Never tell a child that a science education necessarily leads to a career in a lab or a clinical environment of some kind. A quick visit to Gary Davis’ “toy box” in Salado is enough to convince anyone that physics and engineering are the perfect route to a thrilling career in entertainment. But, what’s truly great about Gary is his authenticity and superb storytelling. If you ever thought you wanted to drink a beer with a friendly Clint Eastwood, Gary’s your guy.
Doing justice to his career would fill two or three magazines but suffice to say, if you have seen more than, say… ten movies in your life, you have already seen his work. Gary began racing motorcycles in college and fell in love with the sport. Pretty soon, he was challenged to a jump, which grew into bigger and bigger jumps until he finally broke the world record for the most cars cleared (21), which he says is really nothing compared to the stunts we see today.
As a daredevil, and contemporary of Evel Knievel, his sensational jumps and got the attention of some folks in Hollywood, which led to a great deal of stunt work on film and television. He is a self-aware adrenaline junkie but admits no one tries harder to stay alive than stunt men and women.
As a sometime competitor of Knievel, it was a pleasant surprise for Gary to be asked to perform for him. It was a secret at the time, but if you saw Evel jump any time in 1976 or after, it was Gary under the helmet. He says, “I was the only person trusted and able to amaze fans with the daring and safety they expected at shows and demonstrations.” Gary traveled with the family for many years, and helped Robbie Knievel on his historic Grand Canyon motorcycle jump. Suffice to say, the only thing Gary doesn’t do is jump out of planes, and, according to IMDB, he’s afraid of spiders.
THE MOTORCYCLE GUY
With a degree in electrical engineering and a minor in physics, he was quite set apart from others in the business. “I designed ramps differently and had a separate speedometer on my back wheel; no other jumper did that. As a result, I did 326 jumps around the world and I only crashed once—when I was paid to do it in a movie.”
As trust in his stunts and safety grew, he was asked to be the stunt coordinator on hundreds of films and TV shows, and won many awards. Over time, he moved into the director’s chair and was responsible for the stunt footage because, as he says, “No one knew how to do it better.” He explains, “The second unit director films the action and brings the film back to the executive director. Many times I coordinated the stunt, directed it, and was the guy on the bike too.”
Movie fans: About one-third of the footage in “Terminator 2” is Gary’s work, and “Against All Odds,” when James Woods and Jeff Bridges race along six miles of Hollywood Blvd., Gary is driving the Porsche.
COMING TO TEXAS
Gary grew up in a town in California. When he decided to retire, he came to Texas. “I visited Georgetown and loved the Square. But, during my search, I realized I needed space to build a shop for my 246 motorcycles. I settled in Salado but love the people in all of Texas. They’re just terrific, and children are raised with good manners, just like it was when I was growing up. Things are different today; certainly in California.”
You might run into Gary at local spots in Salado or at Poppyfest, and he is not averse to talking about his motorcycles or movies. He still builds and restores motorcycles and spends a lot of time visiting local tracks for vintage races. He doesn’t race any longer, although that doesn’t stop people from asking the legendary rider all the time.
See more about Gary... you can also find him in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.