Smith-family-636x487In 1957, Dean Smith left Texas and headed for Hollywood.

For the next 40 years, he spent his time working as a stuntman in films, including Oscar-winning Westerns like True Grit, How the West Was Won and The Alamo. (Dean is pictured above on the set of The Alamo with legendary movie star John Wayne).

Today he’s retired and lives with his wife, Debby (center), and son Finis (left) in Breckenridge, Texas.

The three of them came to StoryCorps so that he could share memories from his storied career.

Originally aired February 28, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Photos courtesy of the Wayne Family.