Joe Canutt obit

Joe Canutt Has Died

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Joe Canutt is an American stuntman, stunt coordinator, and second unit director known for his high-risk stunt performances, most notably as the frequent stunt double for Charlton Heston in major Hollywood productions.  The son of legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, he gained particular recognition for executing the daring chariot jump and near-fall during the chariot race sequence in Ben-Hur (1959), where he sustained a chin injury but delivered footage so compelling that it was retained in the final film.

He contributed stunts and coordination to numerous films across several decades, including Patton (1970), The Omega Man (1971), Soylent Green (1973), Earthquake (1974), and The Last Hard Men (1976), often doubling for stars such as Heston, Charles Bronson, and Steve McQueen while also taking on acting roles and assistant director duties.  Before and alongside his film career, Canutt served in the U.S. Navy as a salvage diver, competed professionally in rodeo events, and later became an accomplished commercial fisherman who innovated equipment and techniques in the industry.

Born Harry Joe Canutt on January 19, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, he was married to Gail Canutt for 54 years and had three children and seven grandchildren at the time of his death on March 16, 2018, in Goleta, California.  His lifelong commitment to excellence in physically demanding fields left a lasting mark on both the film industry and his local community

Harry Joe Canutt was born on January 19, 1937, in Los Angeles, California.  He was the son of Yakima Canutt, a renowned stuntman and second unit director known for his pioneering work in Hollywood action sequences, and Minnie Canutt.

Canutt grew up in Los Angeles in a family deeply connected to the film industry's stunt community.  He had a brother, Tap Canutt, who also pursued a career as a stuntman.

He stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall.

Joe Canutt rode bulls and saddlebronks on the pro rodeo circuit.  He also served his country in the navy as a salvage diver.

These pre-film pursuits were among the varied high-risk endeavors that marked his life, as he consistently aimed to improve upon whatever he undertook.

Joe Canutt appeared in a number of film and television productions, primarily in minor and uncredited roles. His early acting credits included an uncredited appearance as Joe in The Far Horizons (1955), followed by an uncredited role as Mounted Hussar in The Swan (1956) and a credited part as Brave in one episode of the television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1957).

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Canutt had several uncredited roles in major feature films, portraying Sportsman in Ben-Hur (1959), Soldier in Spartacus (1960), and Bowie's Man in The Alamo (1960). He later appeared uncredited as Primitive Human in Planet of the Apes (1968).

On television, Canutt guest-starred in two episodes of Daniel Boone between 1965 and 1967, playing Settler #2 and Pushmataha. His subsequent film roles included Hunter in Skyjacked (1972), Glo in The Drowning Pool (1975), Sailor (uncredited) in Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975), and Soldier on Horse (uncredited) in Breakheart Pass (1975).

Joe Canutt established himself as a highly skilled stunt performer in Hollywood, specializing in dangerous physical action sequences and frequently serving as a stunt double for major stars. He is particularly noted for doubling Charlton Heston in several films, including the chariot race in Ben-Hur (1959), where he drove his chariot over a deliberately placed wreck, was thrown from the vehicle, and fell beneath the hooves of pursuing horses, sustaining a chin laceration requiring four stitches; the footage of this real incident was retained in the final cut of the film.  He continued doubling Heston in Soylent Green (1973), Earthquake (1974), and The Last Hard Men (1976). Canutt also doubled other prominent actors such as Fess Parker, Charles Bronson, and Steve McQueen during his career. His stunt performing credits encompass a range of epic and action films, including Patton (1970), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Papillon (1973), Airport 1975 (1974), and Breakheart Pass (1975). In later years, he transitioned into stunt coordination and second unit directing roles.

Stunt coordination and second unit directing

Joe Canutt built on his earlier experience as a stunt performer by taking on supervisory roles in stunt coordination and second unit directing.

He served as stunt coordinator on a series of films during the 1970s, including When the Legends Die (1972), Soylent Green (1973), Airport 1975 (1974), Mandingo (1975), The Last Hard Men (1976), and MacArthur (1977).

Stunts

MacArthur (1977)

MacArthur

6.5

stunt coordinatorstunts (uncredited)

1977

 

Charlton Heston, James Coburn, and Barbara Hershey in The Last Hard Men (1976)

The Last Hard Men

6.2

stunt coordinatorstunt double: Charlton Hestonstunts (uncredited)

1976

 

Charles Bronson in Breakheart Pass (1975)

Breakheart Pass

6.7

stunts

1975

 

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

5.4

stunts (uncredited)

1975

 

Paul Newman in The Drowning Pool (1975)

The Drowning Pool

6.5

stunts (uncredited)

1975

 

Mandingo (1975)

Mandingo

6.5

stunt coordinator

1975

 

Charlton Heston, Victoria Principal, Geneviève Bujold, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, George Kennedy, Marjoe Gortner, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Roundtree, and Barry Sullivan in Earthquake (1974)

Earthquake

5.9

stunt double: Charlton Heston (uncredited)

1974

 

Charlton Heston, Linda Blair, Karen Black, George Kennedy, Myrna Loy, Sid Caesar, Susan Clark, Helen Reddy, Gloria Swanson, Roy Thinnes, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in Airport 1975 (1974)

Airport 1975

5.8

stunt coordinatorstunts (uncredited)

1974

 

Richard Harris in 99 and 44/100% Dead! (1974)

99 and 44/100% Dead!

5.5

stunts (uncredited)

1974

 

Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in Papillon (1973)

Papillon

8.0

stunt gaffer

1973

 

Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Joseph Cotten, Chuck Connors, Richard Fleischer, Paula Kelly, Brock Peters, Walter Seltzer, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Russell Thacher in Soylent Green (1973)

Soylent Green

7.0

stunt coordinatorstunt double: Charlton Heston (uncredited, uncredited)

1973

 

Anthony Quinn, Paul Benjamin, and Anthony Franciosa in Across 110th Street (1972)

Across 110th Street

7.0

stunts

1972

 

Richard Widmark, Frederic Forrest, Tillman Box, and John War Eagle in When the Legends Die (1972)

When the Legends Die

6.4

stunt coordinator

1972

 

Skyjacked (1972)

Skyjacked

5.7

stunts (uncredited)

1972

 

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Jeremiah Johnson

7.6

stunts (uncredited)

1972

 

Charlton Heston and Lincoln Kilpatrick in The Omega Man (1971)

The Omega Man

6.4

action coordinatorstunts (uncredited)

1971

 

John Wayne and Jack Elam in Rio Lobo (1970)

Rio Lobo

6.7

stunts (uncredited)

1970

 

Dirty Dingus Magee (1970)

Dirty Dingus Magee

5.2

stunts (uncredited)

1970

 

Macho Callahan (1970)

Macho Callahan

5.5

stunts (uncredited)

1970

 

John Wayne in Chisum (1970)

Chisum

6.9

stunts (uncredited)

1970

 

The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)

The Cheyenne Social Club

6.8

stunts (uncredited)

1970

 

Patton (1970)

Patton

7.9

action coordinatorstunt coordinatorstunts (uncredited, uncredited)

1970

 

Robert Mitchum and George Kennedy in The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969)

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys

6.1

stunts (uncredited)

1969

 

Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Katharine Ross in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

8.0

stunts (uncredited)

1969

 

The Wild Bunch (1969)

The Wild Bunch

7.9

stunt double: "Lyle" (uncredited)

1969

 

Gregory Peck, Telly Savalas, Omar Sharif, Ted Cassidy, Julie Newmar, Camilla Sparv, and Keenan Wynn in Mackenna's Gold (1969)

Mackenna's Gold

6.7

stunts (uncredited)

1969

 

James Stewart, Raquel Welch, and Dean Martin in Bandolero! (1968)

Bandolero!

6.5

stunts (uncredited)

1968

 

Burt Lancaster, Ossie Davis, Telly Savalas, and Shelley Winters in The Scalphunters (1968)

The Scalphunters

6.7

stunts (uncredited)

1968

 

Maurice Evans in Planet of the Apes (1968)

Planet of the Apes

8.0

stunt coordinator (uncredited)

1968

 

June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, Jonathan Harris, Marta Kristen, Bill Mumy, Dick Tufeld, and Guy Williams in Lost in Space (1965)

Lost in Space

7.3

TV Series

stunt double: Guy Williams (uncredited)

1967

1 episode

 

Will Penny (1967)

Will Penny

7.0

stunt coordinator (uncredited)

1967

 

Camelot (1967)

Camelot

6.6

stunts (uncredited)

1967

 

Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, and James Caan in El Dorado (1966)

El Dorado

7.5

stunts (uncredited)

1966

 

Alain Delon, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Rosemary Forsyth in Texas Across the River (1966)

Texas Across the River

6.2

stunts (uncredited)

1966

 

Barbara Hershey, Michael Anderson Jr., Tammy Locke, Keith Schultz, and Kevin Schultz in The Monroes (1966)

The Monroes

7.8

TV Series

stunts

1966–1967

 

Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier in Khartoum (1966)

Khartoum

6.8

stunts (uncredited)

1966

 

The Rare Breed (1966)

The Rare Breed

6.4

stunts (uncredited)

1966

 

The War Lord (1965)

The War Lord

6.6

action coordinatorstunt coordinatorstunts (uncredited, uncredited)

1965

 

Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in The Great Race (1965)

The Great Race

7.2

stunts (uncredited)

1965

 

James Stewart, Glenn Corbett, Rosemary Forsyth, Doug McClure, and Patrick Wayne in Shenandoah (1965)

Shenandoah

7.3

stunts (uncredited)

1965

 

Charlton Heston, James Coburn, Senta Berger, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, and Michael Anderson Jr. in Major Dundee (1965)

Major Dundee

6.7

stunts (uncredited)

1965

 

Maureen O'Hara, John Wayne, Stefanie Powers, and Patrick Wayne in McLintock! (1963)

McLintock!

7.1

stunts (uncredited)

1963

 

Hatari! (1962)

Hatari!

7.1

stunt coordinatorstunts (uncredited, uncredited)

1962

 

John Wayne, Ina Balin, Lee Marvin, Nehemiah Persoff, and Stuart Whitman in The Comancheros (1961)

The Comancheros

6.8

stunts (uncredited)

1961

 

Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren in El Cid (1961)

El Cid

7.2

stunts (uncredited)

1961

 

John Wayne, Richard Widmark, and Laurence Harvey in The Alamo (1960)

The Alamo

6.8

stunts (uncredited)

1960

 

Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons, and Peter Ustinov in Spartacus (1960)

Spartacus

7.9

stunts (uncredited)

1960

 

Ben-Hur (1959)

Ben-Hur

8.1

stunt double: Charlton Hestonstunts (uncredited, uncredited)

1959

 

Laramie (1959)

Laramie

7.7

TV Series

stunts

1959–1963

 

Gregory Peck in Pork Chop Hill (1959)

Pork Chop Hill

7.0

stunts (uncredited)

1959

 

Kevin Corcoran, Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire, and Spike in Old Yeller (1957)

Old Yeller

7.2

stunts (uncredited)

1957

 

Stewart Granger, Rhonda Fleming, and Steve Rowland in Gun Glory (1957)

Gun Glory

6.2

stunts (uncredited)

1957

 

Fess Parker in Westward Ho, the Wagons! (1956)

Westward Ho, the Wagons!

5.6

stunts (uncredited)

1956

 

Ann Blyth and Edmund Purdom in The King's Thief (1955)

The King's Thief

5.8

stunts (uncredited)

1955

 

Sterling Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Cheryl Callaway, Ben Cooper, and Virginia Grey in The Last Command (1955)

The Last Command

6.3

stunts (uncredited)

1955

 

Fess Parker in Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955)

Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier

6.8

stunts (uncredited)

1955

 

Charlton Heston, Donna Reed, and Fred MacMurray in The Far Horizons (1955)

The Far Horizons

6.1

stunts (uncredited)

1955

 

Jeffrey Hunter, James Best, Tom Irish, Raymond Massey, Debra Paget, Larry Pennell, John Smith, Dennis Weaver, and Guy Williams in Seven Angry Men (1955)

Seven Angry Men

6.4

stunts (uncredited)

1955

 

Lana Turner and Edmund Purdom in The Prodigal (1955)

The Prodigal

5.2

stunts (uncredited)

1955

 

John Derek and Elaine Stewart in The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954)

The Adventures of Hajji Baba

5.9

stunts (uncredited)

1954

 

Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Laurence Harvey, and Virginia Mayo in King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)

King Richard and the Crusaders

5.5

stunts (uncredited)

1954

 

Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, James Mason, Walt Disney, Richard Fleischer, and Paul Lukas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

7.2

stunts (uncredited)

1954

 

Actor

Charles Bronson in Breakheart Pass (1975)

Breakheart Pass

6.7

Soldier on Horse (uncredited)

1975

 

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

5.4

Sailor (uncredited)

1975

 

Paul Newman in The Drowning Pool (1975)

The Drowning Pool

6.5

Glo

1975

 

Skyjacked (1972)

Skyjacked

5.7

Hunter

1972

 

Maurice Evans in Planet of the Apes (1968)

Planet of the Apes

8.0

Primitive Human (uncredited)

1968

 

Fess Parker in Daniel Boone (1964)

Daniel Boone

7.3

TV Series

Settler #2Pushmataha

1965–1967

2 episodes

 

John Wayne, Richard Widmark, and Laurence Harvey in The Alamo (1960)

The Alamo

6.8

Bowie's Man (uncredited)

1960

 

Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons, and Peter Ustinov in Spartacus (1960)

Spartacus

7.9

Soldier (uncredited)

1960

 

Ben-Hur (1959)

Ben-Hur

8.1

Sportsman (uncredited)

1959

 

Lee Aaker, James Brown, and Rin Tin Tin II in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954)

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin

7.0

TV Series

Brave

1957

1 episode

 

The Swan (1956)

The Swan

6.4

Mounted Hussar (uncredited)

1956

 

Charlton Heston, Donna Reed, and Fred MacMurray in The Far Horizons (1955)

The Far Horizons

6.1

Joe (uncredited)

1955

 

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Charlton Heston and Christian Bale in Treasure Island (1990)

Treasure Island

7.0

TV Movie

second unit director

1990

 

Charlton Heston and Peter Strauss in Proud Men (1987)

Proud Men

6.3

TV Movie

second unit director

1987

 

Michael Beck, Torquil Campbell, Steve Railsback, and Seth Sakai in The Golden Seal (1983)

The Golden Seal

5.4

second unit director

1983

 

Mother Lode (1982)

Mother Lode

5.7

second unit director

1982

 

Charlton Heston and Brian Keith in The Mountain Men (1980)

The Mountain Men

6.3

second unit director

1980

 

Antony and Cleopatra (1972)

Antony and Cleopatra

5.8

second unit director

1972

 

Julius Caesar (1970)

Julius Caesar

6.1

second unit director

1970

 

Additional Crew

Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Joseph Cotten, Chuck Connors, Richard Fleischer, Paula Kelly, Brock Peters, Walter Seltzer, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Russell Thacher in Soylent Green (1973)

Soylent Green

7.0

action sequence coordinator

1973

 

Self

Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey (2011)

Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey

7.9

Video

Self

2011

 

Film Genre

7.6

TV Series

Self

2002

2 episodes

 

Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic (1994)

Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic

7.6

Video

Self

1994