Bill Hickman was a stuntman, stunt driver, and actor who worked in Hollywood for over three decades. He is best known for his involvement in some of the most iconic car chases in cinema history, such as Bullitt, The French Connection, and The Seven-Ups. He was also a close friend of James Dean and witnessed his fatal car crash in 1955. Bill Hickman died of cancer in 1986 at the age of 65. This article will explore his life, career, and legacy.
Early Life and Friendship with James Dean
Bill Hickman was born in Los Angeles County, California, on January 25, 1921. He started working as a stuntman in the 1940s and landed his first on-screen role in Stanley Kramer’s The Wild One in 1953. He played one of the members of Marlon Brando’s motorcycle gang, but he had to drop out of the film after injuring himself in a motorcycle race.
Hickman met James Dean on the set of Rebel Without a Cause in 1955, where he was doing stunts. The two men became fast friends and Hickman became Dean’s driving mentor. Hickman taught Dean how to put a car in a four-wheel drift and other racing techniques. They had a running joke, where Hickman would call Dean “Little Bastard” and Dean would call Hickman “Big Bastard”. “Little Bastard” was also the nickname painted on Dean’s 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, the car he was driving on September 30, 1955, when he collided with a Ford sedan on his way to a race in Salinas, California. Hickman was following Dean in a station wagon and was the first person on the scene of the accident. He pulled Dean out of the car and held him in his arms until he died. Hickman later said that he never stopped thinking of those memories and that he did not sleep for five or six nights after that.
Stunt Work in Hollywood
After Dean’s death, Hickman continued working as a stuntman and stunt driver in Hollywood. He sustained a couple of significant injuries during this time, including breaking several ribs in a bad trick-fall in the film How to Stuff a Wild Bikini in 1965. He also had small acting parts in various films and TV shows, often playing drivers, cops, or thugs.
Hickman’s most memorable work came in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he participated in some of the most thrilling and realistic car chases ever filmed. He worked with Steve McQueen in Bullitt in 1968, where he drove a black Dodge Charger that chased McQueen’s green Ford Mustang through the streets of San Francisco. He also worked with Gene Hackman in The French Connection in 1971, where he drove a brown Pontiac LeMans that pursued an elevated train in Brooklyn. He also worked with Roy Scheider in The Seven-Ups in 1973, where he drove a blue Pontiac Ventura that crashed into a truck in New York. Hickman was not only the driver, but also the stunt coordinator and the actor who played the villains in these films. He was praised for his skill, precision, and realism in creating these spectacular scenes.
Death and Legacy
Bill Hickman died of cancer on February 24, 1986, in Indio, California. He was 65 years old. He left behind a wife and two children. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
Bill Hickman is widely regarded as one of the best stunt drivers and stunt coordinators in film history. He influenced many filmmakers and stunt performers who admired his work and tried to emulate his style. He is also remembered as a loyal friend of James Dean and a witness of his tragic death. His car chases in Bullitt, The French Connection, and The Seven-Ups are considered classics of the genre and are still studied and admired by fans and critics alike.
According to Wikipedia, Bill Hickman was an American professional stunt driver, stunt coordinator and actor in the U.S. film industry. His film career spanned from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, and included films such as Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups. According to HuffPost Entertainment, Hickman met James Dean on the set of Rebel Without a Cause, where he again was doing stunts. The two men became fast friends, with Hickman becoming Dean’s driving mentor. According to Dead or Kicking, Bill’s cause of death was cancer. According to Wikispro, Bill Hickman died of cancer in 1986 at the age of 65 in Indio, California.
