# Neil Summers

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{{Short description|English-American actor and stuntman (1944–2025)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Neil Summers
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1944|04|28|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [London](/source/London), England
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2025|9|4|1944|04|28|df=y}}
| death_place        = [Kanab, Utah](/source/Kanab%2C_Utah), United States
| occupation         = {{Hlist|Actor|stuntman}}
| years_active       = 1963–2025
}}

'''Neil Summers''' (28 April 1944 – 4 September 2025) was an English-American actor and [stuntman](/source/Stunt_performer). He was best known for playing the Rodent in the 1990 film ''[Dick Tracy](/source/Dick_Tracy_(1990_film))''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-OCBcT1O4UC|title=Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context|page=282|first=Garyn|last=G. Roberts|publisher=McFarland|date=2003|isbn=9780786416981|via=[Google Books](/source/Google_Books)}}</ref>

== Life and career ==
Summers was born in London, England on 28 April 1944.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neil Summers |url=https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Neil+Summers-51261 |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=Filmweb |language=pl}}</ref><ref name="a">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10dXAwAAQBAJ|title=Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d Ed.|page=275|first=Gene|last=Scott Freese|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786476435|date=April 24, 2014|via=[Google Books](/source/Google_Books)}}</ref> He began his screen career in 1963, traveling to [Tucson, Arizona](/source/Tucson%2C_Arizona) to appear in the film ''[McLintock!](/source/McLintock!)'' as a stunt extra.<ref name="a" /> During his screen career, he was a stunt double for several actors including [Warren Oates](/source/Warren_Oates), [Roddy McDowall](/source/Roddy_McDowall), [Michael Anderson Jr.](/source/Michael_Anderson_Jr.) and [Michael J. Pollard](/source/Michael_J._Pollard).<ref name="a" />

Summers appeared in numerous television programs including ''[Gunsmoke](/source/Gunsmoke)'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/289167112/|title=Baby Boomers grew up with Westerns|work=[The Newark Advocate](/source/The_Advocate_(Newark))|location=[Newark, Ohio](/source/Newark%2C_Ohio)|date=February 21, 1993|access-date=February 17, 2024|page=25|via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}} {{Closed access}}</ref> ''[Bonanza](/source/Bonanza)'', ''[Barnaby Jones](/source/Barnaby_Jones)'', ''[Death Valley Days](/source/Death_Valley_Days)'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/637767399/|title=Summers latest stunt-settling in Kanab|work=[Southern Utah News](/source/Southern_Utah_News)|location=[Kanab, Utah](/source/Kanab%2C_Utah)|date=July 11, 2001|access-date=February 17, 2024|page=17|via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}} {{Closed access}}</ref> ''[The High Chaparral](/source/The_High_Chaparral)'', ''[The Fall Guy](/source/The_Fall_Guy)'', ''[Petrocelli](/source/Petrocelli)'' and ''[Daniel Boone](/source/Daniel_Boone_(1964_TV_series))''. He also appeared in numerous films including ''[Duel at Diablo](/source/Duel_at_Diablo)'', ''[Heaven with a Gun](/source/Heaven_with_a_Gun)'', ''[El Dorado](/source/El_Dorado_(1966_film))'', ''[True Grit](/source/True_Grit_(1969_film))'', ''[The Greatest Story Ever Told](/source/The_Greatest_Story_Ever_Told)'',<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yw9eCgAAQBAJ|title=The John Wayne Filmography|page=126|first=Fred|last=Landesman|publisher=McFarland|date=August 13, 2015|isbn=9781476609225|via=[Google Books](/source/Google_Books)}}</ref> ''[Rio Lobo](/source/Rio_Lobo)'', ''[RoboCop](/source/RoboCop)'', '' [Wild At Heart](/source/Wild_at_Heart_(film))'', ''[Rough Night in Jericho](/source/Rough_Night_in_Jericho_(film))'', ''[The Shawshank Redemption](/source/The_Shawshank_Redemption)'' and ''[Guns of a Stranger](/source/Guns_of_a_Stranger)''.<ref name="a" />

Summers died in [Kanab](/source/Kanab), [Utah](/source/Utah), on 4 September 2025, at the age of 81.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=T. M. Z. |date=2025-09-10 |title='Dick Tracy' and 'RoboCop' Actor Neil Summers Dead at 81 |url=https://www.tmz.com/2025/09/10/neil-summers-dead/ |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=TMZ |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0838612}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Neil}}
Category:1944 births
Category:2025 deaths
Category:Male actors from London
Category:English emigrants to the United States
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American stunt performers
Category:Western (genre) television actors
Category:Male Western (genre) film actors

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Neil Summers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Summers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Summers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.