Richard Farnsworth spent 40 years falling from horses, crashing cars, and taking dangerous hits so movie stars could look fearless. Then, at 79 years old, he finally became the star everyone had overlooked.
His greatest performance came after most actors had already retired.
For decades, Hollywood knew Richard Farnsworth as the man risking his body behind the scenes.
Audiences saw heroes survive impossible situations.
They rarely saw the person making those moments possible.
Before he became an Academy Award-nominated actor, Farnsworth built a career as one of Hollywood's most respected stunt performers.
Starting in the 1930s, he worked on hundreds of films, performing the dangerous scenes that actors often could not.
He rode horses.
Performed falls.
Handled physically demanding stunts.
While stars received the attention, Farnsworth stayed behind the camera.
For nearly half a century, he was one of the industry's most reliable professionals.
But there was one problem.
Almost nobody knew his name.
Hollywood...