was thus often involved in creating the gory practical effects that would become Lewis’ trademark.

    Whether working with Lewis or other directors, Kerwin was closely associated with the exploitation film movement. In particular, he was known for work in nudist films and splatter films.

    Throughout his career, Kerwin often performed under pseudonyms such as Thomas Wood in order to appear in non-union productions. He was registered with the Screen Actors Guild under his real name of Willam Kerwin.[2]

    Personal life

    Kerwin’s first marriage was to actress Hanna Hertelendy from 1953 to 1958. Kerwin had one daughter from his marriage to Hertelendy, costume designer Barbara Kerwin.

    In 1964, Kerwin married Connie Mason, who he met while filming Blood Feast. The couple had two daughters, Denise and Kim, and remained married until Kerwin's death in 1989.

    Kerwin was the brother of director Harry Kerwin and appeared in several of his films throughout the 1970s including God's Bloody Acre, Barracuda and Tomcats.

    All three of Kerwin’s daughters pursued film careers for at least a decade.[3][4][5] Half-sisters Barbara and Kim Kerwin had bit roles in Herschell Gordon Lewis’ The Gruesome Twosome[6] as children; William Kerwin himself did not appear in this movie. Both girls also collaborated with their uncle Harry Kerwin; Barbara had a small role in Sweet Bird of Aquarius while Kim acted in Cheering Section.[7] Denise, William Kerwin’s youngest daughter, is the only of the three to never work with Lewis or Harry Kerwin during her acting career.

    A heavy drinker and smoker both on and off-camera throughout his life, Kerwin died from a heart attack on October 27, 1989 at his home in Hollywood, Florida at age 62.

    Filmography

    Film

    YearTitleRoleNotesReferences
    1959Carving MagicJoeShort promotional film sponsored by Swift & Company.[8][9]
    1961Living VenusJackWhile his character is credited as Jack, he is referred to throughout the movie as John V. Norwall[10]
    The Long RopeSteve Matthews[11]
    1963Blood FeastDetective Pete ThorntonCredited as Thomas Wood[12]
    Goldilocks and the Three BaresTommy SweetwoodCredited as Tommy Sweetwood[13]
    1964Two Thousand Maniacs!Tom WhiteCredited as Thomas Wood[14]
    1967A Taste of BloodDr. Hank Tyson[15]
    1968Suburban RouletteMarty Conley
    1969Childish ThingsMr. Sullivan[16]
    1971Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful ThingsLead DetectiveCredited as Thomas Wood[17]
    1974ImpulseSoldier[18]
    1976No Way BackGoon #4[19]
    1977TomcatsDetective Tom GarrettCredited as Thomas Dowling[20]
    1978BarracudaSheriff Ben Williams[21]
    1981Absence of MaliceWalkerCredited as Rooney Kerwin[22]
    1985The Heavenly KidSuburbaner[23]

    Television

    YearTitleRoleNotesReferences
    1958The Adventures of Wild Bill HickokTom5 episodes[24]
    1982Romance TheatreJacob5 episodes
    1985 Miami Vice Paul 1 episode

    References

    1. ↑ Eyman, Scott (16 September 1984). "Killer B's". Fort Lauderdale News.
    2. ↑ Edwards, Matthew (2018). Film Out of Bounds: Essays and Interviews on Non-Mainstream Cinema Worldwide. McFarland. p. 47.
    3. ↑ "Barbara Kerwin".
    4. ↑ "Denise Kerwin".
    5. ↑ "Kim Kerwin".
    6. ↑ The Gruesome Twosome (1967) - IMDb
    7. ↑ "Cheering Section (1977)".
    8. ↑ "William Kerwin".
    9. ↑ "Carving Magic".
    10. ↑ n.a. "AFI Catalog of Feature Films - Living Venus". AFI. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
    11. ↑ Tim Peelman (2021-02-06). "The Long Rope (1961) – rarefilmm | The Cave of Forgotten Films". Rarefilmm.com. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    12. ↑ "Happy birthday, "Blood Feast": digging into the guts of the very first "splatter" film | Features". Roger Ebert. July 3, 2013. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    13. ↑ "Goldilocks and The Three Bares - The Grindhouse Cinema Database". Grindhousedatabase.com. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    14. ↑ "Arrow Video US - Cult, Classic & Horror Movies".
    15. ↑ "A Taste of Blood (1967) - Movie". Moviefone. 1967-08-09. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    16. ↑ pankaj (2019-12-25). "Childish Things (1969) – rarefilmm | The Cave of Forgotten Films". Rarefilmm.com. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    17. ↑ "Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things".
    18. ↑ "Impulse - The Grindhouse Cinema Database". Grindhousedatabase.com. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    19. ↑ "No Way Back - The Grindhouse Cinema Database". Grindhousedatabase.com. 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    20. ↑ "TOMCATS (1977) - SCREEN ARCHIVES ENTERTAINMENT". Screenarchives.com. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    21. ↑ Gardner, Caine (2014-08-10). "Barracuda (1978)". The Film Yap. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    22. ↑ "Absence of Malice - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    23. ↑ "The Heavenly Kid - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
    24. ↑ Chance, Norman (2011). Who was Who on TV, Volume 3. Xlibris Corporation.
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