Macon McCalman

Willis Macon McCalman was born on December 30, 1932, and died on November 29, 2005, in a Memphis hospital from complications of a series of strokes. Known by the nickname "Sonny," he was an American actor whose work spanned stage, film, and television across several decades.

McCalman was a native of Memphis, Tennessee, where he was involved in founding the Front Street Theatre. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War before pursuing a professional acting career. His stage work brought him to Broadway between 1971 and 1972, where he appeared in four productions: The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, Antigone, the play An Enemy of the People, and the play The Playboy of the Western World.

His entry into Hollywood film came with Deliverance in 1972. Over the following two decades he accumulated supporting roles in a range of theatrical releases, including The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979), The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), Marie (1985), directed by Roger Donaldson, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), and Falling Down (1993). Throughout his screen career he was frequently cast in dramatic and comedic supporting parts, often portraying heavies and authoritarian figures.

McCalman's television work included guest appearances on series such as Cheers, Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, Lou Grant, Three's Company, and Murder She Wrote. He also appeared in the miniseries Roots (1977) and Captains and the Kings (1976).

Following a heart attack, McCalman retired from acting in 1997 and returned to Memphis. He died there in 2005, one month before what would have been his 73rd birthday.