Carey Loftin
| Carey Loftin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 31, 1914 Blountstown, Florida, U.S. |
| Died |
March 4, 1997 (aged 83) Huntington Beach, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
| Occupation |
Stuntman Actor |
| Years active | 1937-1997 |
Carey Loftin (January 31, 1914 – March 4, 1997; akas: Cary Loftin, Carry Loftin, Carey Lofton, William Carey Loftin) was an American stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor. He is often considered to be Hollywood's greatest stunt driver, and his talents were used in dozens of films.
Stunt driving career
Loftin was born in Blountstown, Florida and began his career executing motorcycle stunts in stunt shows, and broke into film work in the late 1930s. Though he did stunt work in many types of films, it is his driving abilities for which he is most remembered. While working on Bullitt, one of his fellow stuntmen called him "the greatest car man in the business". In this film, Loftin was a double for Robert Vaughn and drove a Dodge Charger.[1]
Aside from being a busy stuntman, Loftin also acted in bit parts of the many films and television shows in which he performed stunts. One of his most famous roles was as the psychotic truck driver in Steven Spielberg's Duel, even though his face was never seen. He also acted as a truck driver in Stroker Ace (1983) in which his face was never seen (as in Duel), but not as a villain in that film.
He did, however, act as kind of villainous faceless truck driver in Maximum Overdrive (1986) in which the machinery was coming to life as villains. He did all the stunt work and driving scenes, including where he drove a red trash truck that was marked "Zeke's Trash Removal". He was the only one to drive that truck during filming. Also on the set of Maximum Overdrive, he was one of two stunt drivers, along with Tom Glass, to be an assigned driver to the lead character Green Goblin Truck; Loftin actually drove the lead character Green Goblin Truck during filming more than Tom Glass did. He had a supporting role as Skinner in the Keenan Wynn and Bob Mathias series The Troubleshooters, which aired on NBC in the 1959–1960 season.
A notable demonstration of stunt driving that Loftin performed was the car chase/race in Against All Odds (1984). He was the driver of the black Ferrari. According to the movie's director, Taylor Hackford, Loftin was 68 when he did this stunt. At first Hackford was reluctant to hire the aging stuntman, but stunt coordinator Gary Davis convinced Hackford that, even at 68, Loftin was by far the best car man in the business at that time.
Retirement
Loftin eventually semi-retired in 1991 at age 77 after doing Pink Lightning (1991), although he still took minor stunt roles as a truck driver. He did stunt driving for the main characters' trucks in B.J. and the Bear (1978-81) and Movin' On (1974-76).
Death
Loftin died of natural causes in Huntington Beach, California, aged 83. He is a member of the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
References
- ↑ Padgett-Russin, Nina (September 23, 2001). "McQueen liked doing own stunts, but he demurred with the GT 390". Chicago Sun-Times – via Highbeam Research.