What stuntman somersaults out of Ben-Hur’s chariot during the chariot race in Ben-Hur (1959)?

Yakima Canutt’s oldest son Joe was the stuntman who somersaults out of Ben-Hur’s chariot during the chariot race in Ben-Hur (1959).

The younger Canutt was doubling for Charlton Heston and was accidentally tossed out of the chariot when the vehicle hit some wreckage on the racecourse.

The shot was so effective that it was left in the movie, with the screenplay changed to explain it.

Yakima Canutt himself, as second-unit director, supervised the filming of the race.

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