![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/the-banjo-boy-from-deliverance-looks-unrecognisable-decades-after-quitting-showbiz/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0_deliv01.jpg&description=The 1972 thriller Deliverance was Billy Redden's first film role as Lonnie the banjo kid. Half a century later, he's trying to shake the Southern stereotypes Movie buffs will remember the banjo kid from the beginning of the 1972 thriller Deliverance, but wouldn't be able to recognise him now. The banjo kid, real name Lonnie in the film, was played by Billy Redden who was 15 years old at the time of filming. Now Billy is 66 years old and he left the world of Hollywood behind. Billy wasn't a trained actor when he was hired for Deliverance, he was just a local of Rabun County in Georgia where the film was made. He also couldn't play the banjo, the instrument his character became famous for. During filming, Billy had to wear a special shirt that let an actual banjo player slip his arms through to make it look like Billy was actually playing the instrument. In the film, Billy's character Lonnie plays "Dueling Banjos," a 1954 song composed by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, with the character Drew, played by Ronnie Cox. It seems like the duel is playful, with locals dancing to the music. At the end of the song, Drew tries to shake Lonnie's hand but the latter doesn't acknowledge him. The film starred the aforementioned Ronnie Cox plus Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Jon Voight as they canoe into the Georgia wilderness and face Southern locals with deadly results. The "Dueling Banjos" scene has become iconic in cinema and has leading to a lawsuit because the film did not get Smith's permission to use the song. The version that appeared on the soundtrack was performed by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell. Billy leaned into his character for a few years, conducting trips down the Chattooga River for tourists flocking to the area after watching the blockbuster movie. He also appeared with a banjo in other movies afterward, such as Big Fish and Blastfighter. The last time he ventured into acting was in 2009, so he took on a few odd jobs to pay the bills. Billy worked various posit){kind=link}
The 1972 thriller Deliverance was Billy Redden’s first film role as Lonnie the banjo kid. Half a century later, he’s trying to shake the Southern stereotypes
Movie buffs will remember the banjo kid from the beginning of the 1972 thriller Deliverance, but wouldn’t be able to recognise him now.
The banjo kid, real name Lonnie in the film, was played by Billy Redden who was 15 years old at the time of filming.
Now Billy is 66 years old and he left the world of Hollywood behind. Billy wasn’t a trained actor when he was hired for Deliverance, he was just a local of Rabun County in Georgia where the film was made.
He also couldn’t play the banjo, the instrument his character became famous for. During filming, Billy had to wear a special shirt that let an actual banjo player slip his arms through to make it look like Billy was actually playing the instrument.