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Hal Needham

Highest Rated: 82% The War Wagon (1967)

Lowest Rated: 0% The Villain (1979)

Birthday: Mar 6, 1931

Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

One of Hollywood's busiest and most accomplished stunt men for over two decades, Hal Needham broke into directing features via his friend, actor Burt Reynolds, who starred in several wildly popular if decidedly low-brow action-comedies for him, including "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977), "Hooper" (1978) and "The Cannonball Run" (1981). Critics despised Needham's cardboard scripts, which were largely constructed as filler between elaborate stunts and stale gags, but he deflected naysayers with good humor. Laughter seemed to be the key element of his work both on and offscreen, as evidenced by his penchant for running bloopers under the end credits of his films. Needham's career waned in the early 1980s, prompting a move to television, but his early movie efforts remained the epitome of crowd-pleasing, popcorn-driven entertainment for over three decades. He died in October 2013.

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Highest-Rated Movies

82% 78% The War Wagon
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72% 85% Smokey and the Bandit
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57% 85% McLintock!
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57% 61% Hooper
Watchlist 42% 90% Rad Watchlist
29% 61% The Cannonball Run
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25% 43% Smokey and the Bandit II
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19% 50% Stroker Ace
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12% 45% Cannonball Run II
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6% 43% Megaforce
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Hal Needham

Hal Needham STROKER ACE, director Hal Needham, on location, 1983, (c)Universal STROKER ACE, director Hal Needham, on location, 1983, (c) Universal View more photos

Filmography

Movies TV Shows
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Hostage Hotel 22% 1999 Director Bandit: Bandit, Bandit 17% 1994 Director Bandit: Bandit Goes Country 25% 1994 Director Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel 20% 1994 Director Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit 10% 1994 Director B.L. Stryker: The King of Jazz 1989 Director Body Slam 53% 1987 Director Rad 42% 90% 1986 Director Cannonball Run II 12% 45% 1984 Director, Screenwriter Stroker Ace 19% 50% 1983 Director, Screenwriter Megaforce 6% 43% 1981 Director, Screenwriter The Cannonball Run 29% 61% 1981 Director Smokey and the Bandit II 25% 43% 1980 Director The Villain 0% 39% 1979 Director Death Car on the Freeway 25% 1979 Director Stunts Unlimited 1979 Director Hooper 57% 61% 1978 Director Smokey and the Bandit 72% 85% 1977 Director, Writer W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings 33% 1975 Trooper Carson Actor The Culpepper Cattle Company 63% 1972 Burgess Actor The War Wagon 82% 78% 1967 Hite Actor McLintock! 57% 85% 1963 Carter (uncredited) Actor Guns of the Timberland 0% 1960 Townsman Actor
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