Michael J Pollard obit

R.I.P. Michael J. Pollard, who played both the cousin of Barney Fife and the cousin of Maynard G. Krebs

The "Cousin Virgil" actor also inspired the screen name of Michael J. Fox. He was 80 years old.

He was not on the list.


Michael J. Pollard passed away on November 22, 2019. The news was broken by Rob Zombie, the Halloween (2007) and Devil's Rejects director, in a Facebook post.

Zombie worked with Pollard in his 2000 cult classic House of 1000 Corpses. However, many others remember Pollard for his earlier work in classic TV and movies.

Pollard was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde as C.W. Moss. In 1988, he played Herman, a homeless man who teaches the main character about the value of life, in the Bill Murray Christmas Carol adaptation Scrooged.


He made appearances in several classic TV shows. In The Andy Griffith Show, he was cast as Virgil, Barney Fife's socially inept but talented cousin. He may spill meat in Andy's lap, but he can pick a lock and tell "a good crab joke."

On The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, he was Jerome Krebs, the cousin of Maynard G. Krebs. Pollard's character was meant to replace Maynard on the show after Bob Denver was drafted into the Army. However, once Denver failed the physical and returned to the series, Pollard's character was written out.

Perhaps one of his most iconic roles was on the first-season Star Trek episode "Miri."

"Miri" revolves around a planet where every adult has been brought down by a deadly disease and the children have formed their own community ruled by violence. Pollard plays Jahn, the leader of the children who rules with an iron fist. Star Trek fans will remember the eerily-chanted phrase "bonk, bonk on head," as Jahn urges the children to attack Kirk. It is also interesting to note that this episode was filmed on the Mayberry set.

Pollard also had another significant influence in Hollywood — he inspired the middle initial of Michael J. Fox. The Back to the Future star, born Michael Andrew Fox, needed to distinguish himself from Michael Fox, an actor seen in many Westerns on MeTV. As Fox wrote in his 2002 memoir Lucky Man: A Memoir, "I remembered one of my favorite character actors, Michael J. Pollard, the guileless accomplice in Bonnie and Clyde…. I stuck in the J, which I sometimes tell people stands for either Jenuine, or Jenius."

In 1963, he appeared on an episode of ABC's Channing, a drama about college life starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones. That same year Pollard played the role of Digby Popham in the Walt Disney family musical Summer Magic, opposite Hayley Mills.

Pollard created a rich filmography and legacy and will be remembered fondly by fans from all backgrounds, from classic to TV to his work on horror and holiday films. He was 80 years old.

Filmography

    It Happened to Jane (1959) as Lloyd (uncredited)

    Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) as George

    The Stripper (1963) as Jelly

    Summer Magic (1963) as Digby Popham

    The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) as Stanley (airplane mechanic) (uncredited)

    The Wild Angels (1966) as Pigmy

    Enter Laughing (1967) as Marvin

    Caprice (1967) as Barney

    Bonnie and Clyde (1967) as C.W. Moss

    Niagara Falls (1967)

    Jigsaw (1968) as Dill

    Hannibal Brooks (1969) as Packy

    Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970) as Little Fauss

    The Legend of Frenchie King (1971) as The Sheriff

    Morbo (1972) as Hombre de la casa

    Dirty Little Billy (1972) as Billy Bonney

    Sunday in the Country (1974) as Leroy

    Four of the Apocalypse (1975) as Clem

    Between the Lines (1977) as The Hawker

    Melvin and Howard (1980) as Little Red

    Heated Vengeance (1985) as Snake

    Riders of the Storm (1986) as Tesla

    The Patriot (1986) as Howard

    America (1986) as Bob Jolly

    Roxanne (1987) as Andy

    American Gothic (1988) as Woody

    Scrooged (1988) as Herman

    Season of Fear (1989) as Bob

    Fast Food (1989) as Bud

    Night Visitor (1989) as Stanley Willard

    Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989) as Herman

    Next of Kin (1989) as Harold

    Heartstopper (1989) as Dr. Lubbock

    Tango & Cash (1989) as Owen

    Why Me? (1990) as Ralph

    Dark Angel (1990) as Boner

    Dick Tracy (1990) as Bug Bailey

    The Arrival (1991) as Lou

    Joey Takes a Cab (1991) as Alan

    Another You (1991) as Brad (uncredited)

    The Art of Dying (1991) as Delbert

    Motorama (1991) as Lou

    Split Second (1992) as The Rat Catcher

    Arizona Dream (1993) as Fabian

    Skeeter (1993) as Hopper

    Mad Dog Time (1996) as Red Mash

    The Odyssey (1997) as Aeolus

    Stir (1997) as Hotel Manager

    Merchants of Venus (1998) as The Senator

    The Unknown Cyclist (1998) as Gabe Sinclair

    Tumbleweeds (1999) as Mr. Cummings

    The Debtors (1999)

    Forever Lulu (2000) as Hippie

    Danny and Max (2000) as Berquist

    Out of the Black (2001) as Ned

    House of 1000 Corpses (2003) as Stucky

    Sunburnt Angels (2011) as Cards

    The Woods (2012) as Moose