Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

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.

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

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

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 22% Hostage Hotel Director - 1999
No Score Yet 18% Bandit: Bandit, Bandit Director - 1994
No Score Yet 25% Bandit: Bandit Goes Country Director - 1994
No Score Yet 10% Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit Director - 1994
No Score Yet 21% Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel Director - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet B.L. Stryker: The King of Jazz Director - 1989
No Score Yet 53% Body Slam Director $8.5K 1987
42% 90% Rad Director $2.0M 1986
12% 45% Cannonball Run II Director,
Screenwriter
- 1984
19% 50% Stroker Ace Director,
Screenwriter
- 1983
6% 43% Megaforce Director,
Screenwriter
- 1981
29% 61% The Cannonball Run Director - 1981
25% 43% Smokey and the Bandit II Director - 1980
0% 39% The Villain Director - 1979
No Score Yet 25% Death Car on the Freeway Director - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Stunts Unlimited Director - 1979
57% 61% Hooper Director - 1978
72% 85% Smokey and the Bandit Director,
Writer
- 1977
No Score Yet 30% W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings Trooper Carson (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet 63% The Culpepper Cattle Company Burgess (Character) - 1972
82% 78% The War Wagon Hite (Character) - 1967
57% 85% McLintock! Carter (uncredited) (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet 0% Guns of the Timberland Townsman (Character) - 1960

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cybill Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fantasy Island Unknown (Guest Star) 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Charlie's Angels Unknown (Guest Star) 1976-1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mannix Arnie (Guest Star) 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gunsmoke Cowboy (Guest Star) 1963 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cimarron Strip Unknown (Guest Star) 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wagon Train Unknown (Guest Star) 1961 1963-1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Have Gun -- Will Travel Unknown (Guest Star) 1959-1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laramie Collins (Guest Star) 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tales of Wells Fargo Outlaw (Guest Star) 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rebel Unknown (Guest Star) 1960