Everett McGill
Is an American retired actor, who rose to prominence for his portrayal of a caveman in Quest for Fire (1981). He went on to have prominent roles in the films Dune (1984), Silver Bullet (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Iguana (1988), Licence to Kill (1989), The People Under the Stairs (1991) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). On television he appeared as "Big" Ed Hurley in Twin Peaks (1990–1991).
Everett McGill

Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Everett McGill
- Birth Name
- Charles Everett McGill III
- Born
- 21 October 1945
- Birthplace
- Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actor
- Full name
- Everett Charles McGill III.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Is an American retired actor, who rose to prominence for his portrayal of a caveman in Quest for Fire (1981). He went on to have prominent roles in the films Dune (1984), Silver Bullet (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Iguana (1988), Licence to Kill (1989), The People Under the Stairs (1991) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). On television he appeared as "Big" Ed Hurley in Twin Peaks (1990–1991).
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Documentary evidence
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wikidata · Q721586 · wikipedia · Everett McGill
In this article
Biography
Biography
He retired from acting in 1999, but returned for the revival of Twin Peaks.

Damon Lindelof, Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Dana Ashbrook, Kimmy Robertson, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Matthew Lillard and Don Murray speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Twin Peaks", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Damon Lindelof, Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Dana Ashbrook, Kimmy Robertson, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Matthew Lillard Don Murray

Everett McGill speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Twin Peaks", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Everett McGill
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Everett McGill • Birth Name — Charles Everett McGill III • Born — 21 October 1945 • Birthplace — Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1972–1999, 2015–2017 Charles Everett McGill III (born October 21, 1945)
Early life
Early life
McGill was born in Miami Beach, Florida. He graduated from Rosedale High School in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1963 and the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1967.
Career
Career
McGill has a relatively short filmography and has made something of a career of playing sadistic military types or terrorists. He managed to garner some level of fame by appearing in films such as Brubaker starring Robert Redford. McGill's roles include Chad Richards on the soap opera The Guiding Light in 1975 and 1976. After coming into the public eye in 1981 for his leading role as the rugged caveman Naoh in Quest for Fire, McGill appeared in Silver Bullet, a 1985 werewolf film inspired by a Stephen King short story; the Korean War battle epic Field of Honor and the Clint Eastwood war film Heartbreak Ridge in 1986; and in the 1989 installment of the James Bond franchise Licence to Kill. In 1988, McGill played the title role in Iguana directed by Monte Hellman. In 1990–91, he appeared in the television series Twin Peaks. In 1991, McGill reunited with his Twin Peaks co-star Wendy Robie; the two appeared as the villains of the Wes Craven feature The People Under the Stairs. In 1996, he starred in the film My Fellow Americans alongside James Garner and Jack Lemmon. He has worked on a number of occasions with director David Lynch. McGill first worked with Lynch in the 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, in which he played Fremen leader Stilgar. McGill later appeared as Ed Hurley on Lynch's television series Twin Peaks. McGill also appeared in Lynch's 1999 film The Straight Story. After Lynch searched for him in his country home, the actor and director reunited, and McGill decided to come out of retirement specifically to reprise the role of Big Ed Hurley, in the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks.
Filmography
Filmography
• Yanks (1979) as White G.I. at dance • Union City (1980) as Larry Longacre • Brubaker (1980) as Eddie Caldwell • Quest for Fire (1981) as Naoh • Dune (1984) as Stilgar • Silver Bullet (1985) as Reverend Lester Lowe • Field of Honor (1986) as Sergeant "Sire" De Koning • Heartbreak Ridge (1986) as Major Malcolm Powers • Iguana (1988) as Oberlus • Licence to Kill (1989) as Ed Killifer • Jezebel's Kiss (1990) as Sheriff Dan Riley • Twin Peaks (1990–1991/2017) as Big Ed Hurley • The People Under the Stairs (1991) as Eldon "Daddy" Robeson • Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) as Marcus Penn • My Fellow Americans (1996) as Colonel Paul Tanner • Jekyll Island (1998) as Dalton Bradford • The Straight Story (1999) as Tom the John Deere Dealer
Identity
Identity
Everett McGill is recorded as actor.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,515 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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