Louie Elias

A natural athlete, Burbank, California-bred Louie Nicholas Elias Jr. excelled in sports, especially football (US) and rugby. At UCLA, he played for the Bruins football team at the Rose Bowl under esteemed coach Red Sanders (UCLA's football coach from 1949-57). He played professionally in the Canadian Football League. He briefly joined the ROTC to avoid the draft, did reserve camp, and hated it. After college, he played professional football until knee injuries caused him to be cut from the team. He returned to Hollywood, beginning as a film extra, working his way into a bit part movie actor. His first movie stunt job on Universal Studios' Spartacus (1960) earned him his first stunt injury when actor Kirk Douglas drowned him a soup cauldron and gave him a cut to his chin and a scar for life. By 2000, he had more than 150 film and film TV series credits to his name. Among so many other action scenes, "Action Louie" had jumped from the tower of "F-Troop", had fought his way out of 'The Wild Bunch", had raced into "Vanishing Point," and taken the brunt on behalf of so many chiseled-featured actors. He also wrote screenplays, and later became a commercial actor. Louie Elias died at age 84 on December 13, 2017.