Biography

Mikal Kartvedt has spent nearly three decades in front of and behind the camera, taking-and designing-the hard hits that make Hollywood look real. A veteran stunt performer, coordinator, and second unit director, his work spans film, television, and commercials. With credits ranging from America's Most Wanted and 9-1-1 to A Haunted House 1 & 2, Danny Trejo's Bad Ass trilogy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

In 2002, Kartvedt stepped into stunt history with a 170-foot high fall for The Blockbuster Hollywood Christmas Spectacular. Only a handful of performers in the industry "send it" from higher than 150 feet-fewer than 1% in the entire history of the craft. It was a defining leap, one that set him apart as a stuntman willing to go where almost no one else would.

From bikes to big rigs, Kartvedt has the paperwork and the precision to handle it all-licensed, endorsed, and equipped to make every stunt behind the wheel look real. Trusted by Porsche, Audi, Jeep, Volkswagen, Penske, and others, he brings the same physical grit and technical mastery behind the wheel that he does to the punishing stunts that keep audiences holding their breath. Kartvedt doesn't just do it on screen, but shares his extensive stunt driving experience as an instructor at the world-famous Motion Picture Driving Clinic.

As a coordinator, Kartvedt has collaborated with Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton and a wide circle of industry icons, including Meg Ryan, Marlon Wayans, Danny Glover, Danny Trejo, Ray Romano, Wes Bentley, Winona Ryder, Jamie Pressly, Cedric the Entertainer, Essence Atkins, John Amos, Joe Lo Truglio, and Andy Samberg. He has also doubled for some of Hollywood's most enduring character actors, from Daniel Roebuck and Richard Masur to Christian Clemenson, Victor Garber, and John Riley. Doubling both Jake and Gary Busey stands as yet another distinction and testimony to his longevity, making Kartvedt the only known stuntman to double father and son.

Raised in El Cajon, California, Kartvedt graduated from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, where he earned a B.A. degree in Theater and Sociology, studying alongside longtime collaborator Matthew Tompkins (Sicario, The Harrowing). Today, Kartvedt's whereabouts are known only to a handful of producing partners, his wife, and two adult children. It's rumored that he's to be found somewhere in Baja, California, scouting for a competition adventure series that, like Kartvedt himself, will make television history.
- IMDb mini biography by: anonymous