Yakima Canutt, also known as Yak Canutt, (29 November 1895 – 24 May 1986) was an American rodeo rider, actor, stuntman and action director.
Born Enos Edward Canutt in the Snake River Hills, near Colfax, Washington; he was one of five children of John Lemuel Canutt, a rancher, and Nettie Ellen Stevens. He grew up in eastern Washington on a ranch near Penawawa Creek, founded by his grandfather and operated by his father, who also served a term in t...
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Yakima Canutt, also known as Yak Canutt, (29 November 1895 – 24 May 1986) was an American rodeo rider, actor, stuntman and action director.
Born Enos Edward Canutt in the Snake River Hills, near Colfax, Washington; he was one of five children of John Lemuel Canutt, a rancher, and Nettie Ellen Stevens. He grew up in eastern Washington on a ranch near Penawawa Creek, founded by his grandfather and operated by his father, who also served a term in the state legislature. His formal education was limited to an elementary school in Green Lake, Washington, then a suburb of Seattle. He gained the education for his life's work on the family ranch, where he learned to hunt, trap, shoot, and ride.
As a six-foot tall sixteen-year old he started bronc riding at the Whitman County Fair held in Colfax in 1912. Canutt started rodeo riding professionally and gained a good reputation as a bronc rider, bulldogger and as an all-around cowboy. It was at the 1914 Pendleton Round-Up , Pendleton, Oregon...
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