Albert Peter Wilson (December 1, 1895 – September 5, 1932) was an American film actor, producer and stunt pilot. Wilson died in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, in an air crash while doing flying stunts at the 1932 Cleveland Air Races show."The Albert P. "Al" Wilson."
''Davis-Monthan Airfield Register Website.'' Retrieved: January 16, 2011.

Biography

Born in

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

, Wilson grew up in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, where his family had moved, and since he was young he has always been passionate about flying. He started at Schiller Aviation School as a maintenance assistant, where he also began to study as a pilot. After that, he taught in flying schools and finally he became chief instructor at the American Aircraft Company. After a short period as manager of Mercury Aviation Company, founded by one of his students,

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinem ...

, Wilson became more and more skilled in performing stunts, including wing-walking, and left the company to become a professional stunt pilot. Phantom Flyer 1928

Wilson worked together with stuntmen like Frank Clarke and

Wally Timm Wally Timm (August 8, 1896 – April 29, 1978) was an American aircraft designer, pilot and manufacturer. Early life Wally Timm was born in Lakefield, Minnesota, and with his family moved to Windom, Minnesota. He worked closely alongside his brot ...

and also for movie companies, including Universal. After numerous appearances in stunt roles he started his actor career in 1923 with the serial ''

The Eagle's Talons ''The Eagle's Talons'' is a 1923 American film serial directed by Duke Worne. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Fred Thomson - Jack Alden * Ann Little - Enid Markham * Al Wilson - Charles Dean * Herbert Fortier - Gregory Markham * J ...

''.Wynne 1987, pp. 5–17. He produced his own movies until 1927, when he went back to work with Universal. Wilson was also one of the pilots in '' Hell's Angels'' (1930) and during filming, he was involved in an accident where the mechanic Phil Jones died. This episode marked the end of his career as stunt pilot in movies."Stunt Pilots."
''Silents are Golden.'' Retrieved: January 16, 2011. During the National Air Races in Cleveland in 1932, his aircraft crashed and he died a few days later in hospital due to the injuries he suffered. The accident is documented in the film ''Pylon Dusters: 1932 and 1938 Air Races'', an historic film about the 1932 Cleveland Race.

Filmography

*''

'' (1923, serial) *''

The Ghost City ''The Ghost City'' is a 1923 American silent Western film serial directed by Jay Marchant. It is considered to be a lost film. Plot As described in a film magazine, in Sunshine Valley, California, there is trouble aplenty brewing. Laughing La ...

'' (1923, serial) *''

The Air Hawk ''The Air Hawk'' is a 1924 American silent action adventure film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and starring real life aviator Al Wilson. The aviation film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Like many actors in the silent fi ...

'' (1924) *'' The Cloud Rider'' (1925) *'' The Fighting Ranger'' (1925, serial) *'' Flyin' Thru'' (1925) *'' The Flying Mail'' (1926) *''

Three Miles Up ''Three Miles Up'' is a 1927 American silent action film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell. The film stars Al Wilson, William Malan and Ethlyne Clair. ''Three Miles Up'' was one of a series of films that showcased the exploits of the stunt pilots in ...

'' (1927) *''

Sky High Saunders ''Sky High Saunders'' (aka ''Skyhigh Saunders'' and ''Sky-High Saunders'')is a 1927 American silent action film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell. The film stars Al Wilson (playing both "Sky-High" Saunders and his twin brother, Michael Saunders), El ...

'' (1927) *''

The Air Patrol ''The Air Patrol'' is a 1928 American drama film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and written by William Berke and Gardner Bradford from a story by Al Wilson, the star. The film stars Al Wilson, Elsa Benham, Jack Mower, Frank Tomick, Monte Montagu ...

'' (1928) *''

The Cloud Dodger ''The Cloud Dodger'' is a 1928 silent drama film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and starring real life aviator Al Wilson. The action film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Like many actors in the silent film era, Wilson did no ...

'' (1928) *'' The Phantom Flyer'' (1928) *''

Won in the Clouds ''Won in the Clouds'' is a 1928 American silent film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and starring Al Wilson. Like many actors in the silent film era, Wilson did not survive the transition to "talkies", with ''Won in the Clouds'', one of his las ...

'' (1928) *''

The Sky Skidder ''The Sky Skidder'' is a 1929 American action film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and written by Carl Krusada and Gardner Bradford. The film stars Al Wilson, Helen Foster, Wilbur McGaugh and Gilbert Holmes. The film was released on January 13, 1 ...

'' (1929) *'' Hell's Angels'' (1930) *''

The Airmail Mystery ''The Airmail Mystery'' is a 1932 Universal Pre-Code movie serial directed by Ray Taylor, written by Ella O'Neill, starring James Flavin and Wheeler Oakman, and featuring ( Al Wilson) doing the aerial stunts. ''The Airmail Mystery'' was Univers ...

'' (1932)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

* *
Stock footage
of Al Wilson's fatal crash with

autogiro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Albert P. 1895 births 1932 deaths American male film actors Stunt pilots Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in Ohio Male actors from Kentucky 20th-century American male actors Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1932