Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Professional Stuntman Invitational: Greg Evigan

Since the mid-'70s, Greg Evigan has done everything on TV from starring roles on "B.J. and the Bear" and "My Two Dads" to guest stints on "CSI: Miami," "Touched By an Angel," "Melrose Place" and beyond. And though we were fervent fans of B.J. McKay way back when, there's only thing BRBTV wanted to know when we chatted with Evigan outside the host hotel for this past weekend's Professional Stuntman Invitational.

"What do you remember about your 'Dallas' episode?"

He laughed. "I remember not liking being thrown on the hood of the car at the end of the episode!"

True enough, Bobby Ewing, as played by the hunky Patrick Duffy, was none too fond of Evigan's Willie Gust, who kidnapped Lucy in that episode. By the time Bobby tracked down the hooligan and his semi-reluctant prey, this Ewing uncle was fumin' mad. Evigan, well over 6-foot, also recalls -- with a chuckle -- the difference in height between himself and the diminutive Charlene Tilton. The episode, "Runaway," aired very early in the series, in 1978, not too long before Evigan scored his gig on "B.J. and the Bear."


So what does Evigan (shown above with Will "the Voice Man" Rodgers, emcee of the Invitational) have going on nowadays, besides appearances at events like this one? Producing, actually. He's got a few different projects he's producing now, including a reality show. One particular project, a movie for the Sci Fi Channel called "Phantom Racer," will air this fall and will feature Evigan in front of the camera, as well. He plays J.J. Sawyer in this tale of a racecar driver from beyond the grave. Former "Baywatch" babe Nicole Eggert is also on board.



As you can see, Evigan signed a variety of photos at the Invitational. Directly above, he's chatting with Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry of "The Dukes of Hazzard," second from left.

One special feature of the event was the presence of another star from "B.J. and the Bear," that is, an actual rig used in the show's filming. The truck was reportedly lost for a couple decades then purchased and fixed up. Its owner, a truck driver himself, keeps it in pristine condition, even taking it out now and then. Below, BRBTV caught it just coming off the racetrack after a few laps.



Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV
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