Bill Hickman
| Bill Hickman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Hickman January 25, 1921 Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1986 (aged 65) Indio, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Stunt driver, actor, and stunt coordinator |
| Known for | Bullitt, The French Connection, The Seven-Ups |
Bill Hickman (January 25, 1921 – February 24, 1986), born William Hickman, was an American professional stunt driver, stunt coordinator and actor in the U.S. Film industry. He is considered to be one of the film industry's most accomplished stunt drivers. In a film career career spanning from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, his body of work included films such as Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups.
Bill Hickman was already an established stuntman by the time The Wild One was being filmed and his expertise on motorcycles landed him work on the Stanley Kramer production. At some point during the project Hickman was injured and was unable to continue. It is never clear whether he was hurt while filming a stunt for the movie, although one account (by the late Clyde Earl) had him taking a spill in a motorcycle race not connected with the film. However, Hickman is clearly shown in several of the publicity stills from The Wild One.
Hickman spent some of these earlier days as driver and friend to James Dean, driving Dean's Ford station wagon towing Dean's famed 550 Spyder nicknamed “Little Bastard”, and often helping and advising him with his driving technique. He was driving the Ford station wagon and trailer following Dean on the day of his fatal accident and was the first person on the scene.
Hickman was an extra in Dean's 1951 feature movie debut, Fixed Bayonets!. A rare personal quote from Bill on his friendship with Dean: "In those final days, racing was what he cared about most. I had been teaching him things like how to put a car in a four-wheel drift, but he had plenty of skill of his own. If he had lived he might have become a champion driver. We had a running joke, I'd call him Little Bastard and he'd call me Big Bastard. I never stop thinking of those memories."
In another interview with James Dean expert Warren Beath, Hickman is quoted as saying, "We were about two or three minutes behind him. I pulled him out of the car, and he was in my arms when he died, his head fell over. I heard the air coming out of his lungs the last time. Didn’t sleep for five or six nights after that, just the sound of the air coming out of his lungs."
While Hickman had many small acting (mainly driving) parts throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he mostly paid his bills with his stuntman work. He sustained a couple of significant injuries during this time, including breaking several ribs in a bad trick-fall in the film How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965). However, it was the landmark car chase alongside Steve McQueen in the now classic 1968 film Bullitt for which he is usually remembered. Hickman was to do all his own driving; portraying one of two hit men, he drove an all black 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum R/T through the streets of San Francisco, using the hills as jumps.
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