Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel, born Robert Craig Knievel Jr. on October 17, 1938, in Butte, Montana, was an iconic American daredevil renowned for his motorcycle stunt performances. His early life included achievements in sports like ski jumping and ice hockey, along with various occupations, from mining to insurance sales. Knievel's public stunt career launched in 1965, characterized by gravity-defying jumps over vehicles and dangerous animals, which captivated audiences nationwide. Notably, his infamous jump across the Caesars Palace fountains in 1968, despite a severe crash, cemented his status as a prominent figure in American entertainment.
Throughout the 1970s, Knievel's flamboyant persona and patriotic statements made him a role model for many, leading to a successful line of toys and biographical films about his life. Despite suffering numerous injuries—he claimed to have broken over thirty bones—he advocated for motorcycle safety, emphasizing the importance of crash helmets. After retiring from major stunts, Knievel pursued painting and philanthropy, particularly with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His legacy continues through his son's daredevil pursuits and ongoing cultural references, including video games and exhibitions, ensuring that Evel Knievel remains a lasting symbol of adventure and risk-taking in American pop culture. He passed away in November 2007, leaving behind a remarkable legacy as a daredevil and showman.
Evel Knievel
Stunt Performer
- Born: October 17, 1938
- Birthplace: Butte, Montana
- Died: November 30, 2007
- Place of death: Clearwater, Florida
Sport: Stunt driving
Early Life
Born on October 17, 1938, Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel, Jr., was raised by his grandparents in Butte, Montana. He was interested in sports and daredevil racing from an early age, and he excelled in ski jumping and ice hockey in high school. In 1957, he won the Northern Rocky Mountain Ski Association Class A Men’s Ski Jumping Championship. As a young man, Evel played professional and semiprofessional hockey, worked as a miner and as a field guide for hunters, and served briefly in the U.S. Army. He also raced and sold motorcycles, was a political advocate for hunters, and worked as an insurance salesman.
The Road to Excellence
His public career as a daredevil began in 1965, when he formed Evel Knievel’s Motorcycle Daredevils group, using a nickname from his youth. His act included motorcycle jumping over dangerous animals such as rattlesnakes and mountain lions, riding through fire, and other death-defying actions. He soon went solo and started extending the length of his jumps. To make his jumps more interesting for the public, and to help them visualize the lengths of these jumps, he lined up parked cars, approached them with a ramp, and landed on another ramp on the other side.
Evel began by charging $500 for a jump over two cars and gradually increased the number of cars and his performance fees as his fame continued to spread. In 1968, on New Year’s Day, he jumped across the fountains in front of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, a distance of 151 feet, but crashed on the other side, sustained severe injuries, and was in a coma for a month.
The Emerging Champion
As Evel became more popular, his flamboyant public image attracted a great deal of attention from the media. He wore colorful costumes like those of comic-book heroes and was admired by children. This was a period of turmoil in American society, and for many parents, his patriotic and antidrug statements outweighed concerns about whether children would try to imitate his dangerous activities.
During the 1970’s, the Ideal Toy Company began making a series of action figures and other toys based on Evel and his stunts. These toys and accessories—including lunch boxes and Thermos bottles—were extremely popular and generated a great deal of income for Evel. Also during this time, he became friends with other celebrities, such as singer Elvis Presley and boxer Muhammad Ali. Because of his dangerous vocation, he became a prominent advocate of motorcycle safety, especially crash helmets.
In 1971 Warner Bros. released a biographical film, Evel Knievel, with George Hamilton portraying Evel and Evel himself serving as Hamilton’s stuntman. In 1977 Warner Bros. released a second film, Viva Knievel, an action film in which Evel appeared as himself along with Gene Kelly, Lauren Hutton, and others. Evel appeared also on television, both as a dramatic subject and as a guest star.
Many athletes, especially in high-contact sports such as football, have endured repeated sports injuries, but Evel holds the record. Although he personally claimed to have broken only thirty to thirty-five bones, some biographers have claimed that the figure is actually in the hundreds. He was made the American Orthopedic Association’s Man of the Century and was listed in the 1984 Guinness Book of World Records for his many fractures.
Continuing the Story
On September 8, 1974, Evel attempted to use the Sky-Cycle X-2, a special steam-powered vehicle invented by engineer Robert Truax, to jump over the Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho. The highly publicized event took place before approximately fifteen thousand fans and a much larger television audience. Although a premature parachute opening prevented him from reaching the other side, Evel was unhurt and earned $6 million for the stunt.
On May 31, 1975, Evel broke his pelvis upon landing after jumping over thirteen double-decker buses at Wembley Stadium in London, England. After recovering from this crash, he tried an even more ambitious challenge, and on October 25, 1975, jumped fourteen buses at King’s Island in Ohio. This performance captured a record 52 percent share of the television viewing audience for the ABC network. In 1976, he and a bystander were seriously injured at the Chicago Amphitheater when he attempted to do a motorcycle jump over a tank full of live sharks. This was his last major stunt-jumping event. While recovering from the Chicago accident, he began studying painting with artist Jack Ferriter.
After his retirement from stunt jumping, he traveled the country playing golf, signing autographs at public appearances, and painting Western scenes. He became involved in philanthropy, especially the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Years after his retirement, Evel found out that he had contracted the hepatitis C virus, probably as a result of contamination during one of his many blood transfusions and operations, and underwent a related liver transplant in 1999.
One of his sons, Robbie, continued in his father’s footsteps as a professional daredevil motorcyclist. In 1989, Robbie Knievel used a lighter bike to duplicate his father’s jump over the Caesars Palace fountains in Las Vegas, but without falling.
Evel continued to be discovered by younger audiences through video releases of his films. In November 1999, Rockstar Games released an interactive Evel Knievel video game, so that virtual daredevils could experience his stunts in the safety of their living rooms. In addition, one of Evel’s motorcycles is exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. At the time of his death in November, 2007, Evel was still in the news. A rock opera based on his life premiered in September.
Summary
Through determination and years of systematic risk-taking and experience, Evel Knievel built a reputation for daredevil motorcycle jumping that few others would dare to emulate. He is remembered as pop culture icon, an athlete, and a showman. He captured the imagination of many Americans during the late-1960’s and early 1970’s, and he remains a hero to many.
Bibliography
Barker, Stuart. Life of Evel: Evel Knievel. London: CollinsWillow, 2005.
Collins, Ace. Evel Knievel: An American Hero. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001.
Knievel, Evel. Evel Ways: A Daring Approach to Life. Minneapolis: GraF/X, 2000.
Mandich, Steve. Evel Incarnate: The Life and the Legend of Evel Knievel. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 2000.