A. J. Bakunas

A.J. Bakunas (1950 - 1978) was a stunt man who died doubling for George Kennedy in a fall from the Kincaid Towers in Lexington, Kentucky for the film "Steel".

Bakunas had successfully performed a fall from the ninth floor of the construction site during the filming of the movie. Earlier, Bakunas had set a world record for a 230 foot fall from a helicopter for the film Hooper. When he learned that Dar Robinson had set a new mark with a 286 foot fall for a non-movie related publicity stunt, Bakunas returned to Lexington to perform a 315 foot jump from the 22nd floor at the construction site. On September 21, 1978, as a crowd of about 1,000 watched, Bakunas performed the fall expertly. However, the airbag split and Bakunas died of his injuries the next day.

Born in Fort Lee, New Jersey, Albert John Bakunas quit his job as a gym teacher at Tenafly (N.J.) High School in 1974 and set out to break into the film industry. He did his first stuntwork for the 1975 film "Dog Day Afternoon". Bakunas quickly became known for expertly performing falls from great heights.

Reference: Lexington Leader, September 21, 1978