Bill Moseley
{{short description|American actor (born 1951)}}
{{for-multi|the South African lawn bowler|Bill Moseley (bowls)|other people with similar names|William Moseley (disambiguation){{!}}William Moseley}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bill Moseley
| image = Bill Moseley by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption = Moseley in 2023
| birth_name = William Moseley
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|11|11}}
| birth_place = Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = Yale University
| occupation = Actor, musician
| years_active = 1980–present
| spouse = {{Marriage|Lucinda Jenney|2017}}
| children = 2
}}
William Moseley (born November 11, 1951) is an American actor, primarily known for his performances in horror films. His best-known roles include Chop Top in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), Otis B. Driftwood in Rob Zombie's Firefly trilogy, Luigi Largo in Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), and The Magician in Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival (2015). He had a recurring role as camp cook Possum on the HBO TV series Carnivàle (2003–05). He has also released records with guitarist Buckethead in the band Cornbugs, as well as featuring on the guitarist's solo work.
Early life
Moseley was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and grew up in Barrington Hills, Illinois.{{Cite web |date=June 20, 2015 |title=Horror Month: Interview with Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) |url=https://indiemacuser.co.uk/2015/06/20/horror-month-interview-with-bill-moseley-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-2/}} He is the son of Virginia Gillette (Kleitz), a journalist, and S. D. Moseley (Spencer Dumaresq Moseley), who was a member of the Yale Corporation, All-American captain and center of the 1942 Yale football team, and chairman and chief executive of the Railway Express Agency.{{Cite web |title=Bill Moseley on Instagram: "A salute to my father, Spencer D Moseley, who loved skiing and first brought the family to @vailmtn in 1962. This run's for you, pop!" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUL67ohc11/ |url-access=registration |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BuUL67ohc11 |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |website=Instagram}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite news |last=Cook |first=Joan |date=May 24, 1991 |title=S. D. Moseley, 72, Football Star at Yale And Executive, Dies (Published 1991) |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/24/obituaries/s-d-moseley-72-football-star-at-yale-and-executive-dies.html}}{{Cite web |title=VIRGINIA MOSELEY – Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/chicagotribune/152372064 |website=www.legacy.com}} His grandfather, George Moseley, also played football at Yale and was an All-American. He is a graduate of Yale University.
For a period of time, Moseley operated as a journalist, writing for such magazines as Omni,{{Cite book |last=Jaworzyn |first=Stefan |title=The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Companion |publisher=Titan Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-78116-497-6 |pages=131–132}} National Lampoon and Psychology Today.
Acting career
At the age of 29, Moseley got his first film role in Alan Rudolph's Endangered Species as a cab driver. In 1985's Osa he played a character named "Quilt Face." His third role has become one of his most well known; he appeared as Chop Top in Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, after Tobe Hooper saw him in the independent short, The Texas Chainsaw Manicure. In 2000 he reprised his role as Chop Top in All American Massacre, which was directed by Tobe Hooper's son William, but the film was never released to the public.{{Cite web |url=http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3455914/bill-moseley-played-chop-top-chainsaw-2-sequel-may-never-see/ |title=Bill Moseley Played Chop Top in a 'Chainsaw 2' Sequel We May Never See |last=Squires |first=John |date=August 29, 2017 |website=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=October 17, 2017}}
Two years after TCM 2, he played Frank in 1988's Mamba. Also in 1988 appeared as a soldier in the remake of the Steve McQueen film The Blob. He next played Darrell in the film Pink Cadillac starring Clint Eastwood.{{Cite web |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/texas-chainsaw-3d-bill-moseley-reflects-on-a-monster-career/ |title='Texas Chainsaw 3D': Bill Moseley reflects on a monster career |last=McIntyre |first=Gina |date=January 4, 2013 |website=Hero Complex |access-date=October 17, 2017}} He then played the lead role of Ricky Caldwell in Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!.{{Cite web |url=http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3413560/bill-moseley-clears-confusion-army-darkness-role/ |title=Bill Moseley Clears Up Confusion About 'Army of Darkness' Role |last=Squires |first=John |date=November 4, 2016 |website=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=October 17, 2017}}
In 1990, Moseley appeared in four films: Crash and Burn, The First Power, The End of Innocence, and, playing Johnny, in Tom Savini's remake of George A. Romero's 1968 zombie film, Night of the Living Dead. In 1993, he had a small role in the cult hit Army of Darkness as the Deadite Captain. A year later, he was featured in the video game Corpse Killer. In 1995, he did voiceover work for Anders Jacobsson's horror comedy film Evil Ed.
He would not, however, have another role as popular as Chop Top until 2003, when he starred as the maniacal Otis B. Driftwood (named after Groucho Marx's character from A Night at the Opera) in Rob Zombie's directorial debut House of 1000 Corpses. As Otis, he again became an icon in the horror community. In 2005, he reprised the role of Otis in the sequel The Devil's Rejects and in 2009 he played Otis in a voice cameo in Rob Zombie's animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto.{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/87581/bill-moseley-american-exorcist/ |title=Bill Moseley Is an American Exorcist |publisher=FEARnet |date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=January 30, 2015}} Moseley's performance in Rejects inspired an independent campaign for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, which failed. He played in other Rob Zombie films such as Halloween and the Grindhouse fake trailer segment Werewolf Women of the SS.
File:Moseley, Bill (2007).jpg for his work on Repo! The Genetic Opera]]
In 2008, Moseley played the role of Luigi Largo in Repo! The Genetic Opera. In this futuristic, genetic opera, he was able to network with Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy and ohGr, subsequently appearing on ohGr's new album Devils in my Details. He mainly speaks at the beginning or ending of the songs in vivid, poetic rants. He appears on Eyecandy, Feelin' Chicken, Psychoreal, Timebomb, Smogharp, and Witness. Additionally, in 2008, Moseley appeared as a telemarketer in the music video for Combichrist's Sent to Destroy".
Moseley contributed songs to the 2008 soundtrack of Vampira: The Movie, a documentary by Kevin Sean Michaels on Maila Nurmi, in which he also stars. It was released on Collectables Records, a division of Alpha Video.
He appears as Kozlowski in Robert Lieberman's 2009 thriller film The Tortured,{{cite web|url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18032|title=AFM '09: Promo Trailer for Twisted Pictures' 'The Tortured'!|date=November 8, 2009|publisher=BloodyDisgusting}} and in 2012 played as The Magician in The Devil's Carnival.{{cite web|url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/b25632_two_tickets_devils_carnival_please.html |title=Two Tickets To 'The Devil's Carnival' Please | News Article |publisher=FEARnet |date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=March 19, 2013}}
Moseley has also provided voice-over recordings for the Florida-based heavy metal band – Generichrist and also British goth-metal band Sinnergod on the track "Overture" which features on their 2013 debut album Seven Deadly Sinphonies.
He later made appearances in Texas Chainsaw 3D and American Exorcist.
In 2019, Moseley appeared in Gothic Harvest with Lin Shaye and Sofia Mattsson, directed by Ashley Hamilton. He also reprised his role as Otis B. Driftwood in 3 From Hell. Horror Fuel magazine reports that Moseley will star in the horror film Jasper alongside Michael Berryman, Kane Hodder and Bill Oberst in 2022.
He recorded voiceovers for Ice Nine Kills' 2021 horror film-themed album The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood.
Music career
Moseley (as Chop Top) was the lead singer of Cornbugs, a three-man band he had between 1999 and 2007 with avant-garde rock/metal guitarist Buckethead and Deli Creeps' drummer, Pinchface. He also contributed vocal parts to the songs I Come in Peace (as a news reporter) and Onions Unleashed (as Onions) from Buckethead's album Giant Robot (1994) and Jowls from Buckethead's album Monsters and Robots (1999), also as Chop Top.
Moseley, along with Rani Sharone, released albums No Way Down and The Devil Rides West, calling themselves Spider Mountain.{{cite web |title=Chop Top's BBQ Home Page |url=http://choptopsbbq.com |access-date=March 19, 2013 |publisher=Choptopsbbq.com}}
In 2017, Moseley released the album Bill & Phil: Songs of Darkness and Despair with Pantera frontman Philip Anselmo.{{Cite web |date=2017-01-18 |title=Full Stream: Bill & Phil - 'Songs Of Darkness And Despair' |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/01/18/full-stream-bill-phil-songs-of-darkness-and-despair/ |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=Decibel Magazine}}
Personal life
Moseley is married to actress Lucinda Jenney, with whom he has a daughter.{{cite web|last=Ortiz Garcia|first=Eric|title=PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND Interview: Bill Moseley on Crafting Another Memorable Antagonist|date=September 27, 2021|website=Screen Anarchy|url=https://screenanarchy.com/2021/09/prisoners-of-the-ghostland-interview-bill-moseley-on-crafting-another-memorable-antagonist.html|accessdate=June 17, 2022}}{{cite web|last=Tinnin|first=Drew|title=Sundance 2021: Interview – Bill Moseley Talks Working With Nicolas Cage in Sion Sono's PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND|date=February 1, 2021|website=Dread Central|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/interviews/371652/sundance-2021-interview-bill-moseley-talks-working-with-nicolas-cage-in-sion-sonos-prisoners-of-the-ghostland/?amp|accessdate=June 17, 2022}} He previously dated model Lisa Lindsay-Hogg. Moseley and Lindsay-Hogg's daughter, Jane Moseley, is a model, painter and sculptor based in Los Angeles.{{cite web |last=Blasberg |first=Derek |date=November 11, 2016 |title=Meet Jane Moseley, an "It Girl" Straddling the Art and Fashion Worlds |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/11/meet-jane-moseley-an-it-girl-straddling-the-art-and-fashion-worlds |access-date=October 5, 2021 |website=Vanity Fair}}{{cite web |last=Ongley |first=Hannah |date=August 29, 2018 |title=Jane Moseley and her identical twins star in Nike's new sport campaign |url=https://i-d.co/article/jane-moseley-and-her-identical-twins-star-in-nikes-new-sport-campaign/ |access-date=October 5, 2021 |website=i-D}}
In popular culture
A sample of Moseley shouting "dog will hunt!" in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is used in the hit Primus song "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver".
Filmography
= Film =
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
1982
| Cab Driver | |
1986
| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 | Chop Top | |
1986
| Osa | Quilt Face | |
1987
| Nightmare Angel | Dr. William de Freis | Short Film |
1988
| The Blob | Soldier in Sewer | |
1988
| Frank | |
1989
| Darrell | |
1989
| Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! | Ricky | Direct-to-video |
1990
| Bartender | |
1990
| Quinn | Direct-to-video |
1990
| Man on the Hill | |
1990
| Johnny | |
1991
| Luke | |
1992
| Inside Out 2 | Dave | Segment: "I've Got a Crush on You" |
1992
| Federal Marshal | |
1992
| Deadite Captain | |
1993
| Worker | |
1995
| Director | Direct-to-video |
1995
| Evil Ed | "Loose Limbs" Killer |Voice |
2000
| Officer Ray | |
2000
| Bloody Bobby | Unreleased |
2002
| Essence of Echoes | Dr. Hilcott | |
2003
| Otis B. Driftwood | |
2003
| Vicious | Walace | Direct-to-video |
2005
| Otis B. Driftwood | |
2006
| Bong World Patron | |
2006
| Fallen Angels | Westin | |
2006
| Thr3e | Slater | |
2006
| A Dead Calling | Chief Murken | Direct-to-video |
2007
| Dr. Heinrich Von Strasser | Segment: "Werewolf Women of the SS" |
2007
| Mr. Suitcase | |
2007
| Zach 'Z-Man' Garrett | |
2008
| A Perfect Place | Eddie | Short film |
2008
| Chief Dinneli | |
2008
| Luigi Largo | |
2008
| Dexter | Direct-to-video |
2008
| Carl Tanner | |
2008
| House | Stewart | |
2009
| Professor Duncan | Direct-to-Video |
2009
| The Haunted World of El Superbeasto | Otis Driftwood |Voice |
2009
| Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet | Graveyard Gus | |
2009
| Dead Air | Logan | |
2009
| Caleb 'Cookie' Atwood | |
2010
| 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams | Mayor George W. Buckman | |
2010
| Anderson's Cross | Mr. Daniels | |
2010
| Dr. West |Voice |
2010
| John Kozlowski | |
2011
| Spider Mountain: No Way Down | Ranger Bill | Short, direct-to-video |
2011
| General Williams | |
2011
| Night of the Little Dead | Kickstand | Short film |
2012
| Rogue River | Jon | |
2012
| Highway to Hell | Lemmas | Direct-to-video |
2012
| The Magician | |
2012
| The Inflicted | Mr. O'Hara | |
2012
| Sheriff Depford | |
2013
| House of the Witchdoctor | Peter Van Hooten | |
2013
| Drayton Sawyer | |
2014
| Dread | |
2014
| John Wilson | |
2015
| Almost Mercy | Pastor Johnson | |
2015
| Old 37 | Darryl | |
2015
| The Art of Villainy | M?ster Nobody | Short film |
2015
| Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D | Johnny |Voice |
2016
| Soggy Christian | |
2016
| The Devil's Carnival: Alleluia! | The Magician | |
2016
| Grey Speckled Man | |
2016
| The Horde | Jacob Sutter | Direct-to-video |
2016
| The Possession Experiment | Father Mark Campbell | |
2016
| Slayer: Pride in Prejudice | Nazi Father | Short, direct-to-video |
2017
| Giger | |
2017
| Boar | Bruce | |
2018
| Minutes to Midnight | Gimple | |
2018
| Cynthia | Buttercup | |
2018
| Pastor James | |
2018
| Crepitus | Crepitus | |
2018
| Mr. Snowfeather | |
2019
| Doc | |
2019
| Garvan | |
2019
| Pavel | |
2019
| Otis B. Driftwood | |
2019
| Himself | Documentary |
2019
| Detective Hollis | |
2019
| Mr. Kharver | |
2019
| Slayer: The Repentless Killogy | Nazi Dad | |
2020
| Steve Mcreedy | |
2020
| In Search of Darkness: Part II | Himself | Documentary |
2021
|The Governor | |
2022
|Father Dunn | |
2022
|Jasper | |
2022
|The Caller |Short Film |
2023
| Hayride to Hell | Farmer Sam | |
2023
| The Fetus | Maddox/Father of Alessa | |
2023
|Natty Knocks |Abner Honeywell | |
2024
|They Turned Us Into Killers |{{TableTBA}} |
2024
|Jimmy |{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/bill-moseley-stream-slasher-terrifier-1236073095/|title=Horror Legend Bill Moseley Joins Cast of 'Terrifier' Team's Upcoming Slasher 'Stream' (EXCLUSIVE)|website=Variety|first=William|last=Earl|date=July 16, 2024|access-date=July 16, 2024|archive-date=July 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716161423/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/bill-moseley-stream-slasher-terrifier-1236073095/|url-status=live}} |
= Television =
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
1989
| Buzz | Episode: "Black Tickets" |
1989
| Sgt. Jones | Episode: "Terms of Enlistment" |
1991
| Kane / Larry Webster | Episode: "The Priest Killer Mystery" |
1993
| Himself | Episode: "Vice Academy"; uncredited |
1994
| Blood Run | Hank | Television film |
1995
| Customer #1 | Episode: "A Dime a Dance" |
1996
| Episode: #9.9 |
2002
| Task Force Officer | Television film |
2002
| Rex | Television film |
2003
| The Practice | Jake Spooner | Episode: "Victims' Rights" |
2004
| ER | Charlie | Episode: "Forgive and Forget" |
2003–2005
| Possum | 8 episodes |
2007
| Joel | 3 episodes |
2010–2019
| Without Your Head | Himself | 4 episodes |
2012–2013
| Crazy Max | 5 episodes |
2014
| Z Nation | General McCandles | Episode: "Full Metal Zombie" |
2014
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Bernie | Episode: "In Dreams" |
2015–2017
| Adam Green's Scary Sleepover | Himself | 3 episodes |
2017
| Additional Voices | Episode: "Uncle Grandpa's Odd-yssey" |
2019
| Slasher | Homeless Guy | 2 episodes |
=Music videos=
class="wikitable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! Artist |
---|
rowspan="4"| 2021
| "Hip to Be Scared" | rowspan="7" | Captain Harris | rowspan="8" | Ice Nine Kills |
"Assault & Batteries" |
"Rainy Day" |
"Funeral Derangements" |
2022
| "The Shower Scene" |
rowspan="2" |2023
|"Welcome to Horrorwood" |
"Meat & Greet" |
2025
| "The Great Unknown " | Ludwig von Leberkäse |
=Video games=
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.choptopsbbq.com/ Chop Top's BBQ, Bill Moseley's official site]
- [http://www.oldies.com/product-view/12452.html Vampira: The Movie soundtrack featuring Bill Moseley]
- {{IMDb name|0608405}}
- Interview with Bill Moseley at [http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature.php?id=816 Eye for Film]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moseley, Bill}}
Category:Male actors from Illinois
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American sketch comedians
Category:Male actors from Stamford, Connecticut
Category:Yale University alumni