Fred Pickler

Fred Pickler is an American actor, author, former Deputy Sheriff and photographer, Instructor in Police Chemical Munitions in US, Australia and New Zealand, Counter-Terrorist Munitions Instructor, whose photographs have appeared in Life Magazine.[1] He is possibly best remembered as Detective Tom Gordon/Yellow Man in David Lynch’s controversial film Blue Velvet, in which Pickler almost walked out of during its premiere.[2] He was also Deputy with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department for eight years , and as Chief Evidence Technician at the death scene of Robert Harrill,[3] in which Pickler would eventually co-write The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher about the life of Harrill, and would go on to be elected President of the Fort Fisher Hermit Society, formed in Harrill's honor.[4]

Fred Pickler (William Frederick Pickler)
Born
Pinehurst, North Carolina
OccupationActor, author, deputy, photographer, salesman, Instructor
Notable work
Blue Velvet

Biography

Pickler was born in Pinehurst before moving to Wilmington at sixteen. From 1960 to 1962, he toured with the U.S. Army as an Infantryman during the building of the Berlin Wall, and worked in intelligence collection in East Germany for a year. After a short break in service, he re-enlisted in December 1962, where he schooled in Massachusetts with the former Army Security Agency and made a short tour in Korea. He received a second honorable discharge after being reassigned to Fort Huachuca for two years and there served on the Post Rifle Team for two years. Upon Honorable Discharge his rank was Specialist Five (E-5)P His Military awards include Good Conduct Medal (2nd Award) Army of Occupation Medal(Berlin) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Korea Service Medal, Expert Infantry Badge, Expert Qualification Badges In Rifle, (M-1 & M-14) Carbine (M-1), Pistol, (1911) First Class Gunner-Recoilless Rifle, Second Class Gunner-Mortar and graduate of the Seventh Army NCO Academy March 1962 and the US Army Security Agency Electronic Countermeasures Search and Analysis course in 1963.

He became a notable photographer when hired for Wilmington’s Star-News, while also working as a stringer for United Press International. Pickler eventually became a staff photographer at the Sun Sentinel in Pompano Beach, Florida for a few months before returning to Wilmington to be a freelance photographer.

In the author bio for The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher, Pickler mentions having had numerous occupations, including driving trucks for the local zoo and an oil truck for a station at Carolina Beach, running a bar, Employment with the New Hanover County Sheriffs Department from 1971 through 1979, initially working undercover in Narcotics and Civil Intelligence collection during some tumultious times of Racial Nature. His Drug Investigations resulted in penetrating two major Heroin distribution gangs (Street Sales) and the arrest and Felony Convictions of more than 35 Hard Drug Dealers, and the arrest of members of a group called ROWP (Rights of White People) for building single and multiple shot Pipe Guns, rose to rank of Detective Sergeant , then an Auxiliary Police Officer with Carolina Beach Police Department for five years, He also taught Riot Control Procedures and Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor in the Southeastern parts of NC through Cape Fear Technical College, Samson Tech, Wake Tech, Fayetteville , Greensboro, High Point, and as Instructor at the Smith & Wesson Academy in Chemical Munitions, later years specializing in Police Chemical Munitions Instructor course, then as District Sales Manager with Smith & Wesson Law Enforcement Division from 1979–1986, then joining AAI Corporation (Aircraft Armaments Inc.) for four years, again traveling to numerous locations in the US (including Hawii) and Australia again Instructing in Law Enforcement Chemical Instructor courses (5 day course) , employed with Applied Laser Systems selling weapons mounted lasers in US and Europe, selling so much product they could not meet the demand, departed after 1 year becoming the US agent for NICO Pyrotechnik selling anti-terrorist munitions, and conducting training Sessions and Chemical Munitions Seminars at numerous locations in the US recently retiring after 25 years with NICO Pyrotechnik and Rheinmetall WM as their US Agent to the Special Operations community. His sales activity took a company selling products in the US at less than $20,000 Annual to Multi-Million dollar contracts with Police, Federal Agencies and the Special Operations Community. Semi-retired now, he is still active in Gun Shows in Fayetteville, Raleigh and Charlotte and preparing-assembling Individual Survival Kits for two elite Military agencies. During his Sales career, he traveled to Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea,Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, all of the Caribbiean Islands, Panama, Mexico, Columbia, Grenada, Barbados, Germany (East and West before reunification), France, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria,Luxembourg, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden,Finland, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Hungary, and 45 of the 50 United States. Modes of travel included Train, Car, Ship, Jeep and Aircraft including four trips on the Concorde at Mach 2 to London.

Pickler occasionally does interviews about his supporting role in Blue Velvet[2][5] and the case involving Robert Harrill, as seen in the documentary The Fort Fisher Hermit: The Life & Death of Robert E. Harrill.[6]

References
  1. The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher. SlapDash Publishing. 2014.
  2. "Remembering "Blue Velvet"". Wilmington Star News. 2006-09-17.
  3. "Case closed, mystery lingers around the death of the Fort Fisher Hermit". wect.com. Retrieved 2010. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. "UNCW - Department of Creative Writing". uncwil.edu. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  5. "Episode 4: Fred Pickler". nowplayingnetwork.net. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  6. "GE Retirees Association Begins Meeting Season". wilmingtonbiz.com. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.