De naam Bill Hinzman zal waarschijnlijk niemand wat zeggen, maar voor 'ons soort' mensen is deze man een levende legende. Want hij was de zombie in de eerste en originele George Romero's Night of the Living Dead uit 1968. Daarnaast stond hij ook achter de camera's waar hij oa verantwoordelijk was voor diverse horror producties. James Rolfe van Cinemassacre had een tijdje geleden een interview met hem dat je hier kan bekijken.

Actor, director, and cinematographer Bill Hinzman died of cancer on February 5th at the age of 75. Right-hand man to George Romero, Hinzman is recognizable for small roles in Night of the Living Dead, The Crazies, and Santa Claws, but it was his work behind the camera that made for the bulk of his career.

Born in 1936, Bill is probably best recognized as the first zombie in Romero's seminal Night of the Living Dead. He stuck with Romero, playing small roles and working behind-the-scenes as a grip and assistant camera operator. His first official cinematographer credit came on Romero's The Crazies in 1973, and he continued on this path throughout his career.

Sticking mainly with horror films, Hinzman worked as a director of photography on genre projects such as The Langoliers, Scream Queens' Naked Christmas, Santa Claws, and Children of the Living Dead. His directorial debut came in 1987 with The Majorettes, and FleshEaters the following year was practically a one-man-show, with Hinzman writing, directing, producing, and editing.

The last few years saw Hinzman slowing down a bit, sticking with small on-camera roles that reprised the role that made him famous: zombies.