The man who drove the most iconic car chases in cinema history
In short: He was the driver behind the wheel for Steve McQueen and Gene Hackman, navigating San Francisco hills and Brooklyn streets. But Bill Hickman’s real-life precision was just as intense as his Hollywood stunts, involving high-speed pursuits of real bank robbers and a tragic, front-row seat to the end of James Dean.
Bill Hickman (1921–19thebibliography 86) was a master of high-stakes driving whose career defined the golden age of the cinematic car chase. While he appeared in various roles—including an extra in James Dean’s 1951 debut *Fixed Bayonets!*—he is most legendary for his work as a stunt driver and coordinator. In the 1968 classic *Bullitt*, Hickman drove a black 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum R/T through San Francisco, famously using the city's steep gradients to execute jumps. The intensity was palpable; during the sequence, Hickman accidentally clipped a camera mounted on a parked car, and the chase ended with his vehicle crashing into a gas station, triggering a massive fireball.
Hickman’s expertise extended to the gritty realism of *The French Connection* (1971). Serving as both stunt coordinator and a last-minute replacement for actor Michael McGuire, Hickman drove a brown 1971 Pontiac LeMans at speeds reaching 90 mph through real Brooklyn traffic. The scene was so authentic that it captured a real-life collision with a local commuter, a moment director William Friedkin chose to keep to preserve the film's tension. He continued this pattern of high-impact driving in *The Seven-Ups* (1973), where he piloted a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville in a sequence that mirrored the gravity of *Bullitt*.
Beyond the studio, Hickman’s life was marked by profound personal drama and real-world heroism. He was a close friend and driving instructor to James Dean, even assisting with Dean's racing techniques. Tragically, Hickman was driving the vehicle following Dean on the day of the actor's fatal 1955 accident and was the first person to arrive at the scene. Years later, in 1963, he used his professional skills to chase a bank robber, Carl Follette, through North Hollywood after witnessing the suspect shoot a police officer. Hickman passed away from cancer in Indio, California, in 1986.
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