Who jumped the fence in The Great Escape?
3 min read
Asked by: Trish Greenfield
Ekins is best known as the actor who jumped the fence on a motorcycle in the 1963 film The Great Escape, and one of the stuntmen who drove the Ford Mustang 390 GT in the car chase scene in the 1968 film Bullitt.
Did Steve McQueen jump the fence in Great escape?
The enigmatic Mr McQueen took centre stage in the film’s infamous motorcycle chase and jump scene, which is considered one of the greatest movie stunts ever performed. However, in an unearthed interview the Hollywood icon revealed that he did not perform the 60-foot jump.
Who did Steve McQueen’s big motorcycle jump stunt in The Great Escape?
Bud Ekins
Bud Ekins, a pioneering champion off-road motorcyclist and a veteran stuntman who doubled for Steve McQueen on the famous motorcycle jump in “The Great Escape,” has died. He was 77.
Did Steve McQueen do his own riding in The Great Escape?
Bud Ekins prepared and choreographed the bulk of the chase, and McQueen did most of his own riding. McQueen was a better driver than many of the stuntmen playing Germans, so he put on an SS uniform for some of these scenes and chased himself. As Hilts, he rode a 1962 650cc Triumph TR6R.
How much of the film The Great Escape is true?
The film is accurate in showing that only three escapees made home runs, although the people who made them differed from those in the film. The escape of Danny and Willie in the film is based on two Norwegians who escaped by boat to Sweden, Per Bergsland and Jens Müller.
Who drove the black Charger in Bullitt?
stuntman Bill Hickman
In Bullitt, this wasn’t the case. The Dodge Charger was the most talked about car from the film, and it happened to be driven by the bad guy—a hitman played by Hollywood stuntman Bill Hickman. The car chase scene showed the Mustang easily tailing the Charger.
Did Steve McQueen do his stunts?
As in all of his movies, McQueen is doing his own stunts. “You can’t trick it no more when you do a job, right?” he commented.
Who was Steve McQueen’s double?
Bud Ekins
Bud Ekins, a devil-may-care motorcyclist who went from racing through the mountain trails and desert rambles of Southern California in the late 1940s to renown as the stuntman double for Steve McQueen in a 65-foot flight over a barbed-wire barrier, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 77 and lived in Hollywood.
Who was Steve Mcqueens best friend?
Don Gordon
Don Gordon, an Emmy-nominated character actor who often starred alongside his close friend Steve McQueen, died on April 24 in Los Angeles. He was 90. His death was confirmed by his wife, Denise.
