Earl McGraw
Encyclopedia
Earl McGraw is a fictional character
played by Michael Parks
. He appears in several feature films by Robert Rodriguez
and Quentin Tarantino
.
accent and profanity laden dialogue. In Kill Bill Volume 1, he scolds his son for saying "goddamn" in a chapel, and then goes into a profane rant himself. He and his son, Edgar, are consistently portrayed as Texas Rangers
. His son Edgar McGraw is portrayed by James Parks
, the real-life son of Michael Parks
himself, he also has a daughter who is introduced in the Grindhouse films, named Dakota, played by Marley Shelton
. To date, he has only made cameos, however his daughter has a large role in Planet Terror.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Michael Parks
Michael Parks
Michael Parks is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came...
. He appears in several feature films by Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
and Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
.
Overview
He serves primarily as comic relief amidst all the violence and pathos of Tarantino's films, much of the character's humor is derived from his hillbillyHillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
accent and profanity laden dialogue. In Kill Bill Volume 1, he scolds his son for saying "goddamn" in a chapel, and then goes into a profane rant himself. He and his son, Edgar, are consistently portrayed as Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
. His son Edgar McGraw is portrayed by James Parks
James Jean Parks
-Biography:His roles include Texas Ranger Edgar McGraw in From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, Kill Bill and Death Proof. Earl McGraw, the father of Edgar McGraw, is played by James' real life father, Michael Parks. He portrayed Deputy Gilber in the French horror film Rubber...
, the real-life son of Michael Parks
Michael Parks
Michael Parks is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came...
himself, he also has a daughter who is introduced in the Grindhouse films, named Dakota, played by Marley Shelton
Marley Shelton
Marley Eve Shelton is an American film and television actress.Shelton began her acting career in her late teens, and appeared in several 1990s' television movies and shows. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed drama Grand Canyon , and was cast in the films The Sandlot , Nixon , and...
. To date, he has only made cameos, however his daughter has a large role in Planet Terror.
Appearances
- In From Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
, McGraw goes to a liquor store where, unknown to him, killers Seth and Richie Gecko are hiding. Before McGraw can leave, he is shot in the head by Richie, who mistakenly believed that the store's clerk whispered "help us" to McGraw. His son Edgar McGraw (as Deputy McGraw) appears briefly in two scenes in the sequel film From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood MoneyFrom Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood MoneyFrom Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money is a 1999 American horror film and the sequel to From Dusk till Dawn. It was co-written and directed by Scott Spiegel, co-writer of Evil Dead 2 and director of Intruder....
. Bo HopkinsBo HopkinsBo Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins has appeared in more than one hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years, including The Bridge at Remagen, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Radioland Murders, The Killer Elite, Midnight...
references his cold demeanor and distracted nature: "Oh, them Gecko brothers killed his daddy."
- In Kill Bill Vol. 1, Earl McGraw (with his son Edgar), investigates the massacre at the Two Pines Chapel, where 10 people have been brutally murdered. He soon discovers that the bride, Beatrix KiddoBeatrix KiddoBeatrix Kiddo, primarily known as "The Bride", is a fictional character and the protagonist in the movie Kill Bill by American director Quentin Tarantino...
, is still alive.
- During the Grindhouse segment Planet TerrorPlanet TerrorPlanet Terror is a 2007 American action horror film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, about a group of people attempting to survive an onslaught of zombie-like creatures as they feud with a military unit, including a go-go dancer searching for a way to use her "useless talents." The film, a...
, McGraw is forced to kill his wife after she turns into a zombieZombieZombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
, while his daughter Dakota (Marley SheltonMarley SheltonMarley Eve Shelton is an American film and television actress.Shelton began her acting career in her late teens, and appeared in several 1990s' television movies and shows. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed drama Grand Canyon , and was cast in the films The Sandlot , Nixon , and...
) takes refuge in his house. McGraw also helps survivors gather and fight, as well as staying behind to fight off the zombie attack while the others escape. He reappears near the end, where he saves Dakota by killing her infected husband, Doctor Block. In the other Grindhouse segment, Death ProofDeath ProofDeath Proof is a 2007 American action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film centers on a psychopathic stunt man who stalks young women before murdering them in staged car accidents using his "death-proof" stunt car...
, McGraw, accompanied by his son Edgar, visits a hospital after Stuntman Mike's first attack. He is the only person aware of the fact that Stuntman Mike was responsible for the deaths of five girls, but Mike is cleared of all charges because the girls were intoxicated. Although he can't formally arrest him, Earl does however run Mike out of Texas. His daughter Dakota also appears in Death Proof with Shelton reprising her role.
- Earl McGraw's son, Edgar, appears in a deleted scene featured on the MacheteMachete (film)Machete is a 2010 action film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis. The "Machete" character originates from the 2001 Spy Kids film, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. This film is an expansion of a fake trailer that was released together with Rodriguez's and Quentin Tarantino's...
Blu-ray and DVD releases.