Chuck Hayward

Birthday: 1920-01-20
Deathday: 1998-02-23
Birthplace: Alliance, Nebraska, U.S.A.
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

Charles Bert Hayward (January 20, 1920 – February 23, 1998) was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. He was associated particularly with the films of John Wayne. He doubled for most of the great Western and action stars of the 1950s-1980s.

His parents, Bert and Hazel Hayward, were cattle ranchers on a farm near Hyannis, Nebraska, about sixty miles east of Hayward's birthplace in Alliance. He spent his early youth working cattle, then, at 16, left home to join the rodeo circuit as a bronc rider and horse trainer. In 1947, he arrived in Los Angeles and sought work as a wrangler on motion pictures. He began doing stunts in 1949 on The Fighting Kentuckian, doubling for John Wayne. The two became pals and Hayward subsequently stunted and doubled for Wayne on nearly two dozen of the latter's films. Excelling at all sorts of horseback stunts, Hayward doubled most stars of the period who found themselves in Westerns or otherwise astride a horse, including Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Gregory Peck. He was prominent in The Big Country, co-produced by Peck. He was known as "Good Chuck" in contrast to "Bad Chuck", in reference to Chuck Roberson, another of Wayne's stunt doubles.

He graduated into stunt coordination, arranging the stunts in films such as The Deadly Companions and the TV series The Rat Patrol. He played small roles in numerous films and TV shows, and his appearance often served as an accurate predictor of an upcoming fight scene. He retired from stunt work in 1981, and from acting in 1989. Hayward was a member of the unofficial John Ford Stock Company, a lifetime member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, and an inductee into the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame. He died from Hodgkin's Disease at his home in North Hollywood, California, in 1998. He was married three times, to Ellen Powell, by whom he had a daughter, and to Carol Lynn Shepherd. He had two children with Carol Lynn Shepherd. They were divorced in 1982. He then married Sally Pape Callaghan on October 30, 1982.

Before his Hollywood stuntman career, Hayward also worked as a medic in the United States Merchant Marine and he stated that he served on liberty ships. His two boys, along with his wife Carol's best friend who was trying to save them, perished in a forest fire in the early 1980s.

Credits

Year Title Character
1985-04-10 Stark Scurvy
1982-09-15 Crystal Gazing Band Member (as Charles Hayward)
1981-08-06 The Legend of the Lone Ranger Wald (Cavendish gang)
1980-03-28 Tom Horn Deputy Proctor
1979-08-01 Parts: The Clonus Horror Walker Man
1978-11-15 The Lord of the Rings Character Actor (voice)
1978-07-14 The Swarm Standby Engineer
1977-03-11 Airport '77 Passenger
1975-12-25 Hustle Morgue Attendant
1975-11-01 Rooster Cogburn Jerry (uncredited)
1975-09-01 Gone with the West Mimmo's Men
1975-05-23 Lepke Doorman
1974-08-21 The Longest Yard Trooper I
1974-02-07 Blazing Saddles Outlaw (uncredited)
1974-01-16 Scream of the Wolf
1972-10-04 Night of the Lepus Jud
1972-07-19 Joe Kidd Eljay
1970-04-01 Rio Lobo (uncredited)
1969-06-11 True Grit Card Player / Raft Man (uncredited)
1968-07-28 5 Card Stud O'Hara (uncredited)
1967-05-26 The War Wagon Blacksmith (uncredited)
1966-06-10 Nevada Smith Fitch Man (uncredited)
1966-02-02 The Rare Breed Wrangler (uncredited)
1965-07-01 The Great Race Soldier (uncredited)
1964-10-15 Cheyenne Autumn Trooper (uncredited)
1963-12-18 Kings of the Sun Indian Warrior Friend to Black Eagle (uncredited)
1962-11-21 Taras Bulba Dolotov (uncredited)
1962-04-13 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Henchman (uncredited)
1962-03-16 Merrill's Marauders Officer
1961-06-06 The Deadly Companions Card Sharp (uncredited)
1961-05-24 Two Rode Together Trooper (uncredited)
1960-10-23 The Alamo Tennessean (uncredited)
1960-10-13 Spartacus Soldier (uncredited)
1960-05-25 Sergeant Rutledge Capt. Dickinson (uncredited)
1959-06-11 The Horse Soldiers Union Captain
1959-05-29 Pork Chop Hill Chalmers
1959-01-23 Plunderers of Painted Flats Stage Driver (uncredited)
1959-01-23 Escort West Indian
1958-09-30 The Big Country Rafe Hannassey
1957-09-10 Forty Guns Charlie Savage
1957-09-05 Run of the Arrow Corporal
1957-06-24 The Unholy Wife Hazer (uncredited)
1956-12-30 Gun for a Coward Nester (uncredited)
1956-10-01 Showdown at Abilene Roughneck (uncredited)
1956-09-15 Gun Brothers Lookout (uncredited)
1956-05-16 The Searchers Man at Wedding (uncredited)
1956-03-01 Red Sundown Cowpuncher
1955-06-15 The Road to Denver Randy (uncredited)
1954-05-15 Jubilee Trail Velasco Rider (uncredited)
1953-06-24 Arena Cowboy
1953-05-02 The Sun Shines Bright Deputy (uncredited)
1953-02-15 San Antone Willie
1953-01-28 Fair Wind to Java Sailor
1952-10-09 The World in His Arms Guest (uncredited)
1952-06-09 High Noon Townsman (uncredited)
1952-02-10 Fort Osage Henchman (uncredited)
1952-02-08 Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory Henchman (uncredited)
1951-10-15 Slaughter Trail Wounded Indian (uncredited)
1951-04-01 Apache Drums Townsman (uncredited)
1950-08-02 Desperadoes of the West Al (uncredited)
1950-04-22 Wagon Master Jackson (uncredited)
1950-02-09 The Fargo Phantom Barnes