Herbert Coward, Toothless Man from âDeliveranceâ known for pet squirrel, dead at 85

A beloved actor known as “The Squirrel Man” was one of two people killed in a crash in North Carolina, officials said.

Herbert “Cowboy” Coward, 85, was known for his role as the Toothless Man in the 1972 movie “Deliverance” and was often seen with his pet squirrel, according to IMDb and the N.C. State Highway Patrol.

“He had the pet squirrel on a leash, tied to his overalls,” Sgt. Michael Owens told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “The squirrel was with him all the time.”

But Coward’s life was cut short Jan. 24 in a Haywood County crash. State troopers said Coward was driving when he failed to yield to the right of way and pulled in front of a pickup truck.

Coward and his passenger, 78-year-old Bertha Brooks, died in the crash. The actor’s chihuahua and pet squirrel also were killed, troopers said.

The 16-year-old driver of the truck was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Coward and Brooks had been in a relationship. The actor was well-known in Haywood County and had the nickname “The Squirrel Man,” The Mountaineer reported.

“For years and for thousands of people, especially children, Cowboy Coward, his antics, and his squirrel put smiles on so many faces,” Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, wrote in a Facebook post. “Whether it be at the grocery store or a random encounter, Cowboy would laugh, take a picture, and confirm yes that was him in ‘(Deliverance).’

The deadly crash was reported along U.S. Highway 19 near Canton, a mountain town roughly 20 miles southwest of Asheville. Troopers said Coward and Brooks were leaving a doctor’s appointment when their sedan collided with the truck.

Troopers don’t believe speed or distraction contributed to the crash. As of early Jan. 25, no one was charged.

Coward’s character, known as the “Toothless Man” for his missing front teeth, is one of the men who hold several of the paddlers at gunpoint while one is sodomized. Coward became the indelible face to one of the most infamous scenes in 1970s cinema, contributing the line, “He got a real purty mouth, ain’t he?”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.