Career
Willingham has appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Chinatown (1974),The Boys in Company C (1978), Norma Rae (1979), Harry's War (1981), Independence Day (1983), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), the HBO Movie The Heist (1989), City Slickers (1991), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), City Slickers II (1994), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), and Up Close and Personal (2001).
Willingham was teaching high school government and economics in Houston before he followed his dream of becoming an actor. He auditioned for a part in The Last Picture Show (1971), which was filmed in Texas. He won the role, which led to another appearance, in 1973's Paper Moon.
On television, Willingham had a recurring role in the ABC series Home Improvement with Tim Allen as John Binford, and appeared as a guest star in the 1975 CBS family drama series Three for the Road. He also guest starred on Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989), Northern Exposure, Rockford Files, Tucker's Witch with Tim Matheson and Catherine Hicks, and Quantum Leap. His additional television credits include A Woman with a Past, The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, and Unconquered. He also played the conductor in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler (1980), he appeared in the 1986 miniseries Dream West, and appeared in Men Don't Tell (1993).
He was best known for his role as C.D. Parker on the series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 1999. He left the show to run for the United States House of Representatives.
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