---
name: "Burton Gilliam"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/burton-gilliam"
fi1m_id: "burton-gilliam"
imdb_id: "nm0319096"
tmdb_id: 133952
wikidata_id: "Q5000854"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "9 August 1938"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-02T22:10:32.053163+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Burton Gilliam

## Identity

Burton Gilliam

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/burton-gilliam
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** burton-gilliam
- **IMDb ID:** nm0319096
- **TMDB ID:** 133952
- **Wikidata ID:** Q5000854
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_Gilliam, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5000854, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319096/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/133952

Actor. Born 9 August 1938 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 9 August 1938, Dallas, Texas, USA
- **Active:** 1973–1974
- **Frequently works with:** [Madeline Kahn](https://film.one/person/madeline-kahn.md)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_Gilliam, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5000854, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319096/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/133952

## Biography

Burton Gilliam is an American actor. Born in Dallas, Texas, he worked as a firefighter for the Dallas Fire Department for 14 years before entering acting.

While still employed as a firefighter, Gilliam auditioned as an extra for Peter Bogdanovich's *Paper Moon* (1973) and was cast as Floyd, the desk clerk. He followed this with the role of Lyle in Mel Brooks's *Blazing Saddles* (1974).

Gilliam has appeared in films including *Thunderbolt and Lightfoot* (1974), *Fletch* (1985) and *Back to the Future Part III* (1990), and on television series such as *The A-Team*, *Knight Rider* and *Evening Shade*. Prior to acting he had been a boxer in the US Coast Guard.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Paper Moon* (1973), Fi1m 86, as Floyd — [page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md)

## Complete filmography (62)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Lucky Man* (2018), as Pawn Broker - Dad
- *The Good Guys* (2010), series, as Locksmith
- *Breaking the Press* (2010), Actor
- *Fire from Below* (2009), as Bubba
- *Cake: A Wedding Story* (2007), as Judge
- *Retribution Road* (2007), as Allie
- *Inspector Mom* (2006), series, Actor
- *Killing Down* (2006), as Turner
- *Drop Dead Sexy* (2005), as Big Tex
- *Shtickmen* (2003), as Ray Sellers
- *Mi Amigo* (2002), as Older Pal Grisham
- *Drive-In Movie Memories* (2001), Actor
- *The Journeyman* (2001), as Silas Bishop
- *Soccer Dog: The Movie* (1999), as The Mail Man
- *The Love Bug* (1997), as Mecanic Race Announcer
- *Wild Bill* (1995), as Bartender
- *Sliders* (1995), series, as Stage Driver
- *Victim of Desire* (1995), as Lynch
- *Weird Science* (1994), series, Actor
- *The Getaway* (1994), as Gollie
- *Walker, Texas Ranger* (1993), series, as Frank
- *Honeymoon in Vegas* (1992), as Roy
- *Quake* (1992), as Willie
- *The Terror Within II* (1991), as Dewitt
- *Evening Shade* (1990), series, Actor
- *Back to the Future Part III* (1990), as Colt Gun Salesman
- *The Underachievers* (1988), as Red
- *Uphill All the Way* (1986), as Corporal
- *North and South* (1985), series, as Cpl. Strock
- *Fletch* (1985), as Bud
- *The A-Team* (1983), series, as Sheriff Jeff Lewis
- *Mama's Family* (1983), series, as Bud
- *Knight Rider* (1982), series, as Trucker Gene
- *The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite* (1981), as Hoover Hess III
- *The Georgia Peaches* (1980), as Delbert Huggins
- *The Jericho Mile* (1980), as Jimmy-Jack
- *The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything* (1980), as Hoover Hess
- *Flo* (1980), series, Actor
- *Where the Ladies Go* (1980), as Stotts
- *The $5.20 an Hour Dream* (1980), as Turnvil
- *Lawman Without a Gun* (1979), as Rev. Farrell
- *Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed Circus* (1978), as Half-Moon Muldoon
- *The Beasts Are on the Streets* (1978), as Al Loring
- *Telefon* (1977), as Gas Station Attendant
- *Another Man, Another Chance* (1977), as Sheriff Murphy
- *How the West Was Won* (1977), series, Actor
- *Charlie's Angels* (1976), series, as Ulmer
- *Alice* (1976), series, Actor
- *Gator* (1976), as Smiley
- *The Ransom of Red Chief* (1975), as Ebenezer Dorset
- *The Night That Panicked America* (1975), as Tex
- *Hearts of the West* (1975), as Lester
- *Farewell, My Lovely* (1975), as Cowboy
- *At Long Last Love* (1975), as Man at Racetrack
- *Paper Moon* (1974), series, Actor
- *Thunderbolt and Lightfoot* (1974), as Welder
- *Remember When* (1974), as Zack
- *Blazing Saddles* (1974), as Lyle
- *Paper Moon* (1973), as Floyd — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md)
- *The Waltons* (1972), series, Actor
- *Cannon* (1971), series, Actor
- *Love, American Style* (1969), series, as Jasper

## Gallery

- ![Burton Gilliam at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-3b34640d9b26.jpg) Burton Gilliam at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019 — Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Burton_Gilliam_Photo_Op_GalaxyCon_Raleigh_2019.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![_MG_6776 (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-3efc3db871ba.jpg) _MG_6776 (2019) — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/MG_6776_%2848602226296%29.jpg/1280px-MG_6776_%2848602226296%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Dallas International Film Festival (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-e9e8dc8cffa5.jpg) Dallas International Film Festival (2011) — Vanessa Lua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Burton_Gilliam.jpg/1280px-Burton_Gilliam.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![_MG_6770 (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-4f7aa98366db.jpg) _MG_6770 (2019) — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/MG_6770_%2848602227521%29.jpg/1280px-MG_6770_%2848602227521%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Burton Gilliam](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-5d810dbce961.jpg) Burton Gilliam — Image via TMDB
- ![_MG_6790 (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-7fb118cbceaf.jpg) _MG_6790 (2019) — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/MG_6790_%2848602223636%29.jpg/1280px-MG_6790_%2848602223636%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![_MG_6783 (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/3732103/gallery-95f934827d5b.jpg) _MG_6783 (2019) — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/MG_6783_%2848602225196%29.jpg/1280px-MG_6783_%2848602225196%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/burton-gilliam