Gary Jensen, Stunt Coordinator on ‘The Usual Suspects’ and ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,’ Dies at 74

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As a gamer, I’d put it like this: “I was saddened to learn that Gary Jensen, the action maestro whose fingers graced some of my favorite films like ‘The Usual Suspects’, the initial X-Men trilogy, and ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘, among others, has passed away at 74. It’s a bittersweet reminder that even in the virtual worlds we escape to, real-life heroes like Gary still leave an indelible impact.

More recently, John underwent a two-month hospital stay due to spinal surgery. Tragically, he passed away on April 11, at his residence in Acton, California, as reported by his daughter-in-law Laura Jensen to The Hollywood Reporter.

He performed stunts in movies such as Tron (1982), The Beastmaster (1982), Independence Day (1983), Hoosiers (1986), Peacemaker (1990), The Rookie (1990), In the Line of Fire (1993), and Due Date (2010).

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His film stunt repertoire spans Tron (1982), The Beastmaster (1982), Independence Day (1983), Hoosiers (1986), Peacemaker (1990), The Rookie (1990), In the Line of Fire (1993), and Due Date (2010).

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He’s known for doing stunts in movies like Tron (1982), The Beastmaster (1982), Independence Day (1983), Hoosiers (1986), Peacemaker (1990), The Rookie (1990), In the Line of Fire (1993), and Due Date (2010).

Besides collaborating with Singer on “Apt Pupil” in 1998, and with Smith on “Dogma” (1999), “Clerks II” (2006), “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (2008) and “Red State” (2011), Jensen had the role of a coordinator in 14 Perry Mason TV movies on NBC from 1989 to 1994 as well.

Gary Peter Jensen was born in San Francisco on the 11th of December, 1950. He completed his education at Chico High School in the year 1969, a school where his record for the 100-yard dash remains unbeaten to this day. In 1972, he relocated from San Francisco to Tarzana.

In 1978, he took charge of the stunts in the movie “FM” and went on to work on action sequences for the next three years on the television show “B.J. and the Bear.” Additionally, during this period, he directed second-unit scenes for the NBC series.

Jensen’s work history as a coordinator encompassed films such as The Return of the Living Dead (1985), Evil Dead II (1987), Miracle Mile (1988), The Grifters (1990), Tremors (1990), Barton Fink (1991), McHale’s Navy (1997) and Mr. Woodcock (2007). Additionally, he was involved with the TV series United States of Tara and Franklin & Bash.

He adored galloping through the wilderness of Colorado and the deserts of Southern California, frequently mentioning that if he ever stopped riding his horse, then retirement was imminent. After wrapping up work in South Dakota (2017), he decided to retire.

He leaves behind his offspring: Ben, who transitioned from being a stunt performer to becoming a safety coordinator at Paramount, Ethan, another ex-stunt performer, Molly, Jessi, and Chloe; his siblings, Keith, Lynn, and Ellen; as well as nine grandchildren.

Jensen has a “Last Production Gathering” planned for June 8th in the Los Angeles region. The location will be communicated later.

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2025-04-20 20:54