Hal Needham | |
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 Needham in 2011 | |
| Born | Hal Brett Needham (1931-03-06)March 6, 1931 |
| Died | October 25, 2013(2013-10-25) (aged 82) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1956–1996 |
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Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013) was an Americanstuntman, film director, actor, writer, andNASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actorBurt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such asSmokey and the Bandit (1977),Hooper (1978),The Cannonball Run (1981) andStroker Ace (1983).
In his later years, Needham moved out of stunt work, and focused his energy on the worldland speed record project. In 2001, Needham received a Lifetime Achievement Award from theTaurus World Stunt Awards, and in 2012, he was awarded aGovernors Award by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May (née Robinson) and Howard Needham.[1] He was the youngest of three children.[2] Raised in Arkansas and Missouri, Needham served in the United States Army as aparatrooper during the Korean War, worked as a treetopper (anarborist who performstree topping services),[3]and was a billboard model forViceroy Cigarettes while beginning a career in Hollywood as a motion picture stuntman.
Needham's first break was as the stunt double for actorRichard Boone on the popular TV westernHave Gun, Will Travel. Needham trained underJohn Wayne's stunt doubleChuck Roberson and quickly became one of the top stuntmen of the 1960s on such films asHow the West Was Won,The Bridge at Remagen,McLintock!,The War Lord, andLittle Big Man. He doubled regularly forClint Walker andBurt Reynolds. He played a cowboy in an episode of the TV WesternGunsmoke (S8E36 - “The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner”). Needham moved into stunt coordinating and directingsecond unit action, while designing and introducing air bags and other innovative equipment to the industry. Needham at one time lived in Reynolds' guesthouse for the better part of 12 years.[4]
In 1971, he and fellow stuntmen Glenn Wilder and Ronnie Rondell formed Stunts Unlimited. Needham had written a screenplay titledSmokey and the Bandit and his friend Reynolds offered him the chance to direct. The film was a huge hit, and the two followed it withHooper,Smokey and the Bandit II,The Cannonball Run,Stroker Ace, andCannonball Run II. Needham also directed the TV pilotsStunts Unlimited (1980)[5] andThe Stockers (1981),[6] neither of which was picked up as a series. His final theatrical release as director was the 1986 BMX filmRad.
In 1977, Gabriel Toys introduced the "Hal Needham Western Movie Stunt Set" complete with a cardboard old west saloon movie set, lights and props, a toy movie camera and a spring-launched Hal Needham action figure that would break through a balcony railing, land on breakaway table and chairs and crash through a window. They were only manufactured for a short time and have since become highly collectible.
Needham moved out of stunt work, focusing his energy on the WorldLand Speed Record project that eventually became theBudweiser Rocket, driven by stuntmanStan Barrett. The team failed to set an officially sanctioned Worldland speed record with the vehicle, and their claims to have broken the sound barrier in 1979 have been heavily disputed.
In the 1980s, he and Reynolds co-owned theMach 1 Racing team, which fielded theSkoal Bandit No. 33 Pontiac in theNASCARWinston Cup Series, with Barrett as the driver. Stan was later replaced byHarry Gant, and the team eventually switched to Buicks. The Skoal Bandit became a championship contender, and Gant's 18 victories resulted in his Nascar Hall of Fame Hall of Fame nomination.[7]
In 1986, Needham, alongside William L. Fredrick, was awarded aScientific and Engineering Award for his efforts in developing the Shotmaker Elite camera car and crane.[8][9]
In 2001, Needham received a Lifetime Achievement Award from theTaurus World Stunt Awards. In 2012, he was awarded aGovernors Award by theAcademy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, where he was introduced byQuentin Tarantino.[10]
Needham and his relationship with Reynolds inspired the Cliff Booth/Rick Dalton friendship in Tarantino's 2019 filmOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.[11]
Needham was the owner of theBudweiser Rocket car, a vehicle intended to break the speed of sound on land.
Needham died on October 25, 2013, inLos Angeles,California, aged 82, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.[12][13]
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