---
name: "Clu Gulager"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/clu-gulager"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "16 November 1928"
died: "5 August 2022"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T10:17:17.528711+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."
---

# Clu Gulager

Actor. Born 16 November 1928 in Holdenville, Oklahoma, USA. Died 5 August 2022.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 16 November 1928, Holdenville, Oklahoma, USA
- **Died:** 5 August 2022
- **Also known as:** William Martin Gulager

## Biography

Clu Gulager was an American actor, also credited as William Martin Gulager. Born on 16 November 1928 in Holdenville, Oklahoma, he died on 5 August 2022 in Los Angeles.

He studied acting at Northeastern State College and Baylor University, and trained further in Paris. Gulager became known for his television work as Billy the Kid in the series *The Tall Man* (1960–1962) and as Deputy Emmett Ryker in *The Virginian* (1964–1968). His film roles include *The Killers* (1964), *Winning* (1969), *The Last Picture Show* (1971) as Abilene, *McQ* (1974), *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985) and *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* (2019). He directed the short film *A Day with the Boys* (1969), nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Gulager was married to actress Miriam Byrd-Nethery from 1952 until her death in 2003. Their sons John and Tom Gulager have also worked in film.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Last Picture Show* (1971), Fi1m 89, as Abilene — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-picture-show.md)

## Also known for

- *Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood* (2019), Book Store Man — [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood.md)
- *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985), Burt
- *A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge* (1985), Mr. Walsh
- *Knight Rider* (1982), Eugene Hanson
- *Piranha 3DD* (2012), Mo
- *MacGyver* (1985), Walt Kirby
- *Tangerine* (2015), The Cherokee
- *Feast* (2005), Bartender

---
© 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/clu-gulager