Scott Wilson, the actor who played one of The Walking Dead's most-beloved characters, has died. Wilson, who played Hershel Greene in Seasons 2 through 4 of AMC's zombie series, has died at age 76 following a battle with cancer. News of his death was confirmed by the official Twitter account for The Walking Dead, which said the following:
The news was met with much sadness throughout The Walking Dead community as actors including Chandler Riggs, Michael Cudlitz, and Garrett Dillahunt shared their condolences. At New York Comic Con, news of Scott Wilson's death spread not long after new showrunner Angela Kang announced he would return to play Hershel at some point in Season 9. This means fans will have one more chance to see the actor onscreen in character despite the announcement of his passing, although it's not known exactly when that will take place.
Scott Wilson became a quick fan-favorite on The Walking Dead, as Hershel Greene was the veterinarian healer of the group and sometimes the voice of reason for the Survivors when times got rough. Wilson's time on The Walking Dead was initially supposed to conclude in Season 2, but the show's writers decided to keep Hershel alive to explore the dramatic impact of him losing the farm. Wilson stayed with the series all the way to Season 4, where he was decapitated by The Governor. Hershel would appear via flashbacks in the Season 4 finale, but has not appeared in The Walking Dead since that season, although we now know that will change.
Scott Wilson's career began long before his time on The Walking Dead, with his first credited role coming in the 1967 classic film In The Heat Of The Night. Wilson would remain active in the film world following that appearance, and wouldn't get his first television role until 1986, when he appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Wilson would slowly embrace television a bit more over the next couple of decades, and eventually landed a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as a casino owner named Sam Braun.
A few television appearances and some years later Sam Wilson would appear on The Walking Dead, although the end of Hershel Greene was not the end of his run in Hollywood. Wilson would appear in character roles in Bosch and Damien, and would get another major role as Prairie Johnson's father in the Netflix original series The OA. The series was renewed for Season 2 some time ago, although it is not known if Wilson was set to appear in any of those episodes or not.
CinemaBlend would like to offer its condolences to the family and friends of Scott Wilson and wish them well during this troubling time.
