| Name |
Don Stroud |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
1-September-1943 |
| Place of Birth |
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Famous for |
Acting |
Don Stroud is an American actor and surfer who appeared in many films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and has starred in over 100 films and 175 television shows to date. Stroud was surfing at Waikiki when he was discovered by actor Troy Donahue who was filming ABC's Hawaiian Eye and needed a stunt double for his surfing scenes.
Don, at 18, 6'2" and 175 pounds, stepped up and was hired on the spot. He loved the gig so much, he decided to go to Hollywood to give acting a try. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he landed a variety of jobs, including parking cars, bouncer and then manager of the world famous Whisky a Go Go nightclub on the Sunset Strip, where such greats as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison of the Doors appeared. It was at the "Whisky" that actor Sidney Poitier turned Don on to his acting career. Stroud went on to become one of Hollywood's great heavies and character actors. Stroud co-starred with Clint Eastwood in two films, Coogan's Bluff (1968) and Joe Kidd (1972). He also appeared in several episodes of CBS's Hawaii Five-O and in the Barry Sullivan NBC western series The Road West. Stroud co-starred in Roger Corman’s film Von Richthofen and Brown (1971).
Stroud played Roy Brown opposite John Phillip Law’s Baron von Richthofen. Corman used Lynn Garrison's Irish aviation facility, complete with replica World War One aircraft. Garrison taught Stroud the rudiments of flying so that he could manage to take off and land the aircraft, making some of the footage more realistic. On September 16, 1970, Stroud came closer to realism than he expected. During a low-level sequence flying a two-seat SV4C Stampe biplane across Lake Weston, a large bird flew through the propeller’s arc, striking Garrison in the face, knocking him unconscious. The aircraft flew into five powerlines, snap rolled and plunged into the lake inverted. Garrison and Stroud were rescued some time later. Stroud was wet but unhurt. Garrison required 60 stitches to close a head wound. He was flying the next day.
