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IMDbPro

Mel Tillis(1932-2017)

  • Actor
  • Composer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis was born on 8 August 1932 in Tampa, Florida, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Cannonball Run (1981), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) and Every Which Way But Loose (1978). He was previously married to Julia Ann Edwards and Doris Yvonne Duckworth. He died on 19 November 2017 in Ocala, Florida, USA.
BornAugust 8, 1932
DiedNovember 19, 2017(85)
BornAugust 8, 1932
DiedNovember 19, 2017(85)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 4 wins & 11 nominations

Photos

Denver Pyle and Mel Tillis in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)
Adrienne Barbeau, Jackie Chan, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Moore, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Jack Elam, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Rick Aviles, Warren Berlinger, Tara Buckman, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Michael Hui, Joe Klecko, Hal Needham, Mel Tillis, and Alfie Wise in The Cannonball Run (1981)
Kirk Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ann-Margret, Jack Elam, Paul Lynde, Foster Brooks, Ruth Buzzi, and Mel Tillis in The Villain (1979)

Known for:

Adrienne Barbeau, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Moore, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. in The Cannonball Run (1981)
The Cannonball Run
6.2
  • Mel
  • 1981
John Cusack and Minnie Driver in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Grosse Pointe Blank
7.3
  • Soundtrack("Detroit City")
  • 1997
Clint Eastwood in Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
Every Which Way But Loose
6.3
  • Mel Tillis(uncredited)
  • 1978
Hamburger Hill (1987)
Hamburger Hill
6.7
  • Soundtrack("Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town")
  • 1987

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Palo Pinto Gold (2009)
    Palo Pinto Gold
    • Storyteller #2
    • 2009
  • Beer for My Horses (2008)
    Beer for My Horses
    • Bob the Plumber
    • 2008
  • Huntin' Buddies (2008)
    Huntin' Buddies
    • Mel
    • Video
    • 2008
  • Bandit: Bandit Goes Country (1994)
    Bandit: Bandit Goes Country
    • Mel
    • TV Movie
    • 1994
  • Uphill All the Way (1986)
    Uphill All the Way
    • Booger Skaggs
    • 1986
  • Marilu Henner, Shirley MacLaine, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Telly Savalas, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jamie Farr in Cannonball Run II (1984)
    Cannonball Run II
    • Mel
    • 1984
  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
    • Danny Hartman (as M-m-m-mel Tillis)
    • TV Series
    • 1983
  • Adrienne Barbeau, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Moore, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. in The Cannonball Run (1981)
    The Cannonball Run
    • Mel
    • 1981
  • Stockers
    • Curtis Witlock
    • TV Movie
    • 1981
  • Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
    Smokey and the Bandit II
    • Fairground Owner
    • 1980
  • Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol
    • Dennis Pritchett
    • TV Movie
    • 1979
  • Catherine Bach, Ben Jones, Denver Pyle, John Schneider, and Tom Wopat in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)
    The Dukes of Hazzard
    • Burl Tolliver
    • TV Series
    • 1979
  • The Villain (1979)
    The Villain
    • Telegraph Agent
    • 1979
  • Clint Eastwood in Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
    Every Which Way But Loose
    • Mel Tillis (uncredited)
    • 1978
  • Nashville 99 (1977)
    Nashville 99
    • Mel Tillis
    • TV Series
    • 1977

Composer

  • Huntin' Buddies (2008)
    Huntin' Buddies
    • Composer
    • Video
    • 2008

Producer

  • Uphill All the Way (1986)
    Uphill All the Way
    • executive producer
    • 1986

Personal details

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  • Alternative name
    • M-m-m-mel Tillis
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • August 8, 1932
    • Tampa, Florida, USA
  • Died
    • November 19, 2017
    • Ocala, Florida, USA(respiratory failure)
  • Spouses
      Julia Ann EdwardsMarch 21, 1979 - ? (divorced, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Pam Tillis
  • Other works
    CD: "All His Great Hits" (USP)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    He wrote the song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", a hit for Kenny Rogers in 1968. The song was based on a couple having marital problems, who lived near his family home in Florida. Tillis left the couple's true life ending out of the song wherein the husband murdered his wife and then killed himself.
  • Quotes
    [on the pre- rock'n'roll era] Back then there wasn't many albums. You sold singles.
  • Trademark
    Stuttering, which disappears when he sings

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