George DeNormand's life was a testament to the extraordinary, with a career that spanned multiple decades and various facets of the entertainment industry. After serving in the military, DeNormand transitioned into professional boxing, although his stint was brief, lasting only a handful of professional bouts.
This initial foray into the world of combat sports proved to be a springboard for DeNormand's subsequent career as a stuntman. In the 1930s, he began a long and illustrious career in the film industry, specializing in fight scenes and doubling for actors who needed protection from physical harm.
The 1940s proved to be a pivotal period in DeNormand's career, as he established himself as one of the go-to stuntmen for fight scenes. This led to a series of roles as a regular henchman in various Johnny Mack Brown movies, where he was able to draw a dual income as both a stuntman and actor.
Throughout the late 1940s, DeNormand appeared in several credited roles, often playing the part of an outlaw or gang member that Johnny Mack Brown had to fight or shoot off a horse. His versatility and range as a performer allowed him to adapt to a wide range of roles and scenarios.
As DeNormand's body began to show the signs of wear and tear in the 1950s, he transitioned to working as an extra in both westerns and dramas. Occasionally, he would be given lines of dialogue, although his thick New York accent often made it difficult to integrate him into scenes with a specific setting.
Despite this limitation, DeNormand continued to appear in various productions, including multiple episodes of popular television shows and a few talking roles in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
By the late 1960s, DeNormand's stunt days were coming to a close, although he continued to work on occasion, performing small stunts that did not require the services of a full-fledged stuntman. These "Whammys" were small, non-union stunts that would occasionally be referred to by cast members as such.
One of DeNormand's final stunts or credits was on the hit television show The Wild Wild West, where he played a murdered toy maker who receives a close-up right before his body falls out of a closet.
Throughout the 1970s, DeNormand continued to receive occasional silent bits in movies and television shows, often playing the part of a banker or aspiring magician. He remained a beloved figure in the film industry, loved by all who knew him, until his passing in 1976 due to cancer.
