His name is not mentioned and his face is never seen.

But to the millions of people who have flocked to see the film 'Selma', the actions of Alabama state trooper James Bonard Fowler are all too clear.

In February 1965, Fowler shot dead a young civil rights demonstrator called Jimmie Lee Jackson during a violent confrontation between police and African Americans, seeking the right to vote.

The death of 26-year-old Jackson was the catalyst for a series of peaceful marches from the town of Selma to Montgomery, the state capital, that is seen as one of the pivotal moments in the civil rights movement.

Led by civil rights champion Dr Martin Luther King Jr. the marches led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark piece of legislation that ended racial discrimination in voting.

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Couple: James Bonard Fowler, 82, and his wife, Noi, 44, at their home in rural Alabama. His daughter, who lives next door, said the fact he had married a Thai woman showed that the former state trooper was not a racist

Impact: The killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson led to the Selma to Montgomery marches, which were to become the most influential of all the actions of the civil rights movement, leading to the Voting Rights Act

Portrayal: The movie Selma presents the events of the Selma march and is in the running for Best Picture at the Oscars later this month. The crossing of the Edmund Pettus bridge was met with violence by police

Killer and victim: James Bonard Fowler (left) went on to serve in Vietnam, where he became a non-commissioned officer, after a police career unaffected by his killing of Jimmie Lee Jackson (right)

Lee's death, and the turbulent events in Alabama 50 years ago, have been immortalized in the Oscar nominated film 'Selma' which stars David Oyelowo as Dr King and Oprah Winfrey as Annie Lee Cooper, a civil rights activist who was prominent in the fight for equal voting rights.

Those who have seen the film or read about events are left in no doubt about the brutality and overt racism of the police.

In the scene where Jackson is shot dead in a restaurant he is seen protecting his elderly father Cager as he is beaten with a nightstick.

There is no provocation on the part of the demonstrator.

However, 50 years ago, Fowler claimed he was acting in self-defense when he opened fire as he said Jackson was attempting to grab his gun.

The state trooper's version of events are to this day disputed by other witnesses to the shooting.

Trooper Fowler is not mentioned by name in the film 'Selma', but Daily Mail.com can today reveal the untold story about his involvement in the historic event after his daughter agreed to speak for the first time.

Mourning: Dr Martin Luther King Jr (second from right) led the funeral procession of Jimmy Lee Jackson alongside, from left, John Lewis, the Rev Ralph Abernathy and the Rev Andrew Young

Long road: Dr King speaks at the Alabama state capitol, in Montgomery, after leading the march from Selma. The marchers had protection from the National Guard to prevent more police violence after earlier marches were attacked

Leader: Dr King was the leader of the civil rights movement, but its protests were dealt with violently by Col Al Lingo, the commander of Alabama's state troopers, who included James Bonard Fowler

Defiance: The march was held in an atmosphere of determination to overcome Alabama's racist voting laws and practices

Not only does Tracey Fowler Shraeder insist her father was acting in self defense when he shot Jackson, but she is anxious to dispel any suggestion that he was racist.

'I know my daddy did not mean to kill that young man. He was acting in self defense,' says Tracey.

'People should look at the facts. This was a different time and era. It is not like it is now.

'I would have done the same thing if they were going for my gun.

'He always told me that the man was going for his gun and that he feared he would be killed.

'My daddy would never harm anyone unless they were threatening him.'

Because of what happened all those years ago he has said that he hurts everyday. I know if he could go back and undo what happened he would, but he can't' - Tracey Fowler Shraeder

Tracey, 52, has not seen the film 'Selma', but is aware police are portrayed as racists, taunting demonstrators with the N-word, and using extreme violence to subdue those taking part.

'I want to say now that my daddy is not a racist,' said Tracey in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail.com.

' I don't know how it comes across in the film but I know he is not a racist. He never has been.

'He has been married to a wonderful Thai lady for over 20 years and when he was serving our country in Vietnam he said his life was saved by a black man who kept his head above water to stop him drowning.

'I don't know what impression people will come away with from the film but daddy is not a racist.'

Tracey was only two years old when her father was placed on a collision course with the civil rights demonstrators in one of the most unsettled periods of modern US history.

He was a state trooper in the town of Geneva when he was sent to the town of Marion about 150 miles away, on the orders of Alabama Governor George Wallace.

Justice: In 2007 James Bonard Fowler was charged with the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson, and by 2010 he struck a plea bargain, being convicted of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to six months in prison

Defender: Tracey Fowler Schraeder, speaking to Daily Mail Online, said her father was not a racist, and that he had said Jackson had gone for his gun, prompting him to shoot

Home: James Bonard Fowler lives in remote Alabama with his second wife, Noi, a Thai woman almost 40 years his junior who offers proof, according to his daughter, that he is not racist

Aftermath: James Bonard Fowler quit the state police, served in Vietnam and became a farmer with 144 acres of land, most of which he sold to defend himself when he was charged with Jimmy Lee Jackson's murder

End of the affair: This was how the local newspaper reported the conviction in 2010 of James Bonard Fowler for the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson, more than 40 years after the event

Wallace had been determined to crack down on the growing unrest and in the months before Jackson's shooting police had arrested 3,000 people demonstrating over the failure of blacks being able to register to vote.

While the 1964 Civil Rights Act had abolished segregation millions of blacks were still denied the right to vote because of racism by white officials.

The mood in towns like Marion and nearby Selma was at boiling point.

On the night of February 18th, 1965, Jackson, a local church deacon, was shot dead by Fowler after police broke up a night march through the town.

Witnesses at the time claimed he was protecting his father and sister when he was shot in Mack's Café.

In 'Selma', Jackson's character is clearly portrayed defending his elderly father as he is clubbed to the ground in an unprovoked attack.

The film goes on to show how his death led to a protest march from Selma to Montgomery with Martin Luther King Jr. urging the US president to intervene and pass laws to allow blacks to vote freely

TV footage of police breaking up the march, with men and women being clubbed and beaten triggered national outrage when seen by 70 million Americans and a worldwide audience.

The events of March 7th, 1965, became known as 'Bloody Sunday'.

Pivotal: Dr. King's peaceful protests led to an overhaul of segregation across the United States

Spread: The Selma marchers were to inspire others around the country, including this 15,000 strong demonstration in Harlem, Manhattan

When Alabama Governor George Wallace later refused to protect the marchers, President Lyndon Johnson ordered 2,000 troops to line the 50-mile route to the Alabama State Capitol building where Martin Luther King gave a rousing speech.

The Voting Rights Act was passed soon afterwards and Fowler's involvement in the shooting appeared to have become a footnote in history.

He was never formally charged with any offence and few people outside the all white grand jury who refused to indict him in the summer of 1965 knew his true identity.

But 40 years after the event in 2005 he gave an interview to journalist Andrew Fleming for the Alabama based Sojourners magazine,

In the article he admitted shooting Jackson, while claiming it was self defense.

For the first time in four decades he vividly described what took place telling the magazine that he and other state troopers were under attack.

'Jimmy Lee Jackson was not murdered,' he said in the interview.

'He was trying to kill me. I have no doubt in my mind that, under the emotional situation at the time, if he would have gotten complete control of my pistol, he would have killed me or shot me.

'I don't remember how many times I pulled the trigger, but I think I pulled it just once, but I might have pulled it three times. I don't remember.'

As it was: Selma is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and has been hailed by critics for its portrayal of the marches which helped to change the law on voting rights at last

Recreation: Tom Wilkinson plays President Lyndon Johnson and David Oyelowo plays the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr in Selma

As well as confessing to shooting Jackson he also spoke disparagingly out Martin Luther King calling him a 'con artist' whose goal was to 'screw and f*** every white woman that he could.'

Readers of the article were warned that it contained offensive and racist language.

Based on the interview, in 2007, Fowler, then aged 74, was charged with murder after a grand jury ruled to indict him

Two weeks before his trial in November 2010 he pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter and was jailed for six months.

Since his release, and in failing physical health, he has lived in a remote part of Geneva County with his second wife Noi, a Thai national.

He has never again spoken about the night of February 18 and has not been photographed since his court appearance.

When asked for an interview by Daily Mail.com he refused to make any comment.

His 44-year-old wife said he was not interested in talking about the film or what happened in 1965.

'This is upsetting for him. It is all in the past and he does not want to talk about it ever,' she said from the steps of their remote home.

While the former state trooper did not want to bring up the past his 52-year-old daughter, who lives in an adjoining nine acre property, was more than willing to speak up for her father.

She wants people to know her father was a Vietnam War hero, awarded the Silver Star and Purple Hearts after being shot five times during three tours of duty in the late 1960s.

Fowler had quit as a state trooper to enlist in the military weeks after his adored older brother Robert was killed in action fin Vietnam.

Tracey said: 'My father fought and served his country with honor for three years in Vietnam. He was shot five times, including once in the head and was very lucky to live.

'I have not seen the film but I don't want people to get the wrong impression of my father. He was a hero.'

Mourned: Viola Jackson, Jimmie Lee Jackson's mother, his cousin Rachel Thomas, center, and Cager Lee, 82, his grandfather, arrive at hospital to claim his body

Troubled waters: A half-mile-long column of civil rights demonstrators cross the Edmund Pettus bridge, where there had been clashes previously at the start of the Selma marches

Although just a toddler when her father was sent to Marion to police the demonstrators, Tracey said she had spoken with him many times about what took place.

'It was Governor Wallace's order that state troopers go to Marion. My daddy was just doing what he was told.

'He has always said that he fired his gun because the other man was going for his gun.

'He told me that in Marion the demonstrators were throwing bottles and attacking them with sticks. He said to me "he went for my gun". He has no reason to lie.'

Being charged with murder aged my daddy overnight...my daddy is not a racist - Tracey Fowler Shraeder

Tracey also said her father regrets the shooting and that he had not set out to kill the young demonstrator.

She said after the death of Jackson her father was promoted - and the killing of Jackson was never really talked about within the force.

However, Fowler enlisted in the army aged 35 after his brother was killed in Vietnam - to seek revenge for his death.

On his return from active duty Fowler made numerous trips overseas, including to Thailand where he met his current wife.

But his life was turned upside after the 2005 interview.

Tracey said: 'Being charged with the murder aged my daddy overnight.

'He aged 20 years and has never really recovered. His health is not good and he has trouble getting around now. I don't think he could believe that after 40 years he would be charged with a crime.

'He had no idea what was going to happen after that interview.

'The prosecutors didn't even know that he was still alive and it was politically motivated. They wanted to get someone for the killing.'

Family portrait: Tracey Fowler Shraeder with her father James Bonard Fowler and her brother

Tracey said her father was forced to sell off most of the 144 acres of land he owned to pay for his lawyer.

She said he was terrified of going to jail as he was told that black prisoners would kill him once he was behind bars.

'They made death threats and my daddy knew if he went to state prison he would not come out alive. He was terrified. He was an old man, not in good health and worried about what was going to happen to him.

'Around that time I was told that I would be killed. A woman came up to me and said if they could not get to my daddy they would get to me.'

Tracey said he is fearful the film will focus unwanted attention on her father who has not seen the film and has no intention of sitting through the movie.

'Because of what happened all those years ago he has said that he hurts everyday,' she said.