Western stuntman Dean Smith has died aged 91
The western stuntman and Olympic athlete Finis Dean Smith has died at the age of 91.
Competing in track and field events from a very young age, Smith would go on to become a member of the relay team at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, taking home the gold medal alongside his three team members. Smith would then turn to the entertainment industry, working as a stuntman in a number of Oscar-winning western movies, including True Grit, starring the influential cinematic icon John Wayne.
In addition to True Grit, Smith also helped in the making of other Wayne classics like 1962’s How the West Was Won, 1966’s El Dorado and 1970’s Rio Lobo.
Smith also gave his talents to the small screen, working on Tales of Wells Fargo, Maverick and The Outer Limits, among many other TV programmes.
When asked how he would “like to be remembered,” in an interview with Story Corps back in 2014, Smith stated: “I would like to be remembered as the cowboy that could ride, run and jump with anybody in the world. I’d like to do it again. That’s what I’d like”.
Take a look at a tribute to Smith, who celebrated his 90th birthday in 2022, below.
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