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You may know him as Brian O’Conner from the Fast and the Furious series, but the late
actor was so much more than a one-note star.
Though his career was cut short by a fatal car crash in 2013, Walker’s career was heftier
than many are aware of.
With all of the love he’s been receiving in the comments of our “Ten Amazing Actors
Who Died While Filming Movies” video, we thought we’d reach out to his fans with
these ten amazing facts about Paul Walker.
Before we dive into the life and times of Mr. Walker, don’t forget to hit that subscribe
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10.
Walker’s Earlier Career Sure, Walker’s fame may have come from the
Fast and the Furious series, but anyone that had been paying attention since the 80s would
recognize him from the horror-spoof, Monster in Your Closet.
Even before that, though, Walker appeared in Pampers’ diaper commercials in the mid-70’s.
From the 1980’s to his first really recognizable role in Pleasantville, Walker popped up in
the occasional cameo or in completely forgettable movies like Tammy and the T-Rex.
9.
He Knew Kung Fu, too!
Shortly after his passing, Walker was awarded an honorary black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
No, it wasn’t just a kind gesture by former coach Ricardo Miller.
The actor had spent a lot of time obtaining his brown belt and was well on his way to
earning the coveted black belt.
Walker aspired to become a Jiu-Jitsu ambassador and often attempted to include some form of
hand-to-hand combat in his movies to integrate his training, which he was able to do in the
Fast and Furious series.
8.
Keeping the Faith You may never guess it from looking at him
or the roles he portrays in his movies, but Walker was known to those closest to him as
being a devout Christian.
The actor’s earlier years were spent attending the Mormon Church and even graduating from
Village Christian School in Sun Valley, California.
He had even been quoted saying: “Who couldn’t believe there’s a God?
Is all this a mistake?”, spoken in regards to the beauty of nature.
7.
What a Modest Man When speaking of the fame of Hollywood, it’s
not often that you hear the word “modest” being thrown around, but it’s a great way
to describe Paul Walker.
Not one to latch on to fame, Walker was known for watching his movies only once, and even
hated having to do that.
According to his father, Paul Walker Sr., his son had even contemplated leaving Hollywood
behind in order to live a more normal life with his daughter, Meadow Rain Walker.
Cody Walker, Paul’s brother, even claimed the actor lived a modest lifestyle.
6.
A Shoe in for Fast and the Furious If you’re going to hire an actor to star
in your movie about fast cars, it’s best to bring on someone that knows what they’re
talking about.
Believe it or not, Paul was well-suited for his role as undercover cop and car enthusiast
Brian O’Conner because of his own real-life love for most things on four wheels.
In 2010, Walker jumped behind the wheel of a BMW E92 M3 to race in the RedLine Time Attack
and even co-owned Always Evolving, a performance racing shop, with Roger Rodas, the other victim
of the fatal crash.
5.
Part-Time Stuntman During filming of the Fast and Furious series,
Walker was adamant about getting his hands dirty when it came to a few of the more dangerous
stunts.
Though there was an able-bodied double on set, the late actor opted to perform many
of his own stunts despite urgings from the studio otherwise.
Walker was often considered a daredevil on set and also did the bulk of his own driving.
Certain stunts, however, like the dangerous bus jump from Furious 7, were left up to professional
stunt personnel.
4.
Engaging the Uphams It was a chance encounter that left Kyle Upham
and his then fiance Kristen (now Mrs. Upham) in possession of a $9,000 (£6,907) engagement
ring.
Right before Kyle’s deployment in 2004, the loving couple was shopping for the perfect
ring.
Unfortunately, as in most situations, a matter of budget came into play and limited their
options.
That is, of course, until Paul Walker involved himself and started helping Kyle pinpoint
the ideal diamond for his bride-to-be.
Eventually, the Uphams left the store without a ring but were immediately pulled back in
and handed a bag containing the pricey diamond – a gift courtesy of Paul Walker.
3.
Jedi Aspirations Before he was expertly controlling cars, Walker
had his sights set on controlling the Force.
When Lucasfilm was on the prowl for a teen-aged Anakin Skywalker, Mr. Walker threw his name
into the hat as potential Jedi candidates.
Though he camped out at Skywalker Ranch to show his dedication and read for the role
on several occasions, Walker ultimately lost to Hayden Christensen.
It’s said that Walker and his rival Anakin were both highly considered for the role,
but it ultimately went to the latter allegedly for being the younger of the two.
2.
Paul Walker, Marine Biologist You’d never guess it from looking at his
later filmography, but Walker had a penchant for marine biology, having majored in it at
a community college.
He idolized Jacques Cousteau and often considered quitting his Hollywood career to pursue exploring
the oceanic depths.
In 2010, he partially fulfilled his dream when he spent 11 days off of Mexico’s coast
in search of great white sharks for Nat Geo’s “Expedition Great White.”
Just before his death, he partook in a Shark Week special titled “Spawn of Jaws.”
Two years after the death of her father, Meadow Walker started The Paul Walker Foundation
to lend aid to wildlife and critters of the deep blue.
1.
Reach Out Worldwide Walker wasn’t the type of man that enjoyed
throwing his fame and exploits out for all to revel over.
That may be why you hadn’t heard of his affiliation to the charitable network of Reach
Out WorldWide.
The charity, which didn’t really use Walker’s Fast and the Furious star power for promotional
purposes until after his passing, focuses on providing relief to disaster areas across
the globe.
His work as a humanitarian around the world has gone noticed in places like Pelluhue,
Chile, which named a street after him for his assistance after the 2010 earthquake.
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