Ken Carter

Ken Carter


Died: September 5, 1983
in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Born in Montreal and raised in a working-class neighbourhood, Ken Carter pursued a daredevil career after leaving school, earning the moniker "The Mad Canadian" for his audacious car stunts across North America. His most ambitious feat was an attempt to leap over the Saint Lawrence River in a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental in 1976, chronicled in the documentary "The Devil at Your Heels." Despite setbacks and a failed attempt in 1979, he persisted. Ken Carter's daring life story has captured imaginations, weaving a tale involving the mafia and a formidable Evel Knievel. His extraordinary, albeit risky, life has spurred numerous films, novels, and even an album rooted in a conceptual string-bass theme, which, in turn, inspired a musical. Tragically, Carter’s last jump was the night of September 5, 1983, when he overshot the landing on the far side of a murky pond at Westgate Speedway in Peterborough, Ontario, in a 1982 Pontiac, equipped with what was described as a 'homemade rocket.' He died on impact at only 45. His determination and risk-taking spirit remain integral to his daredevil legacy.

Movies for Ken Carter...

Aim for the Roses
Title: Aim for the Roses
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: September 21, 2017
Type: Movie
In 1976, Canadian stuntman Ken Carter declared his intention to jump a mile over the St. Lawrence Seaway in a rocket powered car. In 2008, Canadian musician Mark Haney declared his intention to pay tribute to Ken Carter in the form of a concept album for solo double bass. In 2011, Canadian filmmaker John Bolton declared his intention to make a "musical docudrama" about both men. Aim for the Roses is a one-of-a-kind film, about a one-of-a-kind album, about a one-of-a-kind stunt, all three of which could only happen in Canada.
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Ken Carter: Stuntman to the End
Title: Ken Carter: Stuntman to the End
Character: Self
Released: January 28, 2014
Type: Movie
Documentary follows the come-back attempt of Canadian stunt performer Ken Carter, and his untimely demise at Westgate Speedway in the fall of 1983. The documentary made use of jump footage that sat in storage unused for thirty years.
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The Devil At Your Heels
Title: The Devil At Your Heels
Character: Himself
Released: March 13, 1981
Type: Movie
Devil at Your Heels, traces the trials of stuntman Ken Carter who attempts a death-defying aerial jump in a car. Not content with a normal jump, Ken Carter attempts a jump from Canada to the USA. This feature-length documentary shines a light on the intense preparation that led to Carter’s first attempt to jump a car across a mile-wide stretch of the St. Lawrence River – a 5-year period during which the dare-devil raised a million dollars, erected a 10-storey take-off ramp and built a rocket-powered car. Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 4th Genie Awards in 1983.
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The Mad Canadian
Title: The Mad Canadian
Character: Himself
Released: December 31, 1976
Type: Movie
A tense, tight close-up of stunt man Ken Carter's role on the stock-car racing track. Risking life and limb to rocket a car from a ramp over a parked line of cars takes more than the will to make a living. What else is involved is shown by the film as the camera looks and listens while the stunt man readies for his act and then makes his wild ride.