Paul Reginald Baxley Jr. (September 24, 1923 – March 4, 2011) was an American actor and stunt coordinator best known for his work as a stunt coordinator on '' Star Trek: The Original Series''. He was a stunt double of

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

Early life

Baxley was born in

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the List of municipalities in Wyoming, second-most populous city in the state after Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, with the population at 59,038 as of th ...

and grew up in Los Angeles. Through his high school years at Eagle Rock High, he was a quarterback and track star. He was a Marine Scout Sniper in the

4th division In military terms, 4th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *4th (Quetta) Division, British Indian Army * 4th Alpine Division Cuneense, Italy * 4th Blackshirt Division (3 January), Italy *4th Canadian Division *4th Division (Australia) * 4th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His service earned him two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

s, a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, and a letter of recommendation from the president. He went back to college and continued his career as a quarterback. He met one of the most successful stunt coordinators in the film industry, stuntman

Richard Talmadge Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born American actor, stuntman and film director. Early li ...

in the late 1940s and was brought into the stunt community. By 1947, Baxley was performing stunts in films such as '' Deep Valley'' (1947), '' Pirates of Monterey'' (1947), ''

The Lady from Shanghai ''The Lady from Shanghai'' is a 1947 American film noir produced and directed by Orson Welles and starring Rita Hayworth, Welles, Everett Sloane, and Glenn Anders. Welles's screenplay is based on the novel ''If I Die Before I Wake'' by Sherwo ...

'' (1947), ''

The Black Arrow ''The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses'' is an adventure, romance and historical novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. It first appeared as a serial in 1883 with the subtitle "A Tale of Tunstall Forest" beginning in '' Young Folks; A Boys' an ...

'' (1948) and '' Comanche Territory'' (1950).

Career

After being introduced to the stunt community by Richard Talmadge, Baxley's career took off. He worked on ''West Point Story'', ''The Son of Dr. Jekyll'', ''The Crimson Pirate'', ''Iron Mistress'', ''Shane'', ''The Black Knight'', and ''Rebel Without a Cause''. He also worked on television on ''Star Trek'' and ''Mike Hammer''. In ''Star Trek'' he was

's stunt double but also performed stunts as a background player and for other guest stars. Baxley was probably best known for his work on the series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', which he worked on from 1979 until 1985, giving him seven years and 120 episodes as the stunt coordinator. Baxley doubled for several important Hollywood actors, such as

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...

, and

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...

. After doubling for Brando, Paul Baxley became close friends. They remained friends until Brando's death in 2004.

Later years/death

Baxley's son, Craig, became a

stunt coordinator A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company for casting stunt performers. Their job is to arrange the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of s ...

, along with his nephew, Gary Baxley. His grandson, Craig Baxley Jr. became a member of Stunts Unlimited. Later in Paul Baxley's career, he directed several episodes of ''

T.H.E. Cat ''T.H.E. Cat'' is an American television action drama that aired on NBC Fridays from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the 1966–1967 television season.Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earl, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cab ...

'' and ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...

''. He also worked as his son's stunt coordinator and

second unit director A 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 s ...

. Paul Baxley died on March 4, 2011, in

Palmdale, California Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On August 24, 1962 ...

, aged 87.

Partial filmography

*'' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971) - CIA Agent (uncredited) *'' The Boy Who Cried Werewolf'' (1973) - First Werewolf

References

External links

* 1923 births 2011 deaths {{US-entertainer-stub American stunt performers Military personnel from California Military personnel from Wyoming People from Casper, Wyoming People from Greater Los Angeles United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II