Antagonists Wiki

I did not kill Medgar Evers, no sir. But he sure is dead.
~ De La Beckwith simultaneously denying killing Medgar Evers and celebrating his death.

Byron De La Beckwith, Jr. is the main antagonist of the 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi. He is a white supremacist and former member of the Ku Klux Klan who assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Mississippi in 1963. He is a fictionalized version of the real De La Beckwith, who was found guilty of Evers' murder in 1994, 30 years after committing the crime.

He was portrayed by James Woods, who also played Hades in Hercules, Dr. Phillium Benedict in Recess: School's Out, Falcon in Stuart Little 2, Gloomius Maximus in Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun, Captain Ahab in The Adventures of Moby Dick, Ned Trent in The Specialist, Martin Walker in White House Down, George Sheffield in Scarface: The World is Yours, Lester Diamond in Casino, Tom Hedden in Straw Dogs, Maximilian "Max" Bercovicz in Once Upon a Time in America, and himself in Family Guy.

Biography[]

The film begins in 1963. One night, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was returning to his home. De La Beckwith was anticipating his arrival, and hid behind the bushes. He then shot Evers when he was about to enter into the house. Evers managed to crawl to the door, and then proceeded to die in his wife Myrlie's arms. After Evers' murder, De La Beckwith was put on trial twice, only to walk away free both times. Myrlie devoted 25 years of her life to bringing her husband's assassin to justice.

De La Beckwith appears later on in the film as an elderly man. When he heard that Bobby DeLaughter was taking Myrlie's case, he tried to discourage him from pursuing it with death threats and bomb threats. Eventually, De La Beckwith was tried again for Evers' murder, and this time, he was found guilty of murder, and was sentenced to life in prison.

De La Beckwith died in prison in 2001.

Navigation[]

           Sony Pictures Logo Villains

Animated Features
Wicked Wazir | Grifter the Ringmaster | Snivley | Mugger | Green Goose | Tanya Malachite | Ali and Bobo | Madame Hecuba | Tulip | Pete Belinsky | Loc-Nar | The Girl | Ard | The Queen | Hanover Fiste | Captain Lincoln F. Sternn | Dark Heart | Marvin McNasty | Lumpy and Bones | Hexxus | Lou the Goanna | Rothbart | Bridget | Alligators | Eva Friedal | Tyler | Lambert | Odin | The Crystal | Boyd | Monty | Rock Holmes | Duke Red | Vincent Volaju | Edward Steam | Sephiroth | Remnants of Sephiroth (Kadaj) | Rufus Shinra | The Beast | Constance Nebbercracker | Seijiro Inui | Shaw | Tank Evans | Frederic Downing | Curtis Miller | Ron Davis | Fifi | Mayor Shelbourne | General Grawl | Professor Kipple | Doug | Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine | Allan | Tom | Pedro | Falcon | Aristides Silk | Red Rackham | Chief De Silva | Lions | Queen Victoria | Black Bellamy | Budzo | Cecil | Arachnids | Quasimodo Wilson | Esmeralda | Ada Wong | Svetlana Belikova | Unidentified Tyrants | Normal Lickers | Ezekiel Stane | Heraclio | Sota | Sir Clorex | Chester V | Live Corp (Chester V's Holograms & Barb) | Punisher | Black Widow | Leviathan (Orion) | Cain | Bela | Bat Cronies | Ed & Edna | Shero | Cizer | Dogs | King Leonard Mudbeard | Green Pigs (Ross) | Titus Drautos | Ardyn Izunia | Somnus Lucis Caelum | Douche | Gargamel (2017) | Azrael (2017) | Monty | Akihiko Kayaba | Glenn Arias | Diego Gomez | Maria Gomez | A-Virus | Zombies | Smiler | Anti-Virus Bots | Hunter | Thaddeus and Rufus | King Herod | Abraham Van Helsing | Ericka Van Helsing | Wolfram | Swordkil | Daigo | Nobu | All For One | Kingpin | Doctor Octopus | Prowler | Green Goblin | Scorpion | Tombstone | Zeta | Debbie | Glenn | Brad | Axel | Carl | Jerry | Kira | Hank | Nine | Slice | Mummy | Chimera | League of Villains (Tomura Shigaraki) | Himiko Toga | Ilvira | Gingerbread Guards | Baba Yaga | Kolobok | Enmu | Akaza | PAL | PAL Labs (PAL Max, Glaxxon 5000 & PAL Max Prime) | Pockets | Lutador | Lapin | Barry | Pigmies | Luther | Hamsters

Live-Action Features
Dr. Terwilliker | Ben Wade | Charlie Prince | Dr. Strangelove | General Buck Turgidson | Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper | Wilhelm Tanz | Colonel Sandauer | Dr. Noah | Vesper Lynd | Le Chiffre | King Claudius | Edmund | Regan | Goneril | Duke of Cornwall | Billy Boy | French Taunter | Bridge Keeper | Rabbit of Caerbannog | Knights Who Say Ni | Three-Headed Giant | Black Beast of Argh | Black Knight | The Animator | Unidentified Knight | Sport | Unnamed Passenger | John Neville | Judge Fleming | Overlook Hotel | Jack Tolerance | Hotel Caretaker | Lorraine Massey | Nirvana | Nirvana's Gang (PunkCut, Jiver, Stomper & Cutter) | Agatha Hannigan | Rooster and Lily St. Regis | Reginald Dyer | Nathuram Godse | Maximillian Largo | Fatima Blush | Christine | Arnie Cunningham | John Kreese | Cobra Kai (Johnny Lawrence, Dutch, Bobby Brown, Tommy & Jimmy) | Gozer | Stay Puft Marshmallow Man | Terror Dogs (Zuul & Vinz Clortho) | Library Ghost | Murray Plotsky | Central Park Thief | Billy Chapman | Mother Superior | Killer Santa | Ricky Chapman | Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky | Marshall Murdock | Sergeant Yushin | Captain Vinh | Lieutenant Tay | River Pirates (Trong Kinh) | Lifer | Ericson | Jerry Dandridge | Billy Cole | Evil Ed | B.Z. | Space Girl | Eric Towzer | John Ryder | S.A.I.N.T. | Jareth | Goblin Army | Chozen Toguchi | Sato Toguchi | Toshio & Taro | Louis Cyphre | Johnny Favorite | Gunnery Sergeant Hartman | Private Gomer Pyle | Door Gunner | Faith Stewart | Dracula | The Mummy | Felice Dunbar | Oscar Baldwin | The Blob | Christopher Meddows | Regine Dandrige | Colonel Zaysen | Sergeant Kourov | Tomask | Shop Assistant | Helen Downing | Terry Silver | Mike Barnes | Snake | Dennis | Vigo | Janosz Poha | Scoleri Brothers | Bad Alien | Alex | Jack Merridew | Roger | Vilos Cohaagen (1990) | Mars Colony Security Force (Carl Hauser, Richter, Lori, Helm, Everett, Benny & Harry) | Dr. Edgemar | Annie Wilkes | Red Skull | Valentina de Santis | Darrin "Doughboy" Baker | Mrs. Baker | Officer Coffey | Raymond Zhang | Nigel Griffith | Moon | Kara | Luis Cali | Jack Thrope | Carlos | Ruiz | Jorge | Chains Cooper | T-1000 | Douglas | Skynet | Robert Masterson | Varney | Benitez | Abigail Craven | Tully Alford | James Hook (1991) | Mr. Smee (1991) | Godzilla | Futurians (Chuck Wilson, Grenchiko & M10) | King Ghidorah | Jack | Catherine Tramell | Roxanne 'Roxy' Hardy | Ashoka Ghatak | Andrew Scott | Colonel Perry | GR86 | GR55 | GR76 | Wagner | Keith Heading | Hedra Carlson | Count Dracula | Brides of Dracula | R.M. Renfield | Colonel Nathan R. Jessup | Jonathan Kendrick | Matthew Markinson | Battra | El Cirujano | DeSilva | General Miguel Alvarez | Raul Ochoa | George Stark | Paul McDaggett | OCP (CEO) | Urban Rehabilitators (Ōtomo & Kanemitsu) | Mr. Lee | Eric Qualen | Richard Travers | Kynette | Delmar | Kristel | Ryan | Heldon | Mike | Ray | Mr. Benedict | The Ripper | Tony Vivaldi | Mitch Leary | Prince John | Sheriff of Rottingham | Rose Michaels | Leland Gaunt | John "Ace" Merrill | Jimmy Detillo | Jed Hill | Koga | Ishikawa | Glam | Vinnie | Slam | Darren | Gerald Thomas | Stewart Swinton | Colonel Dugan | Ned Randall | Charlie | Gabe | Morgan | Samuel Norton | Byron Hadley | Bogs Diamond | The Sisters | Elmo Blatch | Cat | Jack Harding | J.J. | Jimmy | Eddy | Leatherface | Vilmer Slaughter | Illuminati (Darla Slaughter, W.E. Slaughter & Rothman) | Sawyer Family (Grandpa Sawyer) | Joe St. George | Fouchet | Casper | Ferguson | Krank | Diver | Mademoiselle Bismuth | The Octopus | Prince Malagant | Ralf | Iago | Roderigo | Van Pelt | Dracula | Mark Cordell | Cable Guy | Agatha Trunchbull | Harry Wormwood | Byron De La Beckwith | Lefty | Nicky | Sonny Black | Sonny Red | Santo Trafficante Jr. | Philly Lucky | Big Trin | Buldeo | Ultimate Evil | Zorg Industries (Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg & Right Arm) | Mangalores | Edgar the Bug | Egor Korshunov | Andrei Kolchak | Vladimir Krasin | Agent Gibbs | Boris Bazylev | Sergei Lenski | Igor Nevsky | Ivan Radek | Benjamin Willis | Arachnids | Peter McCabe | Suzie Toller | Ray Duquette | Kelly Van Ryan | Sam Lombardo | Kenneth Bowden | Mary Ann Rogers | Lothar Zogg | C.J. | Carl | Buelow | Zed | Klaus | Lars | Eric | Zilla | Baby Zilla | Don Rafael Montero | Harrison Love | William Willis | K. Edgar Singer | Huxley | Bill the Bug | Pesties | Smokey | Alley Cats (Snowbell, Monty, Lucky, Red & Unnamed Gray Cat) | S.E.T.H. | Romeo | Squid | Delta | Deacon | William Tavington | Diesel 10 | Eric Knox | Vivian Wood | Altaaf Khan | Hilal Kohistani | Judith Fessbeggler | Genus | General Granger | Russell Woodman | Kalina Oretzia | Cyrus Kriticos | Ben Moss | Billy Michaels | Jimmy Gambino | Susan LeGrow | Royce Clayton | Dana Newman | Isabella Smith | Harold Shelburne | Margaret Shelburne | George Markley | Ryan Kuhn | Horace Mahoney | Chet Walters | Green Goblin | Dennis Carradine | Harry Osborn | J. Jonah Jameson | Chuck Cedar | Mac McGrath | Serleena | Scrad & Charlie | Jarra | Dog Poop | Corn Face | Pineal Eye | Mosh Tendrils | Flesh Balls | Jeff | Creepy | Kylothians | Falcon | Devlin Bowman | Alistair Pratt | Jeannine Richardson | Rico | Rachel Wright | Arnold Gundars | Zhu Tam | Colonel Idris Sadick | Commander Terwaze | Fulani Rebels | Gwyneth Harridan | Jenny | Bruce | T-X | T-1 | Johnny Tapia | Willie Stokes | Marcus Skidmore | James Hook (2003) | Mr. Smee (2003) | Don Price | Lucy Diamond | Brittney Havers | Maya King | Julian Haynes | Niles Dunlap | Grigori Rasputin | Karl Ruprecht Kroenen | Ilsa Von Haupstein | Sammael | Ogdru-Jahad (Behemoth) | Punisher | Howard Saint | Quentin Glass | Livia Saint | Jimmy Weeks | John Saint | The Russian | Harry Heck | Cutter | Mickey Duka | Alie El Haq | Eddie | Lincoln | Warren Vandergeld | Vandergeld Sisters | Heath and Russ | Doctor Octopus | Kayako Saeki | Toshio Saeki | Takeo Saeki | Brother Sum | The Beast | The Harpists | Big Al | Boogeyman | Elena Sandoval | Marie Clifton | Kristen Richards | Chad Johnson | Jay Clifton | Warden Hazen | Mr. Electric | Minus | Nicolae Carpathia | Count Armand | Jacob McGivens | Zorgons | Robot | Bill Sikes | Fagin | Mr. Bumble | Elite Hunting (Natalya, Svetlana and Alexi, Vala, Desk Clerk Jedi & The Butcher) | Clients (Dutch Businessman, American Client & German Surgeon) | Bubblegum Gang | Hatsumomo | Wendell Hatch | Jerry McDowell | Calvin Sims | Mr. Walken | Rosco | Bruno | Herod Sayle | Mr. Grin | Nadia Vole | Yassen Gregorovich | Concussion | Carver | Aubrey Davis | Mrs. Kawamata | Vanessa Cassidy | Trish Kimble | Le Chiffre | Quantum (Mr. White, Steven Obanno, Alex Dimitrios, Adolph Gettler, Valenka, Kratt, Mollaka Danso, Carlos Nikolic & Leo) | Dryden | Fisher | Venom | Sandman | Axelle | Todd and Stuart | Sasha Rassimov | Roman | Mrs. Bathory | Cannibal Client | Douglas Norquist | Jigsaw | James Russoti | Carmine Gazzera | Ink | Maginty | Lance Warner | Camp Canola (Robert Jeffrey Warner) | Fatoush | Grant Walbridge | Salim Yousfobdal | Derek Huff | Ted Jones | Budlofsky | Matheson | Dominic Greene | Greene Planet (Elvis & Edmund Slate) | General Medrano | Colonel Carlos | Gregg Beam | Lieutenant Orso | Craig Mitchell | Yusef Kabira | Guy Haines | Marchetti Pilot | Gregor Karakov | Moishe Soref | Carol Brazier | Carl Anheuser | Veck Simms | James Kent | O'Leary | Richard Nixon | Congressman Monroe James | Rafelli | Chicago Wind | Fiendish Dr. Wu | The Tornado | Naoko Kamawata | T-RIP | Serena Kogan | Koobus Venter | Piet Smit | Obesandjo | NGU | Commander Topov | Robert Colin | Zombies | Corporal Gallo | George Stuben | Linda Dobson | Brandi Cox | Rachel Thomas | Carson Wheetly | Master Li | Cheng | Liang | Zhuang | Song | Ted Winter | Roger Wesley | David Ershon | Piranhas | Derrick Jones | Benjamin Chudnofsky | Frank Scanlon | Lipstick-Face Demon | Long Haired Fiend | Doll Girl | The Dancing Boy | The Bride in Black | Justin Epstein | Racist Cops | Street Gang | Marco | Don Luis | William Woogard | Genarro Rizzo | Shane | Stephanie | Gargamel (2011) | Azrael (2011) | Robert Ledgard | Vera Cruz | Zeca Ledgard | Marilla Ledgard | Fulgencio | Mike Morris | Edward de Vere | Boris the Animal | Weasel | Lilly | Obadiah Price | Mr. Wu | Boglodites | Agent Gorman | Old Joe | Martin Vanger | Gottfried Vanger | Vilos Cohaagen (2012) | United Federation of Britain (Carl Hauser, Lori, Harry & Police Synthetics) | Lizard | Gustav Fiers | Cash Register Thief | Norman Osborn | Raoul Silva | Patrice | Severine | Boat Captain | Calvin Candie | Stephen | Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly | Butch Pooch | Billy Crash | Big Daddy Bennet | Brittle Brothers | Speck Brothers | Stonesipher | The Regulators | Leonide Moguy | Bill Sharp | Old Man Carrucan | Smitty Bacall | Satan | Danny McBride | Jonah Hill | Demons | Ursa | Skrel | Eli Raphelson | Martin Walker | Emil Stenz | Skip Tyler | Muriel Walker | Frat Boy Andy | Vexy and Hackus | Margaret White | Mortimer Snerds (Chris Hargensen) | Billy Nolan | Tina Blake | Raymond Sellars | OmniCorp (Rick Mattox, Tom Pope & Liz Kline) | Antoine Vallon | Karen Dean | Thomas King | Quinta Corvus | Marcus Proculus | Electro | Green Goblin | Donald Menken | Rhino | Ashley Kafka | Felicia Hardy | Vladimir Pushkin | Nicolai Itchenko | Slavi | Agent Kruger | Jessica Delacourt | John Carlyle | Guy Danlily | Colleen Hannigan | Annie's Fake Parents | Jungler | Gretchen Palmer | Vincent Moore | Hippo | Amerika | Ninja | Yolandi | Vincent Sofel | Donkey Kong | Pac-Man | Eddie Plant | Lady Lisa | Slappy the Dummy | Monsters (Giant Praying Mantis, Will Blake, Lawn Gnomes, Madame Doom, Brent Green, Haunted Car, Count Nightwing, The Haunted Mask, Igor, Headless Horseman, Nila Rahmad, Grim Reaper & Bride of Frankenstein) | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | SPECTRE (Max Denbigh, Mr. Hinx, Marco Sciarra, Moreau, Dr. Vogel, Guerra, Abrika, Marshall, Valerian, Lorenzo, Gallo, Francesco & Marco | Rhonda George | Norman Nordstrom | Hugo Vega | Caesar Braga | Rowan North | Mayhem | Martin Heiss | Electrocuted Ghost | Gertrude Aldridge | Anna Walsh | Bartholomew Bogue | McCann | Denali | Francis Begbie | Sick Boy | Vulture | Bestman Salvage (Tinkerer, Shocker #1, Shocker #2 & Randy Vale) | Mac Gargan | Aaron Davis | Jason Van Horn | Bats | Darling | Eddie No-Nose | Griff | Doc | Wallace Corporation (Niander Wallace & Luv) | Russel Van Pelt | Tommy Madigan | Camilla Salander | Jan Holtser | Dave York | Thomas McGregor | Mr. McGregor | Mrs. McGregor | James Tod | Slender Man | Eddie Brock/Venom | Carlton Drake/Riot | Life Foundation (Roland Treece) | Cletus Kasady | High-T | The Twins | Riza Stavros | Luca Brasi | The Hive | Mysterio | Mysterio's Crew (William Ginter Riva, Victoria Snow, Gutes Guterman, Janice Lincoln, & Doug) | Elementals (Molten Man, Hydro-Man, Sandman, Cyclone & Elemental Fusion) | John Bosley | Hodak | Alexander Brock | Jurgen the Brutal | Fiona Landers | Melinda Landers | Sam Landers | Isabel Aretas | Armando Armas | Melanie Cole | Dr. Emil Harting | Jimmy Dalton | Marcus Tibbs | Barnabas | Samuel Whiskers | Tom Kitten | Mitten | Raylan | Carnage | Shriek | Kasady Family | Ivo Shandor | Mariah | Janek | Sadie Deever | Braddock | Santiago Moncada | Michael Morbius | Milo Morbius | White Death | Lemon | Tangerine | The Prince | The Hornet | The Wolf | Walter Deville | Mr. Grumps

Animated Television
Aeon the Terrible | Winterbolt | Scratcher | Sam Spangles | Ice Dragons | Genie of the Ice Scepter

Live-Action Television
Mr. Horton | Bill the Rapist | Newman | Crazy Joe Davola | Bob | Tony Abado | Anubis | Sokar | Adria | Apophis | Serpent Guard | Replicators | Ba'al | Ben Chang | Stephen Spreck | Robert Laybourne | Greendale School Board | Alan Connor | Doppeldeaner | Subway | Starburns | Cory Radison | Murray | Silver Ballz | Roger DeSalvo | Preston Koogler | Toby Weeks | Cornelius Hawthorne | Ass Crack Bandit | Zombies | Blorgons | Evil Study Group | G.I. Jobra | Pierce Hawthorne | Space Dracula | Hannibal Lecter | Alana Bloom | Garret Jacob Hobbs | Abigail Hobbs | Abel Gideon | Tobias Budge | Randall Tier | Kidnapper | Clark Ingram | Eldon Stammets | Elliot Buddish | Lawrence Wells | Kade Prurnell | Mason Verger | Rinaldo Pazzi | Matteo Deogracias | Tommaso | Francis Dolarhyde | Dr. Jackson Han | Salen Morrison | Owen | Dr. Matt Coyle | Ethan Murphy | Billy Butcher | Frenchie | Vought-International (Madelyn Stillwell, Jonah Vogelbaum, Stan Edgar, Ashley Barrett, Frederick Vought, Victoria Neuman & Black-Ops Soldiers) | The Seven (Homelander, Black Noir, Queen Maeve, The Deep, A-Train, Lamplighter, Translucent & Stormfront) | Payback (Soldier Boy, Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, Swatto, Mindstorm & TNT Twins) | Naqib | Mesmer | Popclaw | Big Game | Love Sausage | Ground Hawk | Eagle the Archer | Alastair Adana | Blue Hawk | Little Nina | Silver Kincaid

See Also
007 Villains | Aardman Villains | Amblin Entertainment Villains | Angry Birds Villains | Bad Boys Villains | Blade Runner Villains | Blumhouse Productions Villains | Buena Vista International Villains | Castle Rock Entertainment Villains | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Villains | Cowboy Bebop Villains | Community Villains | DreamWorks Villains | Final Fantasy Villains | Fright Night Villains | Ghostbusters Villains | Ghost Rider Villains | Godzilla Villains | Goosebumps Villains | Hellboy Villains | Hotel Transylvania Villains | Jackie Chan Adventures Villains | Jerry Bruckheimer Villains | Jumanji Villains | Karate Kid Villains | Left Behind Villains | Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains | Men in Black Villains | Morbius: The Living Vampire Villains | Muppet Villains | Netflix Villains | New Line Cinema Villains | Punisher Villains | Paramount Villains | Rambo Villains | Resident Evil Villains | Ridley Scott Villains | Robocop Villains | Sony's Spider-Man Universe Villains | Spider-Man Villains | Steven Spielberg Villains | Stuart Little Villains | Syfy Villains | Stephen King Villains | Terminator Villains | The Boondocks Villains | The Boys Villains | The Dark Crystal Villains | The Grudge Villains | Total Recall Villains | Trainspotting Villains | Tim Burton Villains | Tintin Villains | Underworld Villains | Universal Soldier Villains | Venom Villlains | Village Roadshow Pictures Villains | Warner Bros. Villains | XXX Villains