Tom Steele

Tom Steele was a Scottish-born stuntman and actor best known for his work in Hollywood serials, many of them produced by Republic Pictures. His family settled in Northern California when he was a boy, and he was a skilled horseman who played polo in competition. He made his film debut in the 1930 Western The Lone Star Ranger, then switched to stunt work for steadier pay while still taking small roles as henchmen and heavies. At Universal in the 1930s he belonged to a circle of stuntmen called The Cousins, and he was credited with introducing stunt pads. From 1942 he served as Republic's stunt coordinator and was the only stuntman that studio ever signed to a term contract. His most notable part was the title hero of the serial The Masked Marvel (1943), for which he received no billing at all, and in features he was Wild Bill Elliott's regular double. He died in 1990.