Lars Hensen

As a young man, Lars Hensen ventured into the motion picture industry during a time when there was a need for extras to play pilots and airmen in war films. He found steady work as just another face in the crowd. It wasn't until the late 40s when Hensen found his true calling. He regularly gained work as a stand-in for films and television shows. This opened up a new avenue for him because as long as the actor that Hensen was standing in for worked, so did Hensen. Usually the actor would allow the stand-in to appear as an extras and sometimes the principle actor would give his stand-in dialog or a silent bit where he would interact with the character and get paid as more than the day rate fate for an extra. By the 1960s, Hensen caught his big break. He developed a friendship with Lee J. Cobb and he regularly worked as his stand-in on The Virginian. During this time, Hensen received steady work as various cowhands, court clerks, or whatever Cobb could do to take care of Hensen. He also developed a good reputation with other casting directors so when Cobb wasn't working, Hensen found steady work as a stand-in and extra in other programs. During the mid 1980s, Hensen's career really began to slow down. He had outlived the western genre and his rough appearance and advanced age started to take a toll on his work so in the 1980s, he decided to return back to Philadelphia to be closer to his family. Though he passed away in 1999, he left a long lasting legacy of a career that started during the peak of motion pictures and lasted through the rise of the music videos.