Neil Summers

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Neil Summers
Born(1944-04-28)28 April 1944
London, England
Died4 September 2025(2025-09-04) (aged 81)
Kanab, Utah, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • stuntman
Years active1963–2025

Neil Summers (28 April 1944 – 4 September 2025) was an English-American actor and stuntman. He is perhaps 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 career in 1963, traveling to Tucson, Arizona to appear in the film McLintock! as a stunt extra.[3]

He stunt doubled for actors, 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. ^ a b c d 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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