Hollywood's stuntman and director Hal Needham has died of cancer at 82.
Needham was born on March 6, 1931 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a paratrooper during the Korean War and worked as a treetopper. Needham was also a billboard model for Viceroy Cigarettes when he began his Hollywood career as a motion picture stuntman.
"Hal Needham was a great stunt coordinator, director, and an icon. I'm still grateful he took a chance with me in The Villain. I'll miss him," tweeted Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In Hollywood, Needham got the first break as a stunt double for Richard Boone in Have Gun, Will Travel. Needham trained under Chuck Roberson, who was the stunt double for John Wayne and soon became one of the top and highly paid stuntmen of Hollywood in the 1960's. He appeared in many films such as The Bridge at Remagen, How the West Was Won, McLintock!, The War Lord and Little Big Man.
Needham appeared in around 300 films and around 4,500 TV episodes, and during the course, he broke 56 bones in his body, including his back two times.
Needham started his film directing career in 1976 with "Smokey and the Bandit." The film was a big success at the box office, which went on to make over $126 million and became the second-highest grossing movie of 1977. Needham went on to direct another two films "Hooper, The Cannonball Run" and "Stroker Ace." Needham also took the director chair for 80's film "Rad."
In 1971, Needham along with stuntmen Glenn Wilder and Ronnie Rondell co-founded Stunts Unlimited, which helped mentor young stunt performers.
Needham became the first human hired to test the helpfulness of automobile safety air bags. He wore just a standard seat belt and rode 20 mph head-on into a brick wall.
Needham also had passion for speed liked racing cars. He had the Budweiser Rocket Car, which was clocked at more than 739 mph. Needham claimed that the car was the first vehicle to break the sound barrier. However, his achievement was not unrecognized by any sanctioning body.
Taurus World Stunt Awards honored Needham with a Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2012 he was given the Governors Award by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
