Henry Blight Halicki (October 18, 1940 – August 20, 1989), most commonly known as H. B. "Toby" Halicki, was an American director, writer, stunt driver, actor, and filmmaker. Halicki directed the 1974 film Gone in 60 Seconds as well as producing and starring in several other action films. He was killed in an accident while filming Gone in 60 Seconds 2 in 1989. Wishing to preserve his legacy, his widow, Denice Shakarian Halicki, produced a remake in 2000 along with Jerry Bruckheimer.

Biography

Halicki was born in a Polish-American family in Dunkirk, New York in 1940 and was one of thirteen children. All thirteen children were given nicknames; his was "Toby". Toby started to develop his fascination with cars while working in the family towing business, which was established back in 1919. He started driving at a young age and developed a wide knowledge of automobiles by the age of ten. When he was a teenager, after the loss of two of his brothers, Halicki decided to move to California and live with one of his uncles.


Career
Halicki moved from New York to California and worked on vehicles, eventually owning his own impound and towing business. H.B. Halicki Junkyard and Mercantile Company was known for its extensive antique automobile and toy collections.


Gone in 60 Seconds

Halicki wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film Gone in 60 Seconds in 1974.



There was no official script for the movie, apart from several pages outlining main dialog sequences. Halicki supplied most of the cars and used repeated footage of the same vehicles and shots of public incidents to increase the footage. The scene in which a train derailment is observed was not part of the original shooting script; it is in fact a real train that derailed. When the director heard about the wreck, he wanted to incorporate it into the film.

Halicki compacted 10 vertebrae performing the film's 128-foot-long (39 m) jump finale and walked with a limp afterwards.

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