Hal Needham Quotes

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Hal Needham

Profession : Director

Birth : March 6, 1931

There's a standard pay scale for stunts. The more difficult the stunt, the more money involved. But if I'm the only stuntman who can do a particular gag, there's usually a little more in it for me.

Hal Needham

I worked as a stuntman on the 'Star Trek' TV series pilot.

Hal Needham

I love horses, and when the SPCA tells me off I get real mad because I know more about horses than they do. They say you can't rear a horse up backwards, but I do it so they fall into foam rubber and don't get hurt at all.

Hal Needham

There's no such thing as a great stunt if there's no danger involved.

Hal Needham

The song 'Eastbound and Down' by Jerry Reed is, of course, a personal favorite.

Hal Needham

I hope to be remembered for mentoring the future generation of stuntmen and fighting for the rights and respect that stuntmen and stuntwomen deserve for their contribution to the world of moviemaking.

Hal Needham

I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I know I'm the best stuntman in Hollywood.

Hal Needham

I didn't want to limit my income so I decided to master all aspects of stunting.

Hal Needham

You work a lot when you're hurt when you're a good stuntman, because you're going to be hurt quite a bit. And you can't let a sore leg or a bruise or something stop you, so you just take a Percodan and go to work.

Hal Needham

I was the highest-paid stuntman in the world.

Hal Needham

I'm the one that brought airbags into the stunt world.

Hal Needham

I never saw a movie until I was 10.

Hal Needham

I know one thing; I'll never win an Academy Award.

Hal Needham

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.

Hal Needham

When I came in, Westerns were the big thing, so I did horse falls, transfers, bulldogs, big fights. That's where you could really shine if you were really good at it. But then all the Westerns stopped, and I was capable of doing car stunts, motorcycle stunts and high falls. I could do it all.

Hal Needham

I worked every day. I never turned down a stunt.

Hal Needham

I've broken fifty-six bones, broke my back twice, punctured a lung and knocked out a few teeth.

Hal Needham

The first movie I worked was called 'The Spirit of St. Louis.' It was the story of Charles Lindberg's life.

Hal Needham

Here's the thing that I think really pushed me, was my versatility. Because when I came in to the movie business, all the stunt men were specialists. If you did horse work, that's all you did. If you did cars and motorcycles, you did that. But when I came in, I taught myself how to do everything.

Hal Needham

I don't cry unless it's personal.

Hal Needham