“My first job was as a treetopper, and I was so damn good at it they called me 'Squirrel.' And then I joined the military and became a paratrooper. And later on in life I raced motorcycles and cars.”

American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner

Hal Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He became known for his long association with Burt Reynolds and for work on action comedies built around cars and speed. His best-known credits include Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, The Cannonball Run, and Stroker Ace. Across those films, his reputation grew from stunt work into directing and other screen roles, often in projects centered on automobiles and high-energy action.