Billy Redden (born 1956 in Rabun County, Georgia) is an American actor best known for his role as Lonnie, the banjo-playing boy, in the 1972 film Deliverance.
Redden, then 15, earned his role in Deliverance during a casting call at Clayton Elementary School in Clayton, Georgia. To add authenticity and humor to the film, the filmmakers found Redden to fit the look of the inbred and intellectually disabled banjo boy called for by the book, although Redden himself is neither.
His distinctive look was enhanced using special makeup.
In his famous scene, Redden plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos" opposite actor Ronny Cox on guitar. It is noted for foreshadowing the film's theme: exploring unknown and potentially dangerous territory.
Redden could not actually play the banjo. A local musician, Mike Addis, reached around from behind Redden; this was disguised using careful camera angles.
