Stuntman And Director Hal Needham Passes Away, Aged 82
The Oscar-winner dedicated his life to film, rising up the ranks to become director of numerous popular titles
Hollywood stunt legend-turned-moviemaker Hal Needham has passed away, aged 82. The long-time stand in for Burt Reynold, who went on to gain his directorial debut with Smokey and the Bandit, Needham passed away on Friday, 25 October, after a short battle with cancer, The Hollywood Reporter first revealed.
Hal Needham: 1931 - 2013
Needham was once the highest-paid stuntman in Hollywood and regularly stood in for Burt Reynolds in a number of films. After pitching his idea of a guy and his trucker friend hauling a ton of beer over state lines to Reynolds in the mid-1970's, Hal made his filmmaking debut with Smokey & the Bandit in 1976 and enjoyed immediate success as a director, with the film becoming the second highest grossing movie of 1977. It also spawned two sequels and a series of made-for-TV films, and launched Needham's career as a director.
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