Billy Redden, the actor famous for playing the creepy banjo boy in the 1972 Oscar-nominated thriller Deliverance, is now unrecognisable after facing serious financial struggles in later life.
Redden was just 15 when he appeared in the film, which was directed by Brit John Boorman and nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. He played "backwoods mountain boy" Lonnie, who engages in a musical duel with a businessman on a canoe trip. His brief but haunting scene became one of the film's most memorable moments.
Boorman hand-picked Redden while scouting local schoolchildren in Georgia, US, for the iconic Duelling Banjos scene. Redden was not a trained actor and could not play the banjo, but Boorman thought his haunted expression made him perfect for the role. A musician actually hid behind him to create the illusion, yet Redden's intense stare turned him into a cultural phenomenon.
Life After the Film
Billy's life went in a wholly different direction after the film, and he ended up "struggling really hard to make ends meet". Now aged 69, he is all grown up and unrecognisable from the creepy banjo kid he played all those years ago.
Deliverance raked in millions, but Billy saw little of the profits. He was paid only a modest fee for his work and returned to small-town life once the cameras stopped rolling. Initially, he tried to capitalise on his overnight fame by running tourist trips down the Chattooga River, which was featured in the film. He later worked a string of jobs, including as a store associate at Walmart, a dishwasher and a cafe hand.
Later Roles and Financial Struggles
Billy also played a "banjo man" in a number of other films, including Tim Burton's 2003 hit Big Fish, Outrage: Born in Terror, Blue Collar TV, and Blastfighter.
In the 2012 documentary, The Deliverance of Rabun County, Billy opened up about his financial struggles. He told producers: "I'd like to have all the money I thought I'd make from this movie. I wouldn't be working at Walmart right now. And I'm struggling really hard to make ends meet."
He went on to defend the reputation of the county, adding: "We're not a bad people up here, we're a loving people. Rabun County is a pretty good town. It's real peaceful, not a lot of crime going on. Everybody pretty much gets along with everybody."
Recent Support
Billy has now been retired for several years and has had "mounting medical bills" and a lack of social security support, according to close friend Kip Ramey. In 2023, he started a GoFundMe page to support the Hollywood star and raised tens of thousands of dollars, the Spokesman.com reported. Kip also drove Billy to a couple of fan conventions, where he got to meet some Deliverance acolytes and take photos with them.
