Paul Walker, an actor best known for his role in the “Fast and the Furious” movies about street racing, died on Saturday in Valencia, Calif., when the Porsche he was riding in crashed in a single-car accident and burst into flames. He was 40.
Dan Watson/The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, via Reuters
The crash scene in Valencia, Calif., in which Mr. Walker died on Saturday.
His death was confirmed by his publicist, Ame Van Iden.
The driver of the car, who was also killed, was identified by The Los Angeles Times as Roger Rodas, a friend of Mr. Walker’s. The authorities did not identity the victims of the crash.
Speed was a factor in the accident, which occurred at 3:30 p.m., on Rye
Canyon Loop in Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the
Los Angeles County sheriff’s office said. Authorities said the vehicle, a
red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, was engulfed in flames when they arrived.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Walker had attended a charity event for the nonprofit of which he was a founder, Reach Out Worldwide, which provides relief efforts after natural disasters.
Athletic with blond hair and blue eyes, Mr. Walker often played the
action star or the romantic interest. He starred in six of the seven “Fast and Furious”
movies, often alongside the action star Vin Diesel, with the latest
installment still being filmed and scheduled for release next year. The
movies were popular and lucrative — the most recent one, “Fast and
Furious 6,” grossed $788 million worldwide this year.
Paul William Walker IV was born in Glendale, Calif., on Sept. 12, 1973.
He started acting at a young age and had a few prominent parts in the
late 1990s, playing supporting roles in the films “Pleasantville,” “Varsity Blues,” and “She’s All That,” and starring in “The Skulls.”
But his big break came in 2001 with “The Fast and the Furious,”
in which he played an undercover Los Angeles police officer
investigating street racing. The $30 million film brought in $207
million. Sequels followed and continued to attract audiences with
over-the-top car chases, but he had trouble finding major success
outside the franchise.
Mr. Walker enjoyed racing and had a car collection that included a Porsche 911 GT3 and a 1964 Chevrolet Impala,
he said in an interview with Automobile magazine. He also helped run a
luxury garage with friends in Valencia, near where the crash occurred.