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Loren Lapham Janes

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Loren Lapham Janes

Birth
Sierra Madre, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Death
24 Jun 2017 (aged 85)
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Burial
Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA GPS-Latitude: 33.88317, Longitude: -117.28663
Plot
Section 59G Site 13
Memorial ID
View Source
PFC US MARINE CORPS
KOREAAmerican motion picture stuntman.
Loren Janes was born October 1, 1931 in Sierra Madre, CA, and lived his entire life in Southern California. He was a lifeguard on the beach and performed in a water show with performances from Monterey to San Francisco. He joined the Marines during the Korean War and served under Lt. Gen. "Chesty" Puller. After his discharge he spent 2 years teaching 11th and 12th grade math and science in a private school.

In 1954 Loren became a professional movie stuntman making a big splash on his debut—an 80 foot dive off a cliff at Catalina Island for Esther Williams' "Jupiter's Darling". In the following years, Loren worked with practically every major director and producer.

Loren was privileged to work with and learn from the late Richard Talmadge beginning with "From Hell to Texas". Loren calls him "the greatest all-around stuntman."

Loren doubled Steve McQueen for 23 years starting with "Wanted Dead or Alive".

Eventually racking up over 500 film jobs and 1,000 television shows, just a few films he worked on are "Flaming Star", "Spartacus", "Snow White and the Three Stooges", "Magnificent Seven", "How the West Was Won" (watch for his famous "cactus jump" as he leaps from a train traveling about 30 mph and hits a cactus), "Sons of Katie Elder", "North To Alaska", "McLintock", "Nevada Smith", "Bullitt", "The Hunter" "Planet of the Apes", "Good Guys and the Bad Guys", "Paint Your Wagon", "Blazing Saddles", "Goin' South", "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days", "Halloween 3", "Beverly Hills Cop", "Rambo 2", "Casino" etc. For TV, besides "Wanted…", there was "Cisco Kid", "F.B.I.", "Kentucky Jones" and "The Rifleman" among others.

In 1956, he was the first civilian to enter the United States Olympic Trials for pentathlon; he also competed in 1964. He is a member of the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame.

In '61, Loren was co-founder of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, the first stuntmen's organization. He also found time to serve on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild in '92, and was National Chair of the Screen Actors Guild Stunt and Safety Committee.

Since the early '50s Loren has been speaking on the principles of the United States Constitution to clubs and organizations all over America. During this time, he even ran (unsuccessfully) for U. S. Congress two times.

Loren filmed a lot of behind the scenes action on his many film jobs around the world and became a lecturer in '61 showing his film "Behind the Action" to audiences young and old, especially at the annual Lone Pine Film Festival.

Loren and his real-life wife Ginger appear in True Lies as the couple in the elevator that Harry Tasker rides into with the horse. They have an uncredited appearance in Spy Hard reprising this role.

He also has a footnote contribution to television, having played the role of Norman Chaney on the TV series L.A. Law. In the first scene of the first episode, Chaney is found dead, though his name appears for years in the name of the law firm.

Janes died at age 85 on June 24, 2017. He was said by his family to have suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
PFC US MARINE CORPS
KOREAAmerican motion picture stuntman.
Loren Janes was born October 1, 1931 in Sierra Madre, CA, and lived his entire life in Southern California. He was a lifeguard on the beach and performed in a water show with performances from Monterey to San Francisco. He joined the Marines during the Korean War and served under Lt. Gen. "Chesty" Puller. After his discharge he spent 2 years teaching 11th and 12th grade math and science in a private school.

In 1954 Loren became a professional movie stuntman making a big splash on his debut—an 80 foot dive off a cliff at Catalina Island for Esther Williams' "Jupiter's Darling". In the following years, Loren worked with practically every major director and producer.

Loren was privileged to work with and learn from the late Richard Talmadge beginning with "From Hell to Texas". Loren calls him "the greatest all-around stuntman."

Loren doubled Steve McQueen for 23 years starting with "Wanted Dead or Alive".

Eventually racking up over 500 film jobs and 1,000 television shows, just a few films he worked on are "Flaming Star", "Spartacus", "Snow White and the Three Stooges", "Magnificent Seven", "How the West Was Won" (watch for his famous "cactus jump" as he leaps from a train traveling about 30 mph and hits a cactus), "Sons of Katie Elder", "North To Alaska", "McLintock", "Nevada Smith", "Bullitt", "The Hunter" "Planet of the Apes", "Good Guys and the Bad Guys", "Paint Your Wagon", "Blazing Saddles", "Goin' South", "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days", "Halloween 3", "Beverly Hills Cop", "Rambo 2", "Casino" etc. For TV, besides "Wanted…", there was "Cisco Kid", "F.B.I.", "Kentucky Jones" and "The Rifleman" among others.

In 1956, he was the first civilian to enter the United States Olympic Trials for pentathlon; he also competed in 1964. He is a member of the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame.

In '61, Loren was co-founder of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, the first stuntmen's organization. He also found time to serve on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild in '92, and was National Chair of the Screen Actors Guild Stunt and Safety Committee.

Since the early '50s Loren has been speaking on the principles of the United States Constitution to clubs and organizations all over America. During this time, he even ran (unsuccessfully) for U. S. Congress two times.

Loren filmed a lot of behind the scenes action on his many film jobs around the world and became a lecturer in '61 showing his film "Behind the Action" to audiences young and old, especially at the annual Lone Pine Film Festival.

Loren and his real-life wife Ginger appear in True Lies as the couple in the elevator that Harry Tasker rides into with the horse. They have an uncredited appearance in Spy Hard reprising this role.

He also has a footnote contribution to television, having played the role of Norman Chaney on the TV series L.A. Law. In the first scene of the first episode, Chaney is found dead, though his name appears for years in the name of the law firm.

Janes died at age 85 on June 24, 2017. He was said by his family to have suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

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