Geoffrey Deuel, known for playing Billy the Kid in John Wayne’s Chisum, dies at 81 | Hollywood

Veteran actor Geoffrey Deuel, best known for portraying famed outlaw Billy the Kid in the 1970 John Wayne vehicle Chisum, has passed away. He was 81.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Geoffrey Deuel died on December 22 in hospice care in Largo, Florida, after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His wife Jacqueline Deuel confirmed the news of his demise to the portal.

Deuel appeared on many TV shows from the mid-1960s through the mid-’70s, showing up on The Monkees, The Invaders, The FBI, The Flying Nun, Medical Center, Mannix, Adam-12, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible, The Streets of San Francisco, Ironside, Cannon and The Young and the Restless, among others.

Geoffrey Jacob Deuel was born in Lockport, New York, on Jan. 17, 1943, and raised in nearby Penfield. His father, Ellsworth, was a doctor and his mother, Lillian, a nurse.

In the 1980s, Deuel performed in plays in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood and returned to school to earn a master’s degree from the University of South Florida. He worked for years as a substitute teacher.

He is survived by his wife – whom he married in 2017 after four decades of being together – and younger sister, Pamela.