Actor/Stuntman From Numerous Classic Movies and Shows Dead at 72: RIP to Carl Ciarfalio

Actor and prolific stuntman Carl Ciarfalio has died. He was 72.

His death was announced last Wednesday by his wife, Teri Ryan, on his Facebook page. She did not give any details, including a cause of death.

Ciarfalio has over 300 on-screen credits to his name and has worked with several of the biggest names in Hollywood over the past five decades, like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Steven Soderbergh, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, and more.

He’s appeared in several major movies, like Fight Club, the 2012 Spider-Man film with Andrew Garfield, and Mission: Impossible III.

“Our Carl has passed on,” his wife wrote on social media. “And by ‘our’ I mean all of us. He was so special to everyone. We will celebrate his special life and light. No idea how yet but I know the laughter will flow with the tears. He went peacefully and we were all there.”

The actor got his start as a wrestler doing shows at Knott’s Berry Farm before getting hired to do stunt jobs or small parts in major TV shows like Magnum, P.I. and MacGyver. Eventually, he became known as one of the most dependable stuntmen in Hollywood, appearing in everything from Total Recall to Wedding Crashers.

Later on, he started serving as stunt coordinator on various films, like the Expendables series starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.

“About a week before, he went inside and quiet. Just as we were accepting that we’d never interact with him again, he used his strength to wake up and say goodbyes to each of us,” his wife continued. “It was so pure and lovely and powerful and just unreal. So damn proud of him. So like him to hold me up no matter what. No more words for now. We all send all of you all the love.”