Wikipedia

Muse Watson

Muse Watson Gravel (born Robert Gravel; July 20, 1948), commonly known as Muse Watson, is an American actor. He is notable for his recurring roles of Mike Franks on NCIS and Charles Westmoreland / D.B. Cooper in Prison Break, and film roles as Hank Corrigan in Something to Talk About, and Ben Willis, the killer in I Know What You Did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.[2][3][4][5]

Muse Watson
Watson in March 2009
Born
Robert Gravel

(1948-07-20) July 20, 1948 (age 76)[1]
Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S.[1]
EducationLouisiana Tech University
Berea College
OccupationActor
Known for
Children1

Early life

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Watson was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. His father died when he was five years old, and Watson and his three siblings were raised by their mother and maternal grandfather.[1][6] Watson said his grandfather had a big influence on him, and after finding out that Robert Gravel was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild, he legally changed his name to Muse Watson Gravel, in honor of his grandfather.[7][6] Watson graduated from Bolton High School in 1966, and then attended Louisiana Tech for two years on a music scholarship. After leaving Louisiana Tech, he transferred to Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.[7][6]

It was at Berea College where he became interested in acting, scoring a role as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.[8] He then left Berea and went on the road starring in productions of Man of La Mancha and Promises, Promises.[8] After a year of touring, he returned to Berea, but at graduation time, he was told his degree would be withheld because he hadn't "gone to church enough".[8] He decided to leave school and moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to live with his sister. He worked for Pathway Bellows for seven years before moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee to work as a manufacturing representative, while still making time for auditions and plays.[8]

Career

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Watson is credited with appearing in more than 60 movies and 50 television episodes.[6] He is best known for his recurring roles of Mike Franks on NCIS and Charles Westmoreland in Prison Break, and as Ben Willis, the killer in the horror films, I Know What You Did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and as the vampire C. W. Niles in From Dusk Till Dawn 2.[9]

Other notable appearances include: American Outlaws, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, A Day Without a Mexican, Dead Birds, Down in the Valley, IOWA, Morgan's Ferry and Songcatcher.[10][11]

When Watson was living in Chattanooga, he was hired to do extras casting for King Kong Lives. He also made connections with people in the North Carolina film industry and became a Teamster, building his own fleet of trucks that he hired out for productions on the East Coast.[8] After a guest appearance on Matlock and his role in Something to Talk About, he moved to Los, Angeles where Marion Dougherty helped him in obtaining an agent.[8] Watson said he considers his appearance in the film Something to Talk About as his "breakout role".[12]

He has also directed theater for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Bessie Smith Foundation, taught acting at the Georgia State Prison, and taught reading and writing at Berea College's literacy outreach program.[1] Before changing his name to Muse Watson, he had credits as Robert Gavel, working as a stunt driver in Steel Magnolias and Mississippi Burning.[7][6] In the film I Know What You Did Last Summer, Watson performed the majority of his own stunts, which included a very long underwater sequence.[1]

In 2002, he was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in If I Die Before I Wake at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards,[13] and in 2011, won best actor for his performance in A Christmas Snow, at the Trail Dance Film Festival.[14]

Watson starred in a stage adaptation of the TV movie A Christmas Snow at the Starlite Theater in Branson, Missouri.[15]

Personal life

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Watson is married and has a daughter with autism, for which he has become an advocate.[15]

Filmography

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Films
Year Title Role Notes Refs
1988 Mississippi Burning Stunt driver [16]
1989 Steel Magnolias Stunt driver [16]
1989 Black Rainbow Patrol officer [17]
1990 The Handmaid's Tale Guardian [17]
1990 Blind Vengeance Varsac [16]
1993 Sommersby Drifter [16]
1995 Something to Talk About Hank Corrigan [18]
1995 The Journey of August King Zimmer [17]
1995 Assassins Ketcham [18]
1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer Ben Willis [18]
1997 Rosewood Henry Andrews [18]
1997 Lolita Store clerk [16]
1997 Acts of Betrayal Trenton Fraser [16]
1997 A Texas Birthday [16]
1998 Break Up Baker cop [17]
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Ben Willis [17]
1998 Shadrach Captain [17]
1998 If I Die before I Wake Daryl [16]
1999 From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money C. W. Niles [16]
1999 The Art of the Bullet Captain Walters [18]
1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Klansman [18]
1999 It's the Rage Cleaner [17]
2000 Songcatcher Parley Gentry [18]
2000 Ten Grand Big Tony [16]
2001 Morgan's Ferry Sheriff Billy Ray Barnwell [18]
2001 American Outlaws Burly detective [16]
2002 Hollywood Vampyr Professor Fulton [16]
2003 Season of the Hunted Frank [16]
2003 Wild Turkey Short film [16]
2004 Christmas Child Sheriff Jimmy James [17]
2004 Frankenfish Elmer [16]
2004 Dead Birds Father [16]
2004 The Last Summer Jerimiah Shuman [16]
2004 A Day Without a Mexican Louis McClaire [16]
2004 The Dark Agent and the Passing of the Torch Chapter Lester King [16]
2005 House of Grimm [16]
2005 Down in the Valley Bill Sr. [16]
2005 IOWA Sheriff Walker [16]
2005 End of the Spear Adolfo [16]
2009 White Lightnin' D. Ray White [18]
2009 Stellina Blue [18]
2009 Timer Rick O'Leary [17]
2010 Small Town Saturday Night [18]
2010 The Presence Mr. Browman [18]
2010 The Steamroom Pat [18]
2011 The Lamp Sam [17]
2012 Meeting Evil Frank [17]
2013 The Last Exorcism Part II Frank Merle [17]
2014 Between the Sand and the Sky Boss [19]
2014 Suburban Gothic Ambrose [17]
2016 Dark Resonance Professor Walter Jackson [17]
2016 Saved From Sorrow: Mysterious Grace Jeremiah [17]
2017 Valley of Bones Terry [17]
2019 The Dead Ones Gus [17]
Television
Year Title Role Notes Refs
1990 Blind Vengeance Vrsac TV movie [16]
1993 Matlock Patrol officer TV series; (2 episodes) [18]
1994 The Birds II: Land's End Bartender Jesse TV movie [17]
1994 Justice in a Small Town Robert Stubbs TV movie [16]
1994 Leave of Absence Guy TV movie [16]
1995 American Gothic Wash Sutpen TV series [18]
1995 Gramps Father TV movie [18]
1995 Tad Tom Pendel TV movie [17]
1995 Tecumseh: The Last Warrior Whitley TV movie [17]
1996 The Lazarus Man Dawkins TV series; (2 episodes) [16]
1999 JAG Admiral Arthur Fessenden TV series [17]
1999 Walker, Texas Ranger Freddie Forbes TV series; (2 episodes) [17]
2003 The Last Cowboy Otis Bertram TV movie [17]
2005-2008 Prison Break Charles Westmoreland TV series; (19 episodes) [17]
2006 Close to Home Bob Peters TV series [18]
2006 Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall Captain Barnes TV movie [17]
2006-2017 NCIS Mike Franks TV series; (20 episodes) [18]
2007 Criminal Minds Mickey Bates TV series [17]
2007 Ghost Whisperer Milt Charles TV series [18]
2009 The Mentalist Jake Cooby TV series [18]
2009 Cold Case John Norwood TV series [17]
2009 iCarly Bucky TV series [17]
2010 Castle Ivan Podofski TV series [17]
2011 Franklin & Bash Officer Tom Werth TV series [18]
2013 Eagleheart Quint TV series [20]
2014 Justified Elmont Swain TV series [18]
2021 Diary of a Lunatic: Sylke's Tales The Creator TV mini-series; (8 episodes) [21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Muse Watson: Biography". TCM.
  2. ^ Guidry, Leigh (October 27, 2013). "Louisiana native a success in movies, TV". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa.
  3. ^ Simpson, Cindy (January 3, 2011). "'NCIS' storyline puts Watson in spotlight". Roane County News. Roane County, Tennessee.
  4. ^ Morrow, Terry (November 12, 2005). "Watson breaking free from horror typecasting". The Journal Gazette. Fort Wayne, Indiana.
  5. ^ Baron, Daivd (November 26, 1997). "Following a Muse—Playing 'Last Summer's' Bad Guy Was a Good Move for Muse Watson". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans.
  6. ^ a b c d e Guidry, Leigh (October 15, 2013). "Watson". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. p. A7.
  7. ^ a b c Guidry, Leigh (October 15, 2013). "From Bolton to Hollywood". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. p. A1.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Pickle, Betsy (October 31, 1997). "Muse Watson; He knows what you did last summer". Knoxville News Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. p. 10. ProQuest 393452108.
  9. ^ Morrow, Terry (November 6, 2005). "Branching out: Prison Break actor escapes typecasting". Wichita Falls Times Record News. Wichita Falls, Texas. Scripps Howard News Service. p. 3E.
  10. ^ "Muse Watson". The New York Times. May 11, 2008. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  11. ^ "Raymond Cruz, right, and Muse Watson in 'From Dusk Till Dawn II.'". The New York Times. May 6, 2007. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  12. ^ Morrow, Terry (October 29, 2005). "'Prison Break' role frees up actor -- Once typecast as a serial killer, now he's better known as a kindly inmate". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. Scripps Howard News Service. p. 5. ProQuest 394176991.
  13. ^ Gingold, Michael (July 2002). "The 11th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Winners!". Fangoria. No. 214. p. 11.
  14. ^ Miller, Derrick (February 1, 2011). "'Snow' wins top prize at TDFF". The Duncan Banner.
  15. ^ a b Sain, Cliff (September 19, 2012). "TV, Branson actor Muse Watson talks about autism". Springfield News-Leader. Springfield, Missouri. ProQuest 1041162710.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Watson, Muse 1948–". Encyclopedia.com.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Muse Watson: Credits". TVGuide.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Muse Watson - Filmography". Rotten Tomatoes.
  19. ^ "Between the Sand and the Sky". TCM.
  20. ^ "Eagleheart, Quint, S03E07". Programme TV Ouest-France (in French).
  21. ^ "Now streaming: Buffalso mini-series premieres on Amazon Prime". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, New York. March 18, 2021. p. 2.
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