Sad news has struck every horror film fan around the world today.
It turns out that Bill Hinzman, who played the cemetery zombie in Night of the Living Dead, and who was forever etched into zombie pop culture, died at age 75 from cancer.
Hinzman was also known for his other collaborative efforts with George Romero, on films like There's Always Vanilla, Hungry Wives, The Crazies and O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose. He finally broke out into writing and directing, making the low budget zombie film Flesh Eater in 1988 (which he also starred as the main zombie). His last film role according to IMDb was Harvey Hix in River of Darkness.
I personally met Bill almost a year and a half ago at Cinema Wasteland. He was a very nice guy, and super appreciative of the fans that always came by his table. Bill once said that he was "proud as hell" for being a part of Night of the Living Dead. I can surely say that I'm "proud as hell" to have met such a wonderful man.
All I can say now, as I deeply mourn the passing of one of my favorite cinematic zombies of all time, is this: Rest in peace, Bill! Your legacy will never be forgotten!
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I didn't get the news of
I didn't get the news of Bill's passing until weeks after the fact and it was a great shock.. Bill and I worked together on a number of projects in the late 90's and a better guy never was. Movie making can be a cuthroat affair and Bill was definately an exception to the rule. Generous, honest and a pleasure to work with, Bill Hinzman was one of the nicest men I have ever met in this business. He will be sorely missed by his many friends.