Muse Watson
{{Short description|Film actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Muse Watson
| image = Muse Watson.png
| alt =
| caption = Watson in March 2009
| birth_name = Robert Gravel
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|07|20}}
| birth_place = Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S.
| education = Louisiana Tech University
Berea College
| occupation = Actor
| known_for = {{Ubl|Mike Franks (NCIS)|Charles Westmoreland (Prison Break)|I Know What You Did Last Summer}}
| children = 1
}}
Muse Watson Gravel (born Robert Gravel; July 20, 1948), commonly known as Muse Watson, is an American actor. He is notable for his recurring roles of Mike Franks on NCIS and Charles Westmoreland / D.B. Cooper in Prison Break, and film roles as Hank Corrigan in Something to Talk About, and Ben Willis, the killer in I Know What You Did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.{{Cite news |last=Guidry |first=Leigh |date=27 October 2013 |title=Louisiana native a success in movies, TV |url= |work=Sioux City Journal |location=Sioux City, Iowa}}{{Cite news |last=Simpson |first=Cindy |date=3 January 2011 |title='NCIS' storyline puts Watson in spotlight |url= |work=Roane County News |location=Roane County, Tennessee}}{{Cite news |last=Morrow |first=Terry |date=12 November 2005 |title=Watson breaking free from horror typecasting |url= |work=The Journal Gazette |location=Fort Wayne, Indiana}}{{Cite news |last=Baron |first=Daivd |title=Following a Muse—Playing 'Last Summer's' Bad Guy Was a Good Move for Muse Watson |url= |work=The Times-Picayune |location=New Orleans |date=26 November 1997}}
Early life
Watson was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. His father died when he was five years old, and Watson and his three siblings were raised by their mother and maternal grandfather. Watson said his grandfather had a big influence on him, and after finding out that Robert Gravel was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild, he legally changed his name to Muse Watson Gravel, in honor of his grandfather. Watson graduated from Bolton High School in 1966, and then attended Louisiana Tech for two years on a music scholarship. After leaving Louisiana Tech, he transferred to Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.
It was at Berea College where he became interested in acting, scoring a role as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. He then left Berea and went on the road starring in productions of Man of La Mancha and Promises, Promises. After a year of touring, he returned to Berea, but at graduation time, he was told his degree would be withheld because he hadn't "gone to church enough". He decided to leave school and moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to live with his sister. He worked for Pathway Bellows for seven years before moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee to work as a manufacturing representative, while still making time for auditions and plays.
Career
Watson is credited with appearing in more than 60 movies and 50 television episodes. He is best known for his recurring roles of Mike Franks on NCIS and Charles Westmoreland in Prison Break, and as Ben Willis, the killer in the horror films, I Know What You Did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and as the vampire C. W. Niles in From Dusk Till Dawn 2.
Other notable appearances include: American Outlaws, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, A Day Without a Mexican, Dead Birds, Down in the Valley, IOWA, Morgan's Ferry and Songcatcher.
When Watson was living in Chattanooga, he was hired to do extras casting for King Kong Lives. He also made connections with people in the North Carolina film industry and became a Teamster, building his own fleet of trucks that he hired out for productions on the East Coast. After a guest appearance on Matlock and his role in Something to Talk About, he moved to Los, Angeles where Marion Dougherty helped him in obtaining an agent. Watson said he considers his appearance in the film Something to Talk About as his "breakout role".
He has also directed theater for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Bessie Smith Foundation, taught acting at the Georgia State Prison, and taught reading and writing at Berea College's literacy outreach program. Before changing his name to Muse Watson, he had credits as Robert Gravel, working as a stunt driver in Steel Magnolias and Mississippi Burning. In the film I Know What You Did Last Summer, Watson performed the majority of his own stunts, which included a very long underwater sequence.
In 2002, he was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in If I Die Before I Wake at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and in 2011, won best actor for his performance in A Christmas Snow, at the Trail Dance Film Festival.
Watson starred in a stage adaptation of the TV movie A Christmas Snow at the Starlite Theater in Branson, Missouri.
In 2007, Watson made a guest appearance on Ghost Whisperer in the episode Delia's First Ghost; the episode reunited with his I Know What You Did Last Summer co-star and series star Jennifer Love Hewitt, who plays Melinda Gordon on the show.
Personal life
Filmography
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan="5" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Films |
|---|
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes ! {{abbr|Refs|References}} |
| 1988
| |Stunt driver |
| 1989
| |Stunt driver |
| 1989
|Patrol officer | |
| 1990
|Guardian | |
| 1990
|Blind Vengeance |Varsac | |
| 1993
|Drifter | |
| 1995
|Hank Corrigan | |
| 1995
|Zimmer | |
| 1995
|Ketcham | |
| 1997
|I Know What You Did Last Summer |Ben Willis | |
| 1997
|Henry Andrews | |
| 1997
|Store clerk | |
| 1997
|Acts of Betrayal |Trenton Fraser | |
| 1997
|A Texas Birthday | | |
| 1998
|Baker cop | |
| 1998
|I Still Know What You Did Last Summer |Ben Willis | |
| 1998
|Captain | |
| 1998
|If I Die before I Wake |Daryl | |
| 1999
|From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money |C. W. Niles | |
| 1999
|The Art of the Bullet |Captain Walters | |
| 1999
|Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me |Klansman | |
| 1999
|Cleaner | |
| 2000
|Parley Gentry | |
| 2000
|Ten Grand |Big Tony | |
| 2001
|Sheriff Billy Ray Barnwell | |
| 2001
|Burly detective | |
| 2002
|Hollywood Vampyr |Professor Fulton | |
| 2003
|Season of the Hunted |Frank | |
| 2003
|Wild Turkey | |Short film |
| 2004
|Sheriff Jimmy James | |
| 2004
|Elmer | |
| 2004
|Father | |
| 2004
|The Last Summer |Jerimiah Shuman | |
| 2004
|Louis McClaire | |
| 2004
|The Dark Agent and the Passing of the Torch Chapter |Lester King | |
| 2005
|House of Grimm | | |
| 2005
|Bill Sr. | |
| 2005
|IOWA |Sheriff Walker | |
| 2005
|Adolfo | |
| 2009
|D. Ray White | |
| 2009
|Stellina Blue | | |
| 2009
|Rick O'Leary | |
| 2010
| | |
| 2010
|Mr. Browman | |
| 2010
|The Steamroom |Pat | |
| 2011
|Sam | |
| 2012
|Frank | |
| 2013
|Frank Merle | |
| 2014
|Between the Sand and the Sky |Boss | |style="text-align:center" |{{cite web |title=Between the Sand and the Sky |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/664875/between-the-sand-and-the-sky#overview |website=TCM}} |
| 2014
|Ambrose | |
| 2016
|Dark Resonance |Professor Walter Jackson | |
| 2016
|Saved From Sorrow: Mysterious Grace |Jeremiah | |
| 2017
|Terry | |
| 2019
|The Dead Ones |Gus | |
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan="5" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Television |
|---|
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes ! {{abbr|Refs|References}} |
| 1990
|Blind Vengeance |Vrsac |TV movie |
| 1993
|Patrol officer |TV series; (2 episodes) |
| 1994
|Bartender Jesse |TV movie |
| 1994
|Justice in a Small Town |Robert Stubbs |TV movie |
| 1994
|Leave of Absence |Guy |TV movie |
| 1995
|Wash Sutpen |TV series |
| 1995
|Gramps |Father |TV movie |
| 1995
|Tad |Tom Pendel |TV movie |
| 1995
|Whitley |TV movie |
| 1996
|Dawkins |TV series; (2 episodes) |
| 1999
|JAG |Admiral Arthur Fessenden |TV series |
| 1999
|Freddie Forbes |TV series; (2 episodes) |
| 2003
|The Last Cowboy |Otis Bertram |TV movie |
| 2005-2008
|TV series; (19 episodes) |
| 2006
|Bob Peters |TV series |
| 2006
|Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall |Captain Barnes |TV movie |
| 2006-2017
|NCIS |TV series; (20 episodes) |
| 2007
|Mickey Bates |TV series |
| 2007
|Milt Charles |TV series |
| 2009
|Jake Cooby |TV series |
| 2009
|John Norwood |TV series |
| 2009
|Bucky |TV series |
| 2010
|Ivan Podofski |TV series |
| 2011
|Officer Tom Werth |TV series |
| 2013
|Quint |TV series |style="text-align:center" |{{cite web |title=Eagleheart, Quint, S03E07 |url=https://programmetv.ouest-france.fr/serie/humoristique/eagleheart-m165555880/s03e07-quint-c165538501/ |website=Programme TV Ouest-France |language=fr}} |
| 2014
|Elmont Swain |TV series |
| 2021
|Diary of a Lunatic: Sylke's Tales |The Creator |TV mini-series; (8 episodes) |
References
{{reflist |refs=
{{cite news |date=2007-05-06 |title=Raymond Cruz, right, and Muse Watson in 'From Dusk Till Dawn II.' |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/05/06/arts/06moraCA02ready.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=1553-8095 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422003320/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/05/06/arts/06moraCA02ready.html |archive-date=2021-04-22 |access-date=2023-08-12}}
{{cite news |date=2008-05-11 |title=Muse Watson |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/person/221146/Muse-Watson |url-status=dead |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=1553-8095 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512015000/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/221146/Muse-Watson |archive-date=2008-05-12 |access-date=2023-08-12}}
{{cite news |title=Now streaming: Buffalso mini-series premieres on Amazon Prime |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-now-streaming/132111792/ |work=The Buffalo News |date=March 18, 2021 |location=Buffalo, New York |page=2}}
{{cite news |last1=Morrow |first1=Terry |title='Prison Break' role frees up actor -- Once typecast as a serial killer, now he's better known as a kindly inmate |work=The Commercial Appeal |agency=Scripps Howard News Service |date=October 29, 2005 |location=Memphis, Tennessee|id={{ProQuest|394176991}} |page=5}}
{{cite magazine |last=Gingold|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Gingold |title=The 11th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Winners! |magazine=Fangoria |date=July 2002 |issue=214 |page=11}}
{{cite news |last1=Pickle |first1=Betsy |title=Muse Watson; He knows what you did last summer |work=Knoxville News Sentinel |date=October 31, 1997 |id={{ProQuest|393452108}} |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |page=10}}
{{cite news |last1=Sain |first1=Cliff |title=TV, Branson actor Muse Watson talks about autism |work=Springfield News-Leader |date=September 19, 2012 |id={{ProQuest|1041162710}} |location=Springfield, Missouri}}
{{cite news |last1=Guidry |first1=Leigh |title=From Bolton to Hollywood |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk-bolton-to-hollywood/132050717/ |work=The Town Talk |date=October 15, 2013 |location=Alexandria, Louisiana |page=A1}}
{{cite news|last1=Guidry |first1=Leigh |title=Watson|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk-watson/132050793/ |work=The Town Talk |date=October 15, 2013 |location=Alexandria, Louisiana |page=A7}}
{{cite news |last1=Morrow |first1=Terry |title=Branching out: Prison Break actor escapes typecasting |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-record-news-branching-out/132111353/ |work=Wichita Falls Times Record News |agency=Scripps Howard News Service |date=November 6, 2005 |location=Wichita Falls, Texas |page=3E}}
}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0002901}}
- [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/muse_watson Muse Watson] at Rotten Tomatoes
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Muse}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:Male actors from Louisiana