Allan Graf (2nd unit director/stunt coordinator/football coordinator) is one of Hollywood's premier 2nd unit directors and stunt coordinators whose thirty-year career behind the cameras includes the staging of stunts in over five dozen films while directing second unit action on two dozen features, including Richard Donner's recent time-travel adventure, "Timeline," Randall Wallace's Vietnam War epic, "We Were Soldiers" (World Stunt Award nomination), Brian Helgeland's unique medieval adventure, "A Knight's Tale" and several projects with veteran filmmaker Walter Hill ("Last Man Standing," "Tr ...
show all Allan Graf (2nd unit director/stunt coordinator/football coordinator) is one of Hollywood's premier 2nd unit directors and stunt coordinators whose thirty-year career behind the cameras includes the staging of stunts in over five dozen films while directing second unit action on two dozen features, including Richard Donner's recent time-travel adventure, "Timeline," Randall Wallace's Vietnam War epic, "We Were Soldiers" (World Stunt Award nomination), Brian Helgeland's unique medieval adventure, "A Knight's Tale" and several projects with veteran filmmaker Walter Hill ("Last Man Standing," "Trespass," "Johnny Handsome" and "Another 48 Hours," on which Graf was the first to design and execute one of Hollywood's most unique stunts, a cannon roll off a bus).
A native of Southern California, Graf first made his mark on the gridiron, where he captained the 1967 San Fernando High School city championship team, winning All-American honors. He won a full athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California, and played offensive guard for John McKay's powerhouse Trojans. Graf started on McKay's legendary, undefeated (12-0) 1972 NCAA National Championship team, and was one of the heroes at the 1973 Rose Bowl, when USC defeated Ohio State. He next played in the 1973 college all-star game against the NFL's Miami Dolphins at Chicago's Soldier Field. Following graduation, Graf became a free agent with the Los Angeles Rams before joining the World Football League's Portland Storm during their inaugural 1974 season. When the league abruptly folded, Graf tackled a new arena when he ironically won a role as former Chicago Bears player Dick Butkus' stunt double in the 1976 Disney film, "Gus," a comic opus about a field-goal kicking mule.
Graf worked as a stunt player for several years on a variety of projects, notably, Hill's "Southern Comfort," "The Driver" and "The Long Riders," as well as "They Live," "Total Recall," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "Raising Arizona," "Action Jackson" and, more recently, "S.W.A.T.," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Independence Day." He has coordinated stunts on several other projects, including "Punch Drunk Love," "Domestic Disturbance," "Supernova," "Geronimo: An American Legend," "Wild Bill," "Wayne's World" and "Broken Arrow." He has also logged several supporting acting roles in such projects as "L.A. Confidential," "Poltergeist," "The Replacements," "Thirteen Days," "Magnolia," "The Limey," "The Doors," "Another 48 Hrs.," "RoboCop," and "Boogie Nights," among dozens of others.
The former college football great is also one of Hollywood's best known pigskin choreographers and 2nd unit directors, designing and staging the gridiron action for such films as Oliver Stone's epic, "Any Given Sunday," Howard Deutch's comedy, "The Replacements," "The Program," "The Waterboy," "Necessary Roughness," the current production "Cheer Up" and Cameron Crowe's Oscar-nominated classic, "Jerry Maguire." Graf recently penned an original screenplay entitled "Turning the Tide," a football drama which depicts the historic 1970 gridiron contest between McKay's USC Trojans and Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide. The film is currently in development.
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