Summary
Richard Virgil Grace (October 1, 1898 – June 25, 1965), known as Dick Grace, was an American stunt pilot who specialized in crashing planes for films. Films that he appeared in include Sky Bride, The Lost Squadron, Lilac Time, and the first Best Picture Oscar winner Wings.[1][2]
Dick Grace | |
|---|---|
 Grace in the 1927 film "Wide Open" | |
| Born | Richard Virgil Grace October 1, 1898 Morris, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 25, 1965 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Stunt Pilot |
| Spouse | Crystine Francis Malstrom |
| Relatives | A.G. Grace (sibling) |
He served in both world wars, bombing Germany, as a B-17 Flying Fortress co-pilot with the 486th Bombardment Group. After the Second World War, he operated a charter business in South America. He was married to Crystine Francis Malstrom, a stage actress who appeared in Abie's Irish Rose. He was the author of several books, including Squadron of Death, Crash Pilot, I Am Still Alive, and Visibility Unlimited.
Grace sustained a serious neck injury when he fell out of the cockpit during the filming of Wings. But he made a full recovery and was one of the few stunt pilots of his day who died of natural causes.[3]
Filmography edit
as actor edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | The Flying Fool | Donald During | |
| 1927 | Wide Open | Dick Dixon | |
| Wings | Aviator | ||
| 1928 | Lilac Time | technical flight commander | |
| 1932 | The Lost Squadron | Flier | also writer |
as writer edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Devil's Squadron |
as stunt pilot edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Eyes of the Forest | |
| 1927 | Wings | |
| 1932 | The Lost Squadron | |
| Sky Bride |
References edit
- ^ King, Susan (August 14, 2014) "'Hollywood Takes to the Air' explores aviation's long history in film", Los Angeles Times
- ^ Onkst, David H. (2003) Hollywood Stunt Pilots U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
- ^ Lussier, Tim (2004) "Daredevils in the Air - Three of the Greats - Wilson, Locklear and Grace" Archived 2012-12-28 at the Wayback Machine, Silents Are Golden
External links edit
- Dick Grace at IMDb
- Article by Dick Grace from Modern Mechanics Magazine Archived 2009-03-24 at the Wayback Machine