Bill Hickman's small acting parts give only a partial account of his work. We rate him for the precision of his stunt driving, which makes a chase feel dangerous without making the action unreadable.
Fi1m perspective
A car pursues a train in The French Connection (1971), and Bill Hickman's driving makes the streets feel alarmingly unforgiving. He plays federal agent Mulderig, but he also coordinated the stunts and performed the pursuit driving. We were frightened by the chase because the hazards of those streets never seemed safely out of the way. William Friedkin gets force and urgency from Hickman's work without making the driver the attraction; the danger ahead holds our attention.
Hickman began with stunt work and bit parts in the 1940s and 1950s, including motorcycle stunts, before Bullitt (1968) brought his driving wider attention. Playing Phil, he drove the black Dodge Charger through San Francisco. His frequent casting as tough men and authority figures fits a performer whose physical assurance was his chief asset. His driving was precise and repeatable, and we value the less conspicuous part of that skill: coordinating a complicated sequence so that its danger remains convincing on screen.
In Patton (1970), he is General Patton's Driver, a small part in a film led by George C. Scott's performance. We recommend Franklin J. Schaffner's film for Scott and the assured battle scenes, rather than as a place to discover Hickman's acting. The French Connection gives us a stronger reason to single him out, though our reservation about Friedkin's film remains. Doyle's obsession is frighteningly plausible, and the excitement can let his brutality pass too readily. Hickman's driving helps make that excitement so persuasive.
He combined acting and stunt coordination again in The Seven-Ups (1973), playing Bo and driving the pursued car for producer Philip D'Antoni. His stunt coordination continued into the late 1970s, a more substantial contribution than the size of his small acting roles might suggest. We need not inflate those parts to recognise the skill. Start with The French Connection, and watch the driving as closely as the acting.
Biography
Bill Hickman (also credited as William Hickman) was an American actor and stunt driver. He appeared in numerous films from the 1950s to the 1970s, often in small or uncredited roles, and worked extensively as a stunt coordinator and driver.
Hickman played federal agent Mulderig in The French Connection (1971), a role in which his character clashes with Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle. He is also known for his performance as Phil in Bullitt (1968) and as General Patton's driver in Patton (1970). Hickman contributed stunts to several landmark car chase sequences, including those in Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups (1973).
Born in Los Angeles County, California, Hickman died in Indio, California, in 1986.
