Released : 12th-Mar-2016 Read More His ex-wife Loni Anderson issued a statement explaining that she and their son Quinton would miss him and "his great laugh". He was 82. Born Hal Brett Needham in Memphis, TN on March 6, 1931, he was the son of Howard Needham and his wife, Edith May Robinson. Military service: US Army (paratrooper, Korean War) Former professional stuntman. Hal Needham was an American stuntman, stunt coordinator, writer, and director who performed stunts in scores of films and television shows. The director of hit movies like Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit II, Stroker Ace, Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, and Hooper, Needham was considered a pioneer in the stunt industry, having introduced techniques and … He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri. Birthplace: Memphis, TN Location of death: Los Angeles, CA Cause of death: Cancer - unspecified. … Genealogy profile for Hal Needham Hal Needham (deceased) - Genealogy Genealogy for Hal Needham (deceased) family tree on Geni, with over 190 million profiles of … Gender: Mal. War-damaged vet kills his girlfriend; Is PTSD to blame? American Director Hal Needham was born Hal Brett Needham on 6th March, 1931 in Memphis, TN and passed away on 25th Oct 2013 Los Angeles, California aged 82. Hal Needham’s Six Greatest Stunts. Quentin Tarantino wrote and is currently directing his ninth film, the $100 million mystery crime thriller, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the two main characters are based on the relationship between actor Burt Reynolds and stuntman turned director, Hal Needham.. Tarantino described the story as one, “that takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood. She is an actress, known for The Story of Mankind (1957), The Unguarded Moment (1956) and Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). Hal Needham was previously married to Ellyn Wynne Williams (1996 - 2013) and Dani Crayne (1981 - 1987). Say hi to Jimmy Best and Dom Deluise and Hal Needham and Jim Nabors and all those wonderful people up there who were lucky enough to call you friend down here." She was previously married to Hal Needham, David Janssen, Buddy Greco and Donalde Crayne. Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham on the set of Smokey and the Bandit, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Private John Needham beat a woman he loved to death – that much is certain. About. Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May (née Robinson) and Howard Needham. He was 82. Death. Did You Know Trivia. Dani Crayne was born on December 25, 1934 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA as Darlyne Danielle Goldman. Hal Needham, left, with the actors Burt Reynolds, center, and Jerry Reed on the set of “Smokey and the Bandit” in 1977. AKA Hal Brett Needham. Stuntmen jumped the cars, fell from the highest towers and tackled the bad … He once took out an ad in the trade papers quoting his negative reviews but showing a wheelbarrow filled with money to sum up his career. After Needham's wife kicked him out of the house, the stuntman bunked at Reynolds' home for five years. "We never, ever had a cross word that entire time," he said.