Craig Redding Baxley (born October 20, 1949) is an American director, stunt coordinator, stunt performer and occasional actor. He is best known for his work in the
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
and
thriller genres.
Beginning his career as a
stunt performer, he was hired to perform stunts in number of notable television series namely ''
Police Story'', ''
Harry O
''Harry O'', sometimes spelled ''Harry-O'', is an American private detective series that aired for two seasons on ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen, and Jerry Thorpe was executive producer. ''Harry O'' followed the broadcas ...
'', ''
Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 9:00pm ET/PT on Tuesday nights between September 21, 1976 and March 8, 1977. A sequel to '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' that had aired the prev ...
'', ''
Gemini Man'', ''
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
'' and ''
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker (auth ...
''.
He worked as
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 ...
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 ...
on ''
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 ...
'' and ''
The A-Team
''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court m ...
'' (on which he later made his directorial debut), along with the pilot of ''
Hunter
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...
'' as second unit director. He was stunt coordinator on the feature films ''
The Warriors'' (1979) and ''
The Long Riders
''The Long Riders'' is a 1980 American Western film directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Zinnemann and featured an original soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Cooder won the ''Best Music'' award in 1980 from the L ...
'' (1980), as well as second unit director on ''
Reds'' (1981) and ''
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
'' (1987).
[Craig R. Baxley Biography at FilmReference.com](_blank)
/ref>
Baxley also appeared in four episodes of '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'', as well having small roles in '' Chase'', ''Mannix
''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...
'', ''Bearcats!
''Bearcats!'' is an American Western television series broadcast on the CBS television network during the fall 1971 television season. It starred Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole as troubleshooters in the period before the American entry into World Wa ...
'', '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'' and ''S.W.A.T.
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
''I Come in Peace
''I Come in Peace'' (released under the alternative title ''Dark Angel'') is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Craig R. Baxley, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley and Matthias Hues. The film was r ...
'' (1990), '' Stone Cold'' (1991) and ''Sniper 2
''Sniper 2'' is a 2002 American made-for-television action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Tom Berenger, Bokeem Woodbine, Dan Butler and Linden Ashby. The film premiered on Cinemax, on December 28, 2002 and was released to video ...
'' (2002).
Baxley's other television directing credits include miniseries based on Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...
works namely ''Storm of the Century
''Storm of the Century'', alternatively known as ''Stephen King's Storm of the Century'', is a 1999 American horror television miniseries written by Stephen King and directed by Craig R. Baxley. Unlike many other television adaptations of King' ...
'' (1999), '' Rose Red'' (2002), ''The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
''The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red'' is a 2001 novel by Ridley Pearson focusing on the life of the fictional John and Ellen Rimbauer and the construction of their mansion, Rose Red, in the early 20th century. Built on an old Ind ...
'' (2003), ''Kingdom Hospital
''Kingdom Hospital'' (sometimes known as ''Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital'') is a thirteen-episode television series based on Lars von Trier's '' The Kingdom'' ( Danish title: ''Riget''), developed by horror writer Stephen King in 2004 for Ame ...
'' (2004), as well as '' The Triangle'' (2005) and ''The Lost Room
''The Lost Room'' is a 2006 science fiction television miniseries that aired on the Syfy Channel in the United States. The series revolves around the titular room and some of the everyday items from that room which possess unusual powers. The s ...
'' (2006). Some of his television film credits include ''A Family Torn Apart
''A Family Torn Apart'', also known as ''Sudden Fury'', is a 1993 American crime drama television film directed by Craig R. Baxley, written by Matthew Bombeck, and starring Neil Patrick Harris and Johnny Galecki. The film is based on the 1989 non- ...
'' (1993), '' Twisted Desire'' (1996) and ''Silencing Mary
''Silencing Mary'' is a 1998 American television film directed by Craig R. Baxley and written by Steve Johnson. It stars Melissa Joan Hart as a college newspaper reporter determined to get justice after her best friend is raped by one of the s ...
'' (1998) both starring Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and director. She had starring roles as the title characters in the sitcoms ''Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991–1994), ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003), and ''M ...
.
References
External links
*
1949 births
American male film actors
American stunt performers
American male television actors
American television directors
Living people
Film directors from Los Angeles
Male actors from California
Male actors from Los Angeles
Action film directors
{{US-film-director-1940s-stub