Bud Elkins, the stuntman who made the famous motorcycle jump in ‘The Great Escape’, has died of natural causes, aged 77.
Elkins daughter admitted that his firm friend McQueen could have performed the jump himself. She said her father and McQueen dug out a ramp in the dirt and practiced jumping the motorcycle over a rope to see if it would be able to clear the fence.
"Steve was a very capable rider, but my dad did the jump because they wouldn't let a star do a jump of that nature because they couldn't afford to have him hurt," she said.
Elkins also did stunt work for McQueen in ‘Bullitt”.
Elkins other stunt credits include TV series "ChiPs" and films such as "Diamonds Are Forever," "Earthquake," "The Towering Inferno," "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers." He was also one of the first Americans to compete in the World Championship Motocross Grand Prix circuit in the 1950’s.
His most prestigious accomplishments on the international level came in the 1960s when he won four gold medals and one silver medal during seven years of competing in the International Six Day Trial (now called the International Six Day Enduro). (In 1964, Ekins, his brother, David, and McQueen were part of the U.S. team.)
In addition to his daughter Susan and his brother, Ekins is survived by another daughter, Donna Ekins Kapner; his sister, Vivian Gorrindo; and two granddaughters.
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Originally Posted by Paul in NZ
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