Billy Redden shot to fame as a child for playing the banjo boy in the Oscar-nominated 1972 thriller Deliverance, but his life took a sad turn and he fell on hard times

The banjo boy from Deliverance left an unforgettable mark on movie lovers back in 1972. ‌

Billy Redden was just 15 when he appeared in the Oscar-nominated thriller . The film directed by Brit John Boorman was a smash hit when it came out in 1972. It was nominated for three Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. ‌

Despite his brief stint in the film, Billy arguably had the most memorable moment in the movie. He played "backwoods mountain boy" Lonnie, who gets into a musical duel with a businessman on a canoe trip. ‌

He had been hand-picked by Boorman, who was scouting local schoolchildr

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