{"id":1284,"date":"2012-02-05T23:28:47","date_gmt":"2012-02-06T05:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=1284"},"modified":"2012-02-05T23:46:14","modified_gmt":"2012-02-06T05:46:14","slug":"bill-hinzmanfirst-night-of-the-living-dead-zombie-dead-at-76","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=1284","title":{"rendered":"Bill Hinzman,First NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Zombie Dead at 76"},"content":{"rendered":"

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He was the silver screen\u2019s first zombie and today he passed away. George Romero\u2019s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) was not technically the first zombie movie, but it was the first to present the living dead in the way that we know and love. Bill Hinzman played what\u2019s known as \u201cThe Graveyard Zombie\u201d, the flesh-eating, slow-moving ghoul who attacks Barbara (Judith O\u2019Dea) and her brother in the iconic film\u2019s opening minutes. Hinzman was a staple on the horror movie convention circuit and would often dress up in ratty clothes and zombie makeup to pose with his many fans. Bill Hinzman had a few other roles in horror films including a bit in Romero\u2019s THE CRAZIES (1974) as well as straight-to-video schlock such as SANTA CLAWS (1988). In 1988, Hinzman wrote, directed, and co-starred in FLESHEATER where he (sorta) reprised his role from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. There have been dolls, busts, and model kits of the \u201cThe Graveyard Zombie\u201d, the brief role that cemented Bill Hinzman\u2019s place in cult movie immortality. He died today of cancer at age 76.<\/p>\n

A fixture on the convention circuit, Bill was always there with a smile for fans, often appearing in costume as the famed ghoul we all grew up with.<\/p>\n

Rest In Peace