James Sherwin "Bud" Ekins (May 11, 1930 – October 6, 2007) was an American professional stuntman in the U.S. film industry. He is considered to be one of the film industry's most accomplished stuntmen with a body of work that includes classic films such as The Great Escape and Bullitt.
James Sherwin “Bud” Ekins was his stunt double for both “The Great Escape” and “Bllitt.” While Steve McQueen apparently did most of his easier stunts, stunt men did the more difficult ones. But Ekins is the most well known of Steve McQueen's stunt doubles.
In the famous chase in “Bullitt” McQueen drove the Mustang part of the time, and stunt coordinator Carey Loftin drove it part of the time. The Charger was driven by stunt man Bill Hickman. In other films Stunt Man Bud Elkins was McQueen's stunt double. What is the story of Steve McQueen's motorcycle?
Steve McQueen - The Great Escape (motorcycle scene)
How many motorcycles did Steve McQueen own?
For McQueen, racing cars and motorcycles was his way of clearing his mind. McQueen owned around 200 motorcycles. Some of these vintage bikes included: 1951 Triumph Thunderbird, 1933 Matchless Silver Hawk, 1912 Harley-Davidson X8E Big Twin, 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross, 1915 Cyclone Boardtracker and more.
Did Steve McQueen really jump the fence in The Great Escape?
Ekins, acting as stunt double for Steve McQueen while filming The Great Escape, was the rider who performed what is considered to be one of the most famous motorcycle stunts ever performed in a movie.
The actor is better known for his prowess as a stunt driver. His work in Bullitt (1968) is legendary where he drove the black Dodge Charger 440 Magnum that was pursued by Steve McQueen in his Ford Mustang 390 GT.
What happened to the car Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt?
The Bullitt Mustang ended up staying in the Kiernan family's D.C.-area garage for decades. Upon Kiernan's passing in 2014, the car was passed down to his son Sean who was inspired to get the car back up and running. Sean Kiernan restored the car in secret on his own before unveiling it to the public.
So when the world learned in January 2017 that the car, which had vanished from existence decades ago, had survived McQueen, who died in 1980, heartbreak turned into astonishment. The Kiernan family, the car's owner since 1974, had safely tucked it away in a Kentucky barn, far from prying eyes.
After his mesothelioma diagnosis in 1979, McQueen underwent a series of traditional and unconventional treatment options. He died of cardiac arrest in 1980.
Chadwick Steven "Chad" McQueen (born December 28, 1960) is a former American actor, film producer, martial artist, and race-car driver. As an actor and producer, he was known for playing Dutch in The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part II. He is the only son of actor Steve McQueen.
Did Steve McQueen do all his own stunts in Bullet?
Stunts, motor racing and flying. McQueen was an avid motorcycle and race car enthusiast. When he had the opportunity to drive in a movie, he performed many of his own stunts, including some of the car chases in Bullitt and the motorcycle chase in The Great Escape.
Did Steve McQueen do all his own driving in Bullitt?
Although Steve McQueen was credited with the driving during the chase sequence, it was actually shared by McQueen and Bud Ekins, one of Hollywood's best stunt drivers. From the interior shots looking forward inside the Mustang, it's easy to see which one is driving.
In Bullitt, directed by Peter Yates, Renella plays Johnny Ross, who fakes his murder so he can become free of the mob. After McQueen's San Francisco Police Lt. Frank Bullitt discovers the ruse, he chases down Ross across the runways of San Francisco Airport and gets his man in the terminal.
Following its movie debut, the 1968 Mustang GT hero car—this car—was sold to Robert Ross, a Warner Bros. employee who used it as a commuter, documented by the Warner Bros. parking sticker on the bottom right corner of the windshield. The other Mustang stunt car was deemed unrepairable and reportedly scrapped.
Frank Bullitt's car is a 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback. The bad guys drive a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. The Charger is just barely faster than the Mustang, with a 13.6-second quarter-mile to a 13.8-second.
Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt' sells for $3.4 million. (Reuters) - The 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic car chase from the movie "Bullitt, one of the most famed cars from American cinema, sold for $3.4 million at auction in Florida on Friday, Mecum Auctions said.
However, it seems that a certain buyer grabbed the machine from the Valley Dodge car dealer in Van Nuys, California in 1970 and sold it to Arnold Welch of Tucson, AZ in 2002. There were either two or three 1968 Dodge Chargers used in the film.
There were accounts of two and possible three Chargers used in the movie. Two were 4 speed cars, the third could have been an automatic. Differences noticed on the two or three cars.
Genge is most famous for his role as the shotgun toting gray-haired mob hitman 'Mike' in the 1968 film Bullitt (his character is the passenger in the black 1968 Dodge Charger during the famous car chase that goes out of control and causes his death and the driver's).
In later seasons, it was a mildly 'bobbed' Triumph Trophy 500. As he could not ride, Henry Winkler says that he learned on the same Triumph 650 6T ridden (and jumped) by Bud Ekins in 'The Great Escape' and ended up stuffing it under a truck.
How many men actually escaped in the real Great Escape?
Only three men successfully fled to safety—two Norwegians who stowed away on a freighter to Sweden and a Dutchman who made it to Gibraltar by rail and foot. A furious Adolf Hitler personally ordered the execution of 50 of the escapees as a warning to other prisoners.
The cremated remains of the Great Escapers were returned to Stalag Luft III. The newly-appointed camp commandant was appalled by the killings and allowed the prisoners to build a memorial to house the ashes. In 1948, a Royal Air Force search team travelled to the camp to collect the ashes.
