Dean Smith

Dean Smith was an American track and field athlete, actor, and stuntman. Born in Breckenridge, Texas, he won Amateur Athletic Union titles in the 100 meters in 1952 and at the Helsinki Olympics finished fourth in that event before running the leadoff leg on the gold medal winning 4 x 100 meter relay. He ran track at the University of Texas at Austin and then had professional football stints with the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. He then moved into Hollywood, working as a rodeo cowboy and stuntman in Westerns including Big Jake (1971), Rio Lobo (1970), and El Dorado. He also appeared in Western television series such as Gunsmoke, Maverick, and Walker, Texas Ranger. John Ford noticed him during Auntie Mame in 1958 and used him in many later Ford films. Variety singled out his stunt work in McLintock! (1963), and he received honors including a Golden Boot Award and induction into the Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame.