Being a stuntman isn't for the faint of heart. It takes grit, precision, and a willingness to walk away from every fall and get right back up. Few understood that better than Wagon Train's Terry Wilson.

Best remembered as Bill Hawks on Wagon Train, Wilson built his reputation long before the series as one of Hollywood's most respected stuntmen. Yet despite his success, he had one surprising piece of advice for anyone thinking about following in his footsteps:

"Seriously, no," Wilson told The Times-Tribune. "I won't recommend this to anyone. It has to be in your blood. I've known and loved horses, for example, since I was younger. Stunting in Westerns, you see, is fun for me. It's not work."

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For Wilson, the danger was simply part of the job. He once accidentally fell beneath a moving stagecoach during a stunt, then found himself apologizing to the director afterward.

While most actors would have been shaken by the close call, Wilson took it in stride. Stunt work wasn't just what he did. It was who he was.

His path to Wagon Train came through an old friend. Series star Ward Bond called Wilson late one night with an offer he couldn't refuse.

"How about coming on home and helping me out on a new TV series called Wagon Train?" he asked.

Wilson immediately accepted. The two had become friends while working together on several films directed by John Ford, whose Westerns helped define the genre. Wilson had nothing but admiration for the legendary filmmaker.

"[John Ford] is one of the best directors in the business," Wilson said. "He surrounds himself with good actors — like Bond and Wayne — and the best technicians he can find. I'll work for him any time he asks me."

For Wilson, stunt work wasn't simply a career. It was a lifelong passion that carried him from Hollywood's biggest Westerns to one of television's most beloved frontier dramas.