Gary Poulter

Gary Poulter
Born(1959-09-16)September 16, 1959
Upland, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 19, 2013(2013-02-19) (aged 53)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Occupationactor

Gary Poulter (September 16, 1959 - February 19, 2013) was an American street performer[1] and actor known for his lead role alongside Nicolas Cage in David Gordon Green's 2013 film Joe. Poulter was homeless, living on the streets of Austin, Texas when he was cast in the role of Wade, the abusive alcoholic father of Gary, played by Tye Sheridan.[2][3][4][5][6]

Early life

Poulter grew up in Upland, California. At 17, he joined the Navy and served on a ship in Japan. He went AWOL for 1+1⁄2 years in Japan and ultimately was court-martialed in Washington, D.C., whereupon he received a dishonorable discharge.[2]

Film role

In 2012, Poulter was recruited from the streets of Austin to play the third lead, "Wade", in the film Joe, which became his sole film performance, although he worked as a background extra in 1987 in the TV series Thirtysomething. Shortly before landing the film role, Poulter worked for a traveling carnival, but he was left naked on the side of the road after he was caught stealing money.[2]

Reviews

The Independent summed up Poulter's performance in its movie review, writing, "In his only screen role, he offers an utterly compelling portrait of a man so consumed by self-loathing that he will go to extreme lengths to destroy the life of his son."[7]

Movie critic Peter Sobczynski in his review for RogerEbert.com described Poulter's film debut as a "stunning performance" and "one of the great one-shot performances in the history of the cinema."[8]

Award

The Austin Film Critics Association gave Poulter the Special Honorary Award in 2014 for his performance in Joe.[9]

Death

Before the film's release, Poulter was found dead on February 10, 2013, at the edge of Lady Bird Lake, a river-like reservoir in Austin, Texas. His death was ruled a result of drowning with acute ethanol intoxication, as determined by a medical examiner.[2] Director Green dedicated the film Joe to Poulter.[5]

References

  1. ^ Ito, Robert (4 April 2014). "Nicolas Cage Returns to Indie Essentials With 'Joe'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d O'Connell, Joe (April 11, 2014). "His Name Was Gary Poulter". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  3. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (July 28, 2014). "Gary Poultner: From homeless breakdancer to starring alongside Nicolas Cage in Joe". The Independent. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  4. ^ ""Joe" Star Gary Poulter Remembered By Nicolas Cage". Hollywood Outbreak. 10 April 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Labrecque, Jeff (September 14, 2013). "Toronto: The sad, tragic story of the homeless-man scene-stealer in Nicolas Cage's movie, 'Joe'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  6. ^ Juzwiak, Rich (April 11, 2014). "The Tragedy of Gary Poulter, Nic Cage's Homeless Co-Star". Gawker. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  7. ^ "Joe, film review: Nicolas Cage delivers an astonishing performance in". Independent.co.uk. 24 July 2014.
  8. ^ Sobczynski, Peter. "Joe Movie Review & Film Summary (2014) - Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com.
  9. ^ "2014 Awards – Austin Film Critics Association". 7 December 2016.