Biography of Yakima Canutt:
Yakima Canutt, a renowned American stuntman, spent his life doubling for some of the most iconic Western and action stars of the 1950s to 1980s. Born in Alliance, Nebraska, Canutt grew up on a cattle ranch with his parents, Bert and Hazel Hayward. He began working cattle at a young age and eventually left home at 16 to join the rodeo circuit as a bronc rider and horse trainer.
In 1947, Canutt moved to Los Angeles, where he sought work as a wrangler. He started performing stunts in 1949 on the film "The Fighting Kentuckian," doubling John Wayne. The two developed a close friendship, and Canutt went on to double Wayne on nearly two dozen of his films.
Canutt's exceptional skills in horseback stunts led him to double many other stars, including Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Gregory Peck, in Westerns and action films. He also transitioned into stunt coordination, arranging stunts for films like "The Deadly Companions" (1961) and the TV series "The Rat Patrol" (1966).
In addition to his stunt work, Canutt played small roles in numerous films and TV shows, often appearing in scenes preceding intense action sequences. He retired from stunt work in 1981 and acting in 1989.
Throughout his career, Canutt was a member of the unofficial "John Ford Stock Company," a lifetime member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, and an inductee into the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame. Canutt passed away from Hodgkin's disease at his home in North Hollywood, California, in 1998.
