- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWilliam Warde Hickman
- The actor is better known for his prowess as a stunt driver. His work in Đại Tá 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. For his reputation earned on Bullitt, Hickman was hired by William Friedkin for Kẻ Đầu Mối Pháp (1971). He staged a similar chase on the streets of Manhattan but with a greater presence of civilians, an element that had been missing in Bullitt. Doubling for Gene Hackman in the more hazardous stunts, Hickman drove the brown 1970 Pontiac at speeds up to 90mph with Friedkin manning the camera right behind him. Hickman's third spectacle would be captured in The Seven-Ups (1973) where, yet again, he virtually outdid himself driving the car being pursued by Roy Scheider in another landmark car chase.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- SpousesMargaret Bernardette Sullivan(September 12, 1970 - February 24, 1986) (his death)Barbara Grace Beatty(February 21, 1956 - ?) (divorced, 1 child)Betty Jane Hayne(December 3, 1950 - July 9, 1952) (divorced)Margie Ann Mcdowd(June 1, 1947 - March 17, 1948) (divorced)Yvonne Eloise Thomas(June 15, 1940 - December 19, 1945) (divorced, 1 child)
- ChildrenRonald William HickmanWilliam Blakely Hickman
- ParentsVirginia Elizabeth Cantrell
- RelativesJohn Napoleon Hickman(Sibling)Alfred Marriner Hickman(Half Sibling)Muriel Wolstenholme Hickman(Half Sibling)
- Before becoming a famous movie stuntman, he was James Dean's driver in 1955 when the latter was killed after a roadside accident. Hickman, driving the Ford station-wagon and trailer that hauled Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder, was the first on the scene when he came upon the accident.
- He appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners in consecutive years: Patton (1970) and Kẻ Đầu Mối Pháp (1971).
- In 1963, he and Alex Sharp were awarded a commendation for outstanding service to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for their involvement in the apprehension of a bank robber who had shot a police officer. On June 19, 1963, they pursued and rammed the car of the bandit, Carl Follette, and delayed him until the LAPD arrived.
- On his friendship with James 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."
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