Henry running away from the camera at Lakefront Airport - November, 1972.
Henry Masao Kingi Sr. was born on the 2nd of December, 1943, in Los Angeles, California.
He is a Native American stuntman, best known for his pioneering stunt work in Hollywood and for his co-founding of the Black Stuntmen’s Association.
His career began in the late 1960’s with minor supporting roles in film and television. Unfortunately much of his early work remains undocumented but a key point in his career came in 1967 when he co-founded the Black Stuntmen’s Association with Eddie Smith, Alex Brown, Joe Tilque, Willie Harris, Ernie Robinson and William Upton. From there, Henry was involved in the majority of films and television shows that Eddie worked on. He also achieved a minor part in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Topaz” in 1969, followed by action roles in “Halls of Anger”, “There Was a Crooked Man…” and an episode of “Daniel Boone” in 1970.
In November of 1972, Henry joined members of the BSA to star in the latest James Bond adventure “Live & Let Die”, where he was involved in a thrilling chase around Lakefront Airport in New Orleans while 007 is attempting to escape in an airplane with Mrs. Bell. This was followed by further roles in several blaxploitation films including “Black Girl” (1972), “Cleopatra Jones” (1973), “Fox Style” (1973), “Black Belt Jones” (1974) and “Truck Turner” (1974). In 1975 he starred alongside Yul Brynner and Max Von Sydow in the sci-fi thriller “The Ultimate Warrior”, and in the memorable comedy “Car Wash”, where he portrayed the character of Goody.
Following over a decade of experience as a stunt performer, Henry’s major break came in 1980 when he was contracted for six month’s work on the popular television show “The Dukes of Hazzard”. It was during this production that he showcased his incredible talent behind the wheel and this marked the beginning of his stunt driving career. Along with his unique long-haired appearance, his career went from strength to strength, and while remaining with the show until 1985, he also performed stunts with major stars like Al Pacino in “Scarface” (1983), with Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” (1987) and “Predator 2” (1990), and as Hans Burhinger’s double and as a stunt driver in “Die Hard” (1988) and it’s three sequels. He also worked on 48 episodes of the hit show “The A-Team” between 1983 and 1986.
Moving forward into the 1990’s and 2000’s, he achieved his first stunt coordinator credit in the television movie “Body Bags” in 1993 and in several episodes of “In the Heat of the Night” (1994-95). By this point he had become one of the most prolific stunt performers in Hollywood, working on such major productions as “Thelma & Louise” (1991), “Batman Returns” (1992), “The Bodyguard” (1992), “The Mask” (1994), “Bad Boys” (1995), “Seven” (1995), “The Rock” (1996), “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997), “Blade” (1998), “Gone in Sixty Seconds” (2000), “The Fast and the Furious” (2001), “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003) and “Wanted” (2008).
Having accumulated over 250 credits in a career lasting over five decades, Henry is still active in the film industry, often working alongside his son Henry ‘Hank’ Kingi Jr. who is also a highly respected stunt performer in Hollywood. Henry’s latest credits came in 2023 when he was a stunt driver in the film “Jawan”.
In "Live & Let Die", stunt performer Henry Kingi portrayed one of Kananga's henchmen.
He can be seen during the scenes at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans when James Bond and Solitaire arrive in the taxi driven by Arnold Williams (Cab Driver 1).
After the pair get out of the car, Henry is in the background cleaning the air intake of the plane's jet engine. He is wearing blue overalls and a black beanie hat.
Shortly after 007 escapes the clutches of Adam and the other henchmen, there is a brief shot showing Henry running towards the car to give chase. (Shown in thumbnail above).
The final sequence where Henry can be spotted is as Mrs. Bell's wings are cut off. Henry is the first in the line of henchmen closing the hangar door closest to the camera. (Please see Henry's crew page for an autograph example of this scene!)
Both autographs displayed below were signed by Henry Kingi for The Bond Archives on the 12th of February, 2024.
The second example is a set of contact sheet stills from the production, which show Henry in the background behind Tommy Lane and Roger Moore.
These are the first James Bond related photos he has ever signed.
Autographs of Henry are available following his appearance at the Hollywood Show several years ago. Any 007 related material is considered very rare though.
Please view Henry's crew page for a further example of his autograph!
The Bond Archives is the first source to publish Henry's exact work in "Live & Let Die", following our interview with him in January of 2024.
Despite being a founding member of the Black Stuntmen's Association, Henry only worked on the scenes at Lakefront Airport in "Live & Let Die". He did not travel to New York or Jamaica as he was already committed to other productions.
Henry Kingi Sr. was nicknamed 'The Chameleon', as he could often portray a range of different ethnicities due to his Native American, African-American, European and Japanese heritage.
The BSA used to train in Athens Park in Los Angeles, where they would lay down mattresses and practice their fight sequences and falls. The local police used to observe them thinking they were members of the Black Panther militants group!
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