Watson B. Duncan III

Who was Watson B. Duncan III?

Watson B. Duncan III was an American college professor best known for being the mentor of actor Burt Reynolds.

Duncan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of South Carolina, where he majored in English. He also did graduate work at the Shakespeare Institute & Royal Theatre at the University of Birmingham in England. In 1953, he married Honey Harper. Duncan began teaching Speech and English at Palm Beach Junior College in the early days of the college's history, eventually rising to the head of the English department.

Reynolds attended Palm Beach Junior College while recuperating at home in Riviera Beach from a football injury he suffered playing for Florida State University. Duncan saw a spark of talent in Reynolds, and asked him to read for a play, Sutton Vane's Outward Bound, which the college was presenting. Duncan cast Reynolds in the lead role. This eventually led to a scholarship for Reynolds at the Hyde Park Playhouse in New York. Reynolds credits Duncan as the person who has had the most influence in his life.