Saddle up for a trip through entertainment history with a weekly highlight from Santa Clarita’s Walk of Western Stars! This week, stuntman Jack Lilley. 

Jack Lilley was an American stuntman whose career included several major and minor roles as a stuntman in more than 300 movies and television shows, specializing in stunts involving horses.  

Lilley was born on Aug. 15, 1933, in Hughes Springs, Texas. His father raised and trained horses, eventually renting the animals to movie studios.

Not long after moving to Los Angeles, Lilley’s father eventually began to work on set as a stuntman in movies, inspiring his son to eventually follow in his father’s footsteps. 

Starting at age 14, Lilley lied about his age to become a stuntman in Westerns, working his way from an extra to the background for many famous films. 

Some of the most well-known features include Planet of the Apes (2001), Sudden Impact (1983) and the Legend of Zorro (2005), as well as additional work via his movie ranch on big-name films like Cowboys and Aliens (2011).  

Eventually, the stuntman went on to start the motion picture barn Movin on Livestock with his son Clay, renting out wagons, carriages, buggies, stagecoaches and other period equipment alongside horses, mules, and other animals.  

The company is hired to oversee the equine handling on movies and to ensure that Hollywood horses are safe and happy, which requires patience, training and selecting the right animals in the first place, according to a 2010 interview with Lilley in Petticoats and Pistols. 

Lilley and his wife Irene resided in Canyon Country for many years. Jack died peacefully in his sleep at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home in Calabasas, California, on March 19, 2025, at the age of 91. 

Where is Lilley’s Plaque on the Walk of Western Stars? 

In 2008, Jack Lilley was honored with a plaque on the Walk of Western Stars. The plaque is on the south side of Market Street. 

Click here to view last week’s feature. 

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