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Neil Summers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neil Summers
Born(1944-04-28)28 April 1944
London, England
Died4 September 2025(2025-09-04) (aged 81)
Kanab, Utah, United States
Occupations
  • Actor
  • stuntman
Years active1963–2025

Neil Summers (28 April 1944 – 4 September 2025) was an English-American actor and stuntman. He was best known for playing the Rodent in the 1990 film Dick Tracy.[1]

Life and career

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Summers was born in London, England on 28 April 1944.[2][3] He began his screen career in 1963, traveling to Tucson, Arizona to appear in the film McLintock! as a stunt extra.[3] During his screen career, he was a stunt double for several actors including Warren Oates, Roddy McDowall, Michael Anderson Jr. and Michael J. Pollard.[3]

Summers appeared in numerous television programs including Gunsmoke,[4] Bonanza, Barnaby Jones, Death Valley Days,[5] The High Chaparral, The Fall Guy, Petrocelli and Daniel Boone. He also appeared in numerous films including Duel at Diablo, Heaven with a Gun, El Dorado, True Grit, The Greatest Story Ever Told,[6] Rio Lobo, RoboCop, Wild At Heart, Rough Night in Jericho, The Shawshank Redemption and Guns of a Stranger.[3]

Summers died in Kanab, Utah, on 4 September 2025, at the age of 81.[7]

References

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  1. G. Roberts, Garyn (2003). Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context. McFarland. p. 282. ISBN 9780786416981 via Google Books.
  2. "Neil Summers". Filmweb (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Scott Freese, Gene (April 24, 2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d Ed. McFarland. p. 275. ISBN 9780786476435 via Google Books.
  4. "Baby Boomers grew up with Westerns". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. February 21, 1993. p. 25. Retrieved February 17, 2024 via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  5. "Summers latest stunt-settling in Kanab". Southern Utah News. Kanab, Utah. July 11, 2001. p. 17. Retrieved February 17, 2024 via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  6. Landesman, Fred (August 13, 2015). The John Wayne Filmography. McFarland. p. 126. ISBN 9781476609225 via Google Books.
  7. Staff, T. M. Z. (2025-09-10). "'Dick Tracy' and 'RoboCop' Actor Neil Summers Dead at 81". TMZ. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
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