Herbert “Cowboy” Coward was an actor best known for his role as “Toothless Man” in the hit 1970s thriller, “Deliverance,” where he delivered the infamous “purty mouth” line.
- Died: January 24, 2024 (Who else died on January 24?)
- Details of death: Died in Haywood County, North Carolina, in an auto accident at the age of 85.
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Herbert Coward’s legacy
Coward, nicknamed “Cowboy” and best known for playing a mountain man was, in fact, born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina. He worked as a laborer before getting a job performing at an Old West-themed amusement park near his Haywood County home. He briefly worked with actors Burt Reynolds (1936–2018) and Dan Blocker (1928– 1972) when they made appearances there.
In 1970, while “Deliverance” was being filmed, Blocker and Reynolds remembered Coward and suggested to producers that he be given a role. Reynolds called to recruit Coward to the film, leading Coward to being cast as Toothless Man and delivering the iconic line: “He got a real purty mouth, ain’t he?”
Coward did not continue acting after “Deliverance,” though he did make appearances on the Discovery show “Moonshiners” and in the 2007 film “Ghost Town: The Movie.” Otherwise, Coward worked at a factory in Asheville and was well known to locals for his pet squirrel and chihuahua, who were often with him when he went out. Coward, his girlfriend, Bertha Brooks, and both pets were killed in a highway crash.
Tributes to Herbert Coward
Full obituary: WLOS ABC News
