Ray Abbott(1957-2025)

Ray Abbott was an American stuntman with over 60 credits to his resume. A graduate of Tenafly High School (along with his good friend, the late Jon-Erik Hexum, as well as film and stage actor Ed Harris), Abbott was introduced into the world of stunt work by his THS gym teacher and later Hollywood stuntman A.J. Bakunas. (Bakunas, unfortunately, is best-remembered for dying while trying to beat Dar Robinson's longest drop for the movie La fureur du danger (1978)). When A.J.'s introductions to the NYC stuntman world failed to produce any solid work, in 1980 Ray went to LA to try to break into the competitive Hollywood stunt world. With little success, Ray returned back to NJ and doggedly beat the streets of NYC until he earned his place as a respected stuntman.