Paul Reginald Baxley Jr. (September 24, 1923 – March 4, 2011) was an American actor and stunt coordinator best known for his work as a stunt coordinator on ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

''. He was a stunt double of

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...

Early life

Baxley was born in Casper, Wyoming and grew up in Los Angeles. Through his high school years at Eagle Rock High, he was a quarterback and track star. He was a Marine Scout Sniper in the 4th division in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. His service earned him two purple hearts, a bronze star, and a letter of recommendation from the president. He went back to college and continued his career as a quarterback. He met one of the most successful stunt coordinators in the film industry, stuntman

Richard Talmadge Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born actor, stuntman and film director. Early life Born ...

in the late 1940s and was brought into the stunt community. By 1947, Baxley was performing stunts in films such as ''Deep Valley'', ''Pirates of Monterey'', ''The Lady from Shanghai'', ''The Black Arrow'', and ''Comanche Territory''.

Career

After being introduced to the stunt community by Richard Talmadge, Baxley's career took off. He worked on ''West Point Story'', ''The Son of Dr. Jekyll'', ''The Crimson Pirate'', ''Iron Mistress'', ''Shane'', ''The Black Knight'', and ''Rebel Without a Cause''. He also worked on television on ''Star Trek'' and ''Mike Hammer''. In ''Star Trek'' he was

's stunt double but also performed stunts as a background player and for other guest stars. Baxley was probably best known for his work on the series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', which he worked on from 1979 until 1985, giving him seven years and 120 episodes as the stunt coordinator. Baxley doubled for several important Hollywood actors, such as Marlon Brando, Alan Ladd, and James Dean. After doubling for Brando, Paul Baxley became close friends. They remained friends until Brando's death in 2004.

Later years/death

Baxley's son, Craig, became a

stunt coordinator A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company for stunt casting. Their job is to arrange the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of stunts for a ...

, along with his nephew, Gary. His grandson, Craig Jr. became a member of Stunts Unlimited. Later in Paul Baxley's career, he directed several episodes of '' T.H.E. Cat'' and ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...

''. He also worked as his son's stunt coordinator and

Second Unit Director Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...

. Paul Baxley died on March 4, 2011 in Palmdale, California, aged 87.

Partial filmography

*'' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971) - CIA Agent (uncredited) *'' The Boy Who Cried Werewolf'' (1973) - First Werewolf

References

External links

* 1923 births 2011 deaths American stunt performers People from Casper, Wyoming People from Greater Los Angeles {{US-entertainer-stub