Legendary desert racer JN Roberts, known as the “King of the Desert,” who spent much of his career as a Hollywood stunt person, passed away at his home in Helena, Montana, on August 18. He was 84.
James Nelson Roberts became a desert racing icon in the 1960s and ’70s, cutting his racing teeth in AMA District 37. At one time, Roberts won 27 consecutive races, and he’s won just about all the “biggies” at the time, like Barstow-to-Vegas (four times), the Mint 400, the Baja 500 and the Baja 1000, including the Mexican 1000 in 1967 with teammate Malcolm Smith. He also represented the U.S. at the ISDT in 1971 and ’72.
Roberts also appeared in the iconic motorcycling documentary, On Any Sunday.
Roberts got into the Hollywood stunt business when, according to Stunts Unlimited, the organization of which he was a member, “fellow motorcyclist, future film director, and Stunts Unlimited co-founder Hal Needham introduced JN to the exclusive Viewfinders motorcycle club, a group of stuntmen and Hollywood actors who shared a passion for desert racing. Among its members were Ronnie Rondell and Glenn Wilder, also co-founders of Stunts Unlimited, and legendary actor Steve McQueen.
“After Needham established himself as a successful director, he helped JN launch his career as a stuntman. JN quickly proved himself on both two and four wheels, performing memorable motorcycle and car stunts for film and television and doubling for stars including Charles Bronson and Paul Newman.”
Roberts was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009. He was also a member of the Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame.CN
