Mayor Tilman — Mississippi Burning Character Profile

About Mayor Tilman

A local official linked to the KKK who is kidnapped by an FBI operative and threatened to reveal the truth. He provides a detailed account of the killings but is later found dead by suicide, with Ward noting his guilt as a witness.

Character Facts

Played by

R. Lee Ermey

Appears in

Mississippi Burning (1988)

Role

Supporting

Relationships (3)

• Mayor Tilman — Conflict Enemy — Mrs. Pell (Frances McDormand)

  Direct opposition between the whistleblower and the corrupt local official.

• Mayor Tilman — Narrative Investigator & Suspect — Agent Bird (Kevin Dunn)

  Federal investigator tracking a corrupt local official linked to the crimes.

• Mayor Tilman — Alliance Co-Conspirator — Sheriff Stuckey (Gailard Sartain)

  Political and criminal alliance between the mayor and the sheriff.

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of Mississippi Burning

More characters from Mississippi Burning

• Agent Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman)
• Agent Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe)
• Mrs. Pell (Frances McDormand)
• Deputy Clinton Pell (Brad Dourif)
• Agent Bird (Kevin Dunn)
• Townley (Stephen Tobolowsky)
• Passenger (Rick Zieff)
• Goatee (Geoffrey Nauffts)
• Sheriff Stuckey (Gailard Sartain)
• Judge (as Tom Mason) (Thomas B. Mason)
• Fennis (Daniel Winford)
• Eulogist (Frankie Faison)