Wikipedia

Carey Loftin

William Carey Loftin(January 31, 1914 – March 4, 1997, a.k.a.Cary Loftin, Carry Loftin, Carey Lofton, Gary Loftin, William Carey Loftin) was an American professionalstuntman,stunt coordinator and actor in the U.S.film industry.He is considered to be one of the film industry's most accomplished stunt drivers.[1]In a lengthy career spanning 61 years, his body of work included classic films such asThunder Road,Bullitt,Vanishing Point,Duel,andThe French Connection.[2]He was posthumously inducted into theAMAMotorcycle Hall of Famein 2001.[1]

Carey Loftin
Born
William Carey Loftin

(1914-01-31)January 31, 1914
Blountstown, Florida,U.S.
DiedMarch 4, 1997(1997-03-04)(aged 83)
Huntington Beach, California,U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Other namesCary Loftin
Carry Loftin
Carey Lofton
Gary Loftin
William Carey Loftin
Occupations
  • Stuntman
  • stunt coordinator
  • actor
Years active1937–1997

Early life

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Loftin was born inBlountstown, Florida,and grew up in Alabama and Mississippi where, he learned to ride amotorcyclewhen he was 10 years old.[2]He attended high school inHattiesburg, Mississippi,and began his stunt career at the age of 19 as a member of a traveling motorcycle stunt show in the early 1930s.[1]Having to constantly repair and maintain motorcycles made him a proficientmechanic.[1]After serving in theUnited States Marine Corps,Loftin moved toLos Angeles,California, in the late 1930s where he worked as a mechanic.[1]

Film industry career

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He began his career as a stuntman in the 1930s, working inserialssuch asDick Tracy ReturnsandThe Green Hornet.[3]During the 1940s and 1950s, Loftin raced in many Southern Californiaoff-roadmotorcycle events such as theCatalinaGrand Prix, the Big Bear Hare & Hound desert race, the GreenhornEnduroand others.[2]Loftin was soon being hired by film studios for his talent as a motorcycle stunt rider but, also became invaluable for his mechanical expertise on film sets.[1]Although Loftin performed many different types of stunt work, it is his driving abilities for which he is most remembered. His stunt driving in the 1958 filmThunder Roadwas considered groundbreaking for its realism.[3]He had an uncredited stunt driver role in the seminal 1966auto racingfilmGrand Prix.

Loftin served as the uncreditedstunt coordinatorfor the 1968 filmBullitt,which included one of the most influentialcar chasescenes in film history.[4][5][6][7]He was also one of the stuntmen driving the greenFord Mustangduring the chase scene filmed on the streets of San Francisco.[8][9]While working onBullitt,one of his fellow stuntmen called him "the greatest car man in the business".[1]Loftin was also involved in the filming of the car chase scene in the 1971 filmThe French Connection,which is also considered one of the most impressive car chases in film history.[10][11]Loftin mentioned that the hardest stunt to do during his whole career was during the final scene inWhite Line Fever(1975) driving the main character truck, for which he was the only hired stuntman. Followed by second hardest stunt in his whole entire career he had mentioned was with the truck in the final scene ofDuel(1971). These two roles later got him more iconic stuntman roles for the main characters trucks inRoad Movie(1972),Hijack!(1974),Movin' On(1974-1976),Truck Stop Women(1974),La Menace(1975),Trucker's Woman(1976),The Great Smokey Roadblock(1977),Smokey and the Bandit(1977),High Ballin'(1978),Steel Cowboy(1978),Steel(1979),B. J. and the Bear(1979-1981),Willa(1979),Smokey and the Bandit II(1980),Time Bomb(1984),Thunder Run(1986),Armed and Dangerous(1986),Near Dark(1987),Over The Top(1987),The Wizard(1989),License To Kill(1989),Jacknife(1989),The Chase(1990),Pink Lightning(1991),Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot(1992),Revenge on the Highway(1992),Heat(1996),Hit & Run(1996),Fire Down Below(1997),Country Justice(1997),Breakdown(1997) and inBlack Dog(1998)

Aside from being a busy stuntman, Loftin also acted in bit parts of the many films and television shows in which he performed stunts.[2]One of his most famous, yet discreet roles was as the murderous truck driver inSteven Spielberg'sDuel(billed as Cary Loftin), in which only his arm and boots can be seen.[2]He also acted as a truck driver inStroker Ace(1983) in which his face is never seen as inDuel,but not as a villain this time.[citation needed]

He did, however, act as a kind of villainous car driver inChristine(1983) and similarly, as a faceless truck driver inMaximum Overdrive(1986), both in which films the machinery comes to life as evil. He did some acting, stunt work, and driving scenes inChristine,along with Terry Leonard. He also did much of the stunt work and driving scenes inMaximum Overdrive,being the sole driver of the red trash truck marked "Zeke's Trash Removal" and one of two stunt drivers, along with Tommy J. Huff, of the lead character Green Goblin truck. Loftin acted as a murderous faceless truck driver inMessenger of Death(1988) again with Tommy J. Huff and Gene Hartline, and had a supporting role as Skinner in theKeenan WynnandBob MathiasseriesThe Troubleshooters,which aired onNBCin the 1959–1960 season.[citation needed]

A notable demonstration of stunt driving that Loftin performed was the car chase/race inAgainst All Odds(1984). He was the driver of the black 1982Ferrari 308 GTS.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 his age, Loftin was by far the best car man in the business at that time.[citation needed]

Loftin has also previously mentioned that the hardest vehicle to drive during his whole career was a 1974Autocar A64Bseen inMaximum Overdrive(1986). Loftin mentions that it was due to very little visibility that made the vehicle very hard to maneuver.

Later life

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Loftin eventually semi-retired in 1991 at age 77 after doingPink Lightning(1991), although he still took minor stunt roles as a truck driver. He did stunt driving for the main characters' trucks inB.J. and the Bear(1978–81) andMovin' On(1974-76). His last major role was inBlack Dog(1998), stunt driving for the main characters' truck. Loftin died after the movie was filmed and before the movie premiered.

Loftin died of natural causes on March 4, 1997, inHuntington Beach, California,aged 83.[1]He is a member of the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.[1][12]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghi"Carey Loftin at the AMA Hall of Fame".motorcyclemuseum.org.Retrieved1 December2023.
  2. ^abcdeFreese, Gene Scott (2014).Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary.McFarland.ISBN9780786476435.Retrieved6 February2017.
  3. ^ab"Anatomy of the Car Chase: A History of Crash and Bang, From 'The French Connection' to 'Mad Max: Fury Road'".grantland.Retrieved6 February2017.
  4. ^"Bullitt Movie Review & Film Summary".rogerebert.Retrieved4 February2017.
  5. ^Weber, Bruce (11 January 2011)."Peter Yates, Filmmaker, Dead at 71".The New York Times.Retrieved4 February2017.
  6. ^Maltin, Leonard, ed. (2004).Leonard Maltin's 2004 Movie and Video Guide.Penguin Group. p. 195.Taut action-film makes great use ofSan Franciscolocations, especially in now-classic car chase, one of the screen's all-time best; Oscar-winning editing by Frank Keller.
  7. ^Jesse Crosse,The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time(St. Paul: MBI Publishing, 2006), 16.
  8. ^Padgett-Russin, Nina (September 23, 2001)."McQueen liked doing own stunts, but he demurred with the GT 390".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon April 10, 2016 – viaHighbeam Research.
  9. ^Myers, Marc (2011-01-26)."Chasing the Ghosts of 'Bullitt'".The Wall Street Journal.Retrieved2017-02-04.
  10. ^"Top 10 car chase movies - MOVIES - MSNBC".MSNBC. Archived fromthe originalon 2004-10-22.Retrieved2017-02-05.
  11. ^"The French Connection" car chase was as dangerous as it looked ".roadandtrack.22 February 2015.Retrieved5 February2017.
  12. ^"Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame".stuntmen.org.Retrieved4 February2017.
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