Benny E. Dobbins, aka Ben, Bernie, or Bennie Dobbins (November 16, 1932 – February 5, 1988)[1] was an American stuntman, actor, stunt coordinator, and second unit director
Bennie Dobbins | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1932-11-16)November 16, 1932 Los Angeles County, California, USA |
| Died | February 5, 1988(1988-02-05) (aged 55) Vienna, Austria |
| Years active | 1957–1988 |
As coordinator and director, Dobbins is known for films such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Running Man, Extreme Prejudice, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Commando, and Weird Science.
As a stuntman and actor Dobbins was frequently omitted from the end credits. Even in his credited work, he is often given generic character names such as Cowboy #2 in Gunsmoke (S17E21 "Yankton") and 1st Bandit in The Six Million Dollar Man (S1E12 "The Coward").
Dobbins died in Austria after suffering a heart attack near the ski resort of Schladming during the filming of Red Heat starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Dobbins was a co-director on the film, and was coordinating the stunts when he collapsed. He was airlifted from the film location by helicopter to a hospital where, later, a doctor pronounced him dead.[1]
A partial filmography follows.[2][3]