Allan Graf

Allan Graf
Born	Allan Lee Graf (1949-12-16)December 16, 1949 Wichita, Kansas,U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation(s)	Actor,Stunt coordinator,Film director
Years active	1976–current
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)

Allan Lee Graf(born December 16, 1949) is an American athlete, actor,stuntmanand director.

A high schoolAll-Americanfootball player atSan Fernandoin Los Angeles, California, Graf played offensive guard for the undefeatednational championUniversity of Southern CaliforniaTrojansin 1972. After a brief experience playing professional football, Graf stumbled into stunt work, and over time has become astunt coordinatorin Hollywood, coordinating stunts in football movies likeAny Given SundayandFriday Night Lights.Graf likes to cast himself in onscreen stunt roles, and has appeared in many television shows and movies. Graf has become asecond unit director,working on films such asWayne's World,The Replacements,The Waterboy,We Were Soldiers,andJerry Maguire.

Early life and education

Allan Lee Graf was raised inSylmar,California, but transferred toSan Fernando High Schoolin tenth grade. According to Graf, San Fernando was the best high school football program in the state in the 1970s.Though originally from mostly whiteSylmar,Graf proved himself sufficiently as a defensive player at San Fernando to be elected captain of the more integrated Tigers team as a senior. In 1968, the San Fernando Tigers won the Los Angeles City High School football championship, going undefeated; Graf was selected L.A. City co-player of the year and aParade MagazineAll-American atdefensive tackle.

Are the 1972 Trojans the greatest team of all time? How can you ask me that? I'm biased. I want to say this, if you ask guys who played in the pros; Batman Woods, Charles Anthony, any of those guys... Sam Cunningham will tell you the best team he ever played for was the '72 Trojans.

— Allan Graf, 2009, quoted by Steven Travers,

Heavily recruited byPac-8universities, Graf opted to stay in his native Los Angeles to play forJohn McKayand theUniversity of Southern CaliforniaTrojans.Graf was unhappy when line coachRod Humenuiktold him he'd be playing offensive tackle. Graf liked to tackle offensive ball carriers; with his natural aggressiveness, he felt he would play better on defense. Humenuik said: "With your speed you're a great pulling guard. You have a natural tendency to pull with your hips."Graf started three years at tackle for the Trojans. During USC's remarkable undefeated 1972 season, Graf played with Trojan legendsLynn Swann,Pat HadenandSam Cunningham,helpedAnthony Davisto get a record six touchdowns against rivalNotre Dame,and won a national championship ring after defeatingOhio Statein the1973 Rose Bowl.The 1972 USC Trojans have sometimes been classed among the best college football teams of all time.Thirty three teammates on the 1972 roster would eventually be drafted by teams in theNational Football League,including five first round picks.

Career

Football

Unpicked in the1973 NFL draft,Graf attended theLos Angeles Rams' 1973 fall training camp as a free agent. Playing behind All-ProTom Mackin camp, Graf asked to be traded or released, but was the last man cut from camp, leaving him without an NFL contract. Graf was one of several Trojan graduates to join thePortland Stormfranchise in the newWorld Football League,but after the league folded in the middle of its second season, Graf thought his football career was behind him.

Film

While still playing for the Portland Storm, Graf had taken side work withDisneyinSanta Clarita,acting as stunt double toChicago BearsplayerDick Butkuson a children's sports comedyGusabout a field goal-kicking mule. Butkus invited Graf to double for him on television projects several times in the following years, and soon Graf was getting stunt work on his own.

...Walter Hill gave me my opportunity to direct second unit onJohnny Handsome.I have been with Walter over 20 years. I worked with him on the pilot ofDeadwood.

— Allan Graf, March 20, 2005,

Frequent collaborations with director Walter Hill gave Graf the experience and confidence to do more than just stunt work; in 1989 he was asked by Hill not only to coordinate stunts for his new filmJohnny Handsome,but also to direct the film'ssecond unit,a first for Graf.

Graf's stunt coordination received much attention in Walter Hill's 1990 filmAnother 48 Hrs.,after he performed a "cannon-roll" using a school bus at speed, lifting the bus 17 feet (5.2 m) in the air with dynamite, and rolling it down the highway for 285 feet (87 m).

Sports films

Graf's special connection with sports has led him to be one of Hollywood's most capable and experienced football stunt coordinators. Starting withGus,Graf has performed or coordinated stunts in over a dozen football-related films. ForFriday Night LightsGraf personally interviewed over 900 candidates for a forty-man roster, including doubles for the actors involved. After deciding on talent, Graf put together a playbook and started the roster running plays, gradually working the actors into the practices. "My rule of thumb is we never hit an actor. We can't afford anyone to get hurt. When we didAny Given Sunday,we could do some controlled stuff, but it is very limited how much you can do. "Graf is often called "Coach" on set. Referring to 2000'sThe Replacementsreporter Liz Segal said, "Staging plays forHoward Deutch’s comedy about replacement players during the 1987 NFL strike gave Graf his biggest thrill ever. To get that real pro-football feel, some sequences had to be filmed during aBaltimore Ravens’ halftime. "

Different directors want different things. The one thing I was happy about withPete BergwithFriday Night Lightsis that he wanted reality. That's what I really like. I like to make it very violent and very real. When I didJerry Maguire,Cameron Crowewanted it to look exactly likeMonday Night Footballand we did it just like that.

— Allan Graf, March 20, 2005

As the result of his experience coordinating stunts on sports movies, Graf has developed a regular "team" of stuntmen he can call on to get just the right look for the film. Graf's knowledge of the history of the game makes him especially useful. "forThe Express: The Ernie Davis Story,based onSyracuse'sErnie Davisin 1961 becoming the first African-American to win theHeisman Trophy,[Graf] needed smaller players – and ones who could adopt that era's playing styles. "

Second Unit Director

Graf has directed the second unit of photography on many sports-related motion pictures where his stunt coordination made him a key decision maker, but he has also directed second unit in many mainstream comedies, starting withWayne's Worldin 1992. Especially in collaboration with Walter Hill, with whom he shares association in many movie projects, Graf's experience has grown in the action film genre, especially in the Western. In 2004, Graf helped Hill create and execute realistic stunts for the premiere ofDavid Milch'sDeadwoodtelevision series onHBO.Graf was himself cast as the bodyguard "Captain Joe Turner" of series antagonistGeorge Hearst.In episode five of the third season, Graf's character and his camp rival Dan Dority (portrayed byWilliam Earl Brown) engaged in a climactic and gritty five-minute bare-knuckle brawl which was described by one reviewer as "a bloody marvel."

Personal life

Graf and wife Betty have three children, all USC alums or students: Derek, Nicole and Kevin.Graf's sons have played football as legacies at USC: Derek Graf played center and right offensive tackle for the 2002 squad,andKevin Grafstarted at right offensive tackle for 37 games before graduation.

External links

• Allan GrafatIMDb