THOMASVILLE — Actor Scott Wilson, who died Saturday in Los Angeles, California, leaves behind not only many fans of his work, but many local people who recall his humble, soft-spoken and kind demeanor.

Wilson, 76, died at his home from leukemia complications, with Heavenly, his wife of 41 years, at his side.

An Atlanta native, Wilson called Thomasville home. A Thomasville High School graduate, he frequently visited his late mother and sister at their Mitchell Street residence. 

Although Wilson has had roles in well-known movies, he gained immense popularity playing veterinarian Hershel Greene on AMC’s “The Walking Dead” for which he received the 2015 People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Character.

In May 2017, Wilson attended a 50th anniversary screening in Thomasville of “In Cold Blood,” in which he and Robert Blake portrayed murderers in a true-crime, black-and-white film about the slaughter of a Kansas family.

Wilson portrayed a murder suspect in “In the Heat of the Night.” He also had roles in “The Great Gatsby,” “The Right Stuff,” “Shiloh,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Dead Man Walking,” among other films.

In 1980, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor-Motion Picture for his role in “The Actor Configuration.”

Sharon Maxwell Ferguson, co-founder of Covey Film Festival, said Wilson was asked five years ago to sign autographs and screen “Saving Shiloh.”

“At the time he was in ‘Walking Dead.’ We had fans lined up on Broad (Street) for hours to get his autograph in Grassroots,” Ferguson said. “He was so pleasant and kind to everyone. He stayed way beyond the two hours we had allocated so everyone in line got an autograph.

“Again, he was so thoughtful and spent an hour after the screening discussing his role, how lighting was used intentionally in the film, the theme and a comparison between his version and the more recent production of ‘In Cold Blood,’ ” Ferguson said.

She described Wilson’s wife “as a brilliant, thoughtful woman, and it was obvious that Scott deeply loved her.”

The first time Wilson returned for a Covey festival, Thomasville High School recognized him as a distinguished graduate in a ceremony at the school.

“He was so moved he cried back stage and for a moment, we were uncertain he would be able to come on stage,” Ferguson said. “He loved Thomasville and it meant a great deal to him to be recognized by Covey and the school.”

Karen Murphy, a former Times-Enterprise reporter, said she was honored to interview Wilson in 2014 when he was in Thomasville for the Covey Film Festival.

“He gave me amazing access to him, his 100-year-old mother and his sister,” she said. “His mother invited me into her home, which was filled with memorabilia from many of her famous son’s movies and television shows and shared her personal memories of him as a child and grown man.”

Murphy covered several events where Wilson appeared during the 2014 visit.

“At each event, he was modest, open, warm and approachable. He was incredibly moved by his warm reception in Thomasville and loved his fans very much,” she said. “He told me that out of all the characters he played, he would like to think he was most like Hershel in ‘The Walking Dead.’ He said, ‘Even in terrible times, (Hershel) still sees the humanity in people and looks for the humanity in people and is able to draw the best parts of people out.’ “

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820