[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 55 (Thursday, April 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING WILLIE HARRIS

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 16, 2015

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Mr. Willie Harris.
  A Holmes County native, Willie Harris, who stands 6-foot-8 and spent 
a year playing basketball at Alcorn State University, was one of the 
first black stuntmen in Hollywood.
  Harris landed in California while serving in the military. He and two 
others entered into the stunt business through acquaintances. Harris' 
story is perhaps the most bizarre; a friend introduced Harris to Calvin 
Brown. This was the first time Harris had heard of a stunt man. Not 
long after that, he was driving a friend to north Hollywood, got lost 
and stopped to ask for directions. Harris had no idea he had walked 
onto the set where the 1969 blockbuster ``Bob & Carol, Ted & Alice'' 
was being filmed. The person volunteering directions was actor Elliott 
Gould, who was poised for stardom.
  Gould noticed Harris' tall stature and asked if he'd ever considered 
stunt work. Harris was open to the idea. Gould met with him the next 
day and gave him a letter of recommendation by producer Robert Altman 
to help him gain membership into the Screen Actors Guild.
  He had the chance to personally thank Gould last October when they 
were brought together to film a documentary segment about the Black 
Stuntmen's Association.
  Harris is now the president of the Black Stuntman's Association in 
Jackson, Mississippi. Harris is accompanied in the organization by two 
other Mississippians: Henry Graddy and Dewitt Fondren. The group has 
been honored by former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and 
the Nevada legislature. The Smithsonian Institution is also planning to 
acknowledge the group through an exhibit.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing an amazing 
stuntman that has been instrumental in magnifying the strides of 
African Americans in film.

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