R.I.P. Bill Hinzman, Night Of The Living Dead's original zombie

**Saruman of Many Colours** · 02-08-2012,05:34 AM

Just saw this today: http://www.avclub.com/articles/rip-b...origina,68960/

One of the cool things about movies is that they can bestow a measure of immortality even on people who didn't have extensive film careers but just happened to be in the right place at the right time. So it was with Bill Hinzman, who died Sunday of cancer at the age of 75.

In his first on-screen role, Hinzman played the "Cemetery Zombie" who appears at the beginning of George Romero's 1968 horror game-changer Night Of The Living Dead. In the movie's opening scenes, the heroine, Barbra, and her brother Johnny are visiting their father's gravesite when Hinzman appears in the background and starts lurching in their direction. Appearing to set the tone for a playful Saturday-matinee scare show, Johnny starts teasing his sister for being nervous about being in the boneyard, then goofs on Hinzman's gaunt, awkward appearance. That’s when Hinzman staggers up, makes a grab for Barbra, smartly introduces her brother's head to the side of a tombstone, and we're off to the races.