Bill Hickman

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William "Bill" Hickman (born January 25, 1921 in Los Angeles County , California , † February 24, 1986 in Indio , California) was an American actor and stunt driver who was involved in two of the most important car chases in film history.

Life

Hickman began his film career as a stuntman and extra in the 1940s . In 1955 he was a driving trainer for James Dean , with whom he became friends. Hickman was one of the first at the scene of Dean's fatal road traffic accident and recovered the dying Dean from the wrecked car . In the following years, Hickman worked as a minor actor and stuntman in numerous film and television productions. In 1968 he worked with Steve McQueen on the film Bullitt , in which he not only drove a Dodge Charger through the streets of San Francisco in a never-before-seen, ten-minute chase , but also starred as driver Phil.

Bullitt was produced by Philip D'Antoni , who hired Hickman again as a stunt driver for his action film Focal Point Brooklyn . Also in focus Brooklyn , there was directed by William Friedkin to a further legendary chase, this time under the elevated train from Brooklyn . The recordings were made in normal traffic, without barriers and without permission. In addition, Hickman was seen in the role of FBI agent Bill Mulderig. This portrayal would remain his most famous film roles. Hickman worked one last time with D'Antoni in 1973 in his only directorial work, The Seven-Ups .

Hickman's other notable stunt works include Vanishing Point San Francisco , James Bond 007 - Diamond Fever, and Is' What, Doc? . He played other small acting roles in films as diverse as Point Blank , Ein toller Käfer and Zabriskie Point . In the late 1970s he worked as a stunt coordinator, his last film was Capricorn in 1977, after which he retired from the film business.

In 1986 he died of complications from cancer.

Filmography (selection)

play

Stunts

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Film review on Brennpunkt Brooklyn , Roger Ebert (English)
  2. ↑ Bill Hickman - Supporting Actor, Lead Driver on Drivetribe.com (English)
  3. ↑ a b Bill Hickman: Hollywood's Wheelman , Huffington Post (English)
personal data
SURNAME Hickman, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hickman, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and stunt driver
DATE OF BIRTH January 25, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles County , California
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 1986
Place of death Indio , California