Born in Memphis, TN. Following Korean War service as a paratrooper, Needham drifted into movies as a bit player in the mid-1950s. His remarkable physical dexterity and willingness to "take it" enabled him to rise up the professional ladder from stuntman to stunt coordinator to 2nd unit director. A longtime chum of Burt Reynolds, Needham was given his first chance to direct a theatrical feature with Reynolds' SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977); the film was a huge hit, assuring Needham future assignments as both director and scriptwriter. The 1980 Reynolds vehicle HOOPER was widely recognized as Reynolds' and Needham's tribute to the entire fraternity of Hollywood stunters. For television, Needham directed several installments of the 1989 Burt Reynolds adventure series "B.L. Stryker" and the pilot for the syndicated adventure semi-weekly "Bandit" (1994); there was also a 1992 animated cartoon series titled "Stunt Dawgs," wherein the central character was named Needham. Founder of the troubleshooting aggregation Stunts Unlimited, Needham has also served as chairman for another movie-industry organization, Camera Platforms International. In addition, Hal Needham is owner of the "world's fastest car," the Budweiser Rocket, now on display at the Smithsonian Institute. Other notable directing credits include SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT II (1980), THE CANNONBALL RUN (1981), MEGAFORCE (1982), STROKER ACE (1983), CANNONBALL RUN II (1984), RAD (1986), BODY SLAM (1987), STREET LUGE (1996) and a number of "Bandit" made-for-television movies. In 2001, Needham received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Stunt Awards.  Scientific and Engineering Award (Plaque) 1986: For the design and development of the Shotmaker Elite camera car and crane. (w. William L. Fredrick) 1 Scientific/Technical Award