Bud Ekins, Bullitt stuntman, dies

[Magnumcharger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Ekins

"For years, movie fans believed the big barbed-wire fence jump at the finale of The Great Escape to be McQueen, although this is Ekins, with McQueen undertaking the rest of the bike work himself, the film's producers too nervous to allow him to make the iconic jump in person.

Five years later, McQueen was annoyed at being given a late call to the Bullitt set one day, to find Ekins with his hair sprayed blond performing the most dangerous stunts around the streets of San Francisco, causing him to shout "you did it to me again!" referring to the scene-stealing from The Great Escape".

[Mike DC]

That's too bad.  Dude had mad skills. 

The Hollywood stunt community is a very small world.  In any given generation it's only a couple dozen guys doing most of the car stunts you ever see.  It's only ever been a few hundred stunt people doing ALL the A-list stuntwork out there. 


Bud's resume from IMDB:


The Ransom of Red Chief (1998) (TV) (stunts)
Extreme Justice (1993) (stunts)
... aka S.I.S. - Extreme Justice

Black Moon Rising (1986) (stunts)
City Heat (1984) (stunts)
Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982) (stunt coordinator)
Megaforce (1982) (stunts)
... aka Mega Force (Philippines: English title)
The Blues Brothers (1980) (stunts)
Soggy Bottom, USA (1980) (stunts)
... aka Swamp Rats

1941 (1979) (stunts) (uncredited)
Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider (1979) (stunts)
... aka Fast Charlie and the Moonbeam
Movie Movie (1978) (stunts)
Animal House (1978) (stunts)
... aka National Lampoon's Animal House
Return from Witch Mountain (1978) (stunts)
Sorcerer (1977) (stunt coordinator)
... aka Wages of Fear
Scorchy (1976) (stunts)
... aka Race with Death (USA: alternative title)
Dixie Dynamite (1976) (stunts)
Death Scream (1975) (TV) (stunt coordinator)
... aka Streetkill
... aka The Woman Who Cried Murder
Race with the Devil (1975) (stunts)
The Front Page (1974) (stunts) (uncredited)
The Towering Inferno (1974) (stunts) (uncredited)
Earthquake (1974) (stunts) (uncredited)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973) (stunt coordinator) (stunts) (uncredited)
The Thing with Two Heads (1972) (stunts) (as 'Bud' Ekins)
... aka The Beast with Two Heads
... aka The Man with Two Heads
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) (stunts) (uncredited)
... aka Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever (USA: complete title)
Chrome and Hot Leather (1971) (stunts)
Angel Unchained (1970) (stunts) (uncredited)
... aka Angels Unchained (USA)
... aka Hells Angels Unchained (USA)
Flap (1970) (stunts) (uncredited)
... aka The Last Warrior (UK)

"Then Came Bronson" (1969) TV Series (stunt double: michael parks) (unknown episodes)
Hell's Angels '69 (1969) (stunts) (uncredited)
Bullitt (1968) (stunt driver) (uncredited) (stunts) (uncredited)
Speedway (1968) (stunts) (uncredited)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (stunts) (uncredited)
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) (stunts) (uncredited)
The Great Escape (1963) (stunt double: Steve McQueen, motorcycle jump) (uncredited)

Actor:
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
Vegas Vacation (1997) .... O'Shea Security Guard
... aka National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation
The Specialist (1994) .... Veteran Cop
... aka Especialista, El (Peru)
The Next Karate Kid (1994) .... Jack Russell
Pacific Heights (1990) .... Thug

Mac and Me (1988) .... Gardner
Deadly Force (1983) .... Harvey Benton

Zero to Sixty (1978)
Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell (1978) .... Chase Cop
Bunny O'Hare (1971) .... Cedar Crest Bank Guard
Angel Unchained (1970) .... Speed
... aka Angels Unchained (USA)
... aka Hells Angels Unchained (USA)

Hell's Angels '69 (1969)
The Love Bug (1968) .... Driver

[TruckDriver]

Black Moon Rising (1986) (stunts)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090735/


Awsome movie. But a v8 front wheel drive Daytona