Ted Mapes was born on a Nebraska wheat ranch, where his father, John H. Mapes, also raised cattle, horses, and mules. In his twenties, Ted traveled west to California, where he worked as a truck driver in the Signal Hills oil fields near Long Beach, and later drove a moving van for a Los Angeles company.
It was during his time driving a moving van that Ted met a "grip" boss, Alex Hume, while moving the baggage and equipment of John Barrymore from the United Artists studios to his home. This chance encounter led to Ted's first film job as a grip boss on The Taming of the Shrew in 1929.
Ted's career in the film industry spanned many years, during which he worked as a head grip on several notable films, including The Miracle Rider in 1935, starring Tom Mix, and The Phantom Empire in 1935, which marked Gene Autry's first starring role. He also had bit parts in numerous movies, primarily westerns, and appeared in at least 13 serials produced by Republic Pictures.
In addition to his work as a grip and actor, Ted was a top stuntman, doubling for several notable stars, including Charles Starrett, Bruce Bennett, and Gary Cooper. In fact, Ted bore a striking resemblance to Gary Cooper and doubled for him in 17 films, starting with Sergeant York in 1941 and including Along Came Jones in 1945, The Story of Dr. Wassell in 1944, Saratoga Trunk in 1945, Unconquered in 1947, and Blowing Wild in 1953.
Ted also doubled for James Stewart in films from Broken Arrow in 1950 through Bandolero! in 1968. After retiring from acting in 1969, Ted worked for the American Humane Association as an advisor on films that featured animal actors, such as Ben in 1972 and Willard in 1971.
Ted Mapes was inducted into The Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame on September 18, 1978, in recognition of his many contributions to the film industry.
