Donald Yearnsley Wilson III (January 21, 1948 – January 16, 1989) was an American character actor known for playing rural, authoritarian type characters, most notably in comedies such as Raising Arizona and Bull Durham.
Wilson was born in Houston, Texas to Donald Yearnsley Wilson and Irene Louise Wilson.He attended Bellaire High School in Houston. He majored in English and theater at the University of Houston. It was there that he met Judy Blye, a well-known New York soap opera casting agent, and they were married on August 25, 1975.
During his career, Wilson appeared in numerous stage productions and 30 films or television shows, including guest roles on Spenser: For Hire and The Equalizer. On stage, he appeared in The Front Page at Lincoln Center and on Broadway, he appeared with Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan. He also appeared in Pat Benatar's music video "Love Is a Battlefield" as the father who throws her out of the house. His most memorable roles were in two films, Raising Arizona, as unpainted furniture store owner Nathan Arizona, and Bull Durham, as Joe Riggins, manager of the Durham Bulls minor league baseball team.
Wilson was 41 when he died from a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City on January 16, 1989. He had been cast in the Coen brothers' film Miller's Crossing at the time of his death and was replaced by Albert Finney. Wilson's last film was Great Balls of Fire!, the biopic of Jerry Lee Lewis, where he played legendary American record producer Sam Phillips.
