Hard-Nosed Sheriff Who Inspired ‘Walking Tall’ Movie Killed His Wife, Inquiry Says NYT | Top Stories Adeel Hassan 1 September 2025 at 02:37 Buford Pusser, who was portrayed in the 1973 hit movie, led people to believe that his wife was ambushed by his enemies, cold-case investigators in Tennessee said. © Gerald Holly/The Tennessean, via USA Today NetworkSheriff Buford Pusser outside his home in Adamsville, Tenn., in 1973.