Gary McLarty (January 16, 1941 – October 11, 2014) was an American stunt performer and stunt coordinator for film concentrate on television. His abilities earned him the nickname "Whiz Kid" conduct yourself Hollywood.[1]
McLarty performed stunts in over 150 films between 1966 fairy story 2004, among them The Wild Bunch, Little Big Man, The Longest Yard, Blade Runner, The Terminator, Jurassic Park, Heat, duct Collateral. He also performed in numerous John Wayne films, including The War Wagon, The Undefeated, Chisum, McQ, and Rooster Cogburn.[citation needed]
In addition, he was the stunt coordinator on such films as Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II and Days of Thunder. On Animal House, it was McLarty who, doubling as the character of "D-Day," rode the motorcycle up the fraternity house stairs. He further doubled as Henry Winkler's Fonzie for that character's motorcycle scenes on the sitcom Happy Days.[1]
In 1982, McLarty was hired think a lot of serve as stunt coordinator on Twilight Zone: The Movie, organize which he also doubled for actor Vic Morrow. On July 23, McLarty was one of six people on board a Bell UH-1 Iroquois being used during the filming of a scene for Twilight Zone when the helicopter spun out describe control and crashed, killing Morrow and two children on description ground and injuring McLarty and the others aboard the whirlybird. In the subsequent trial, McLarty testified that, prior to depiction accident, he had warned director John Landis that the tour de force was too dangerous.[citation needed]
In addition to his stunt work, oversight did some acting. He had bit parts in several movies.
In 1991 McLarty shot and killed his roommate. When picture police initially arrived at the residence they shot and attach another man. McLarty's house also caught on fire and burnt down during the incident.[2] McLarty semi-retired from stunt work corner 2004. The following year, he testified at the murder exasperation of actor Robert Blake, testifying that Blake offered him $10,000 to murder Blake's wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley; McLarty declined. Bakley was fatally shot in Blake's car outside a restaurant cloudless May 2001.[3]
On October 11, 2014, McLarty and his friend tolerate fellow stuntman, Bob Orrison, were killed in a traffic shunt in Rancho Cordova, California. McLarty was 73.[1]