| Darwin Joston |
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Joston appeared in many popular television shows during the 1960's, early 1970's, and mid-1980's, but he is best known for his performances in Independent Film s that later achieved cult status, particularly '' Assault On Precinct 13 ''. EARLY ACTING CAREER From the mid-1960's through the mid-1970's, Joston worked primarily in television and was often cast as a soldier. He appeared in a number of popular television series including '' Lassie '' (in which he had a recurring role), '' The Virginian '', '' The Rat Patrol '', '' Ironside '', '' The Rookies '', and '' McCloud ''. He also had guest roles in episodes of the short-lived series '' Longstreet '' and ''Ghost Story/Circle of Fear''. Joston appeared in two genre films during this phase of his acting career. The first of his early film roles was that of Billy-Joe, the psychopathic, mother-obsessed, sexually-warped confederate soldier in the western-themed, 1971 Exploitation Film , '' Cain's Cutthroats ''. Joston's intense, disturbing performance stands out in a cast comprised largely of little-known actors. Joston's second film was the 1975 horror movie, '' Rattlers '', in which his character ranked among the film's " Body Count ." He played a soldier who is attacked by legions of snakes while trying to change a flat tire. ''ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13'' Joston is best known for his iconic portrayal of the sardonic, shotgun-toting, Anti-hero Napoleon Wilson in '' Assault On Precinct 13 '', John Carpenter 's 1976, Howard Hawks -inspired, Action Film . This was Joston's largest role, and it is considered to have been his best. Joston's singular performance not only conveys Wilson's stoic toughness, but also emphasizes his irreverent, ironic sense of humor and slowly reveals the character's unexpected capacities for loyalty and tenderness, thereby adding emotional depth and humanity to what otherwise could have been a stereotypical action-hero role. Moreover, Joston's performance has been repeatedly singled out as the film's best and is often cited as one of the primary reasons for ''Assault on Precinct 13'''s continued audience appeal. ''ERASERHEAD'', ''THE FOG'', ''GUNMEN'S BLUES'' During the five years following the release of ''Assault on Precinct 13'', Joston appeared in three more independent films. He played Paul, the beleaguered pencil-factory clerk, in David Lynch 's classic 1977 Cult Film , '' Eraserhead ''. He worked with Carpenter again in the 1980 Horror Film , '' The Fog '', playing the coroner, Dr. Phibes. Shortly afterward, Eric Red , then a young film-maker and a fan of Joston's performance in ''Assault on Precinct 13'', cast Joston in the lead role of the world-weary hitman in Red's 1981 short film, '' Gunmen's Blues ''. Joston also worked on the production crews of two 1978 movies, '' The Buddy Holly Story '' and ''Ruby and Oswald''. LATER CAREER After 1981, Joston got fewer roles, and he stopped acting in 1986, when he was 48 years old. Joston's last film role was in the 1982 B-movie (and '' Mystery Science Theater 3000 '' favorite), '' Being From Another Planet '', in which he appeared with his ''Assault on Precinct 13'' co-star, Austin Stoker . Joston spent the last two years of his acting career playing guest roles in television series such as '''', and '' Remington Steele '' and performing as a Voice Actor in Showtime 's 1985 animated series ''Washingtoon''. His final role was in a 1986 episode of the comedy series '' Alf ''. In the late 1970's, Joston had worked on film production crews when he was between movie roles, and after he stopped acting, he returned to this line of work and made it his full-time career. From 1986 until the mid-1990's, he worked as a driver, driver captain, or transportation captain (sometimes with his son, Shawn Solomon) on television productions and on films such as '' Down And Out In Beverly Hills '' (1986), '' La Bamba '' (1987), Lynch's 1990 film '' Wild At Heart '', and '' The American President '' (1995). DEATH Joston died of Leukemia on June 1, 1998 at age 60. Several months after his death, Joston's friends and family established the F. Darwin Solomon Endowment at the North Carolina School Of The Arts in Winston-Salem to commemorate his life and career. Since the DVD release of ''Assault on Precinct 13'', which has exposed new audiences to Joston's work, many now consider him to have been a vastly underrated actor whose talent was not duly recognized during his lifetime. TRIVIA
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