By Summer Crawford

Staff Writer

There is nothing I love more than the duo of a great actor and his influential movies. Watching all types of movies has been “my thing” since I can remember, and along the way I have come to find one of the most memorable actors: Paul Walker.

Whether it was by fate or by chance, Walker was a model since age 2 and a hit actor since the late 1980s, and although I was not brought into this world until 1996, I am familiar with a great amount of his hit movies. He had a grand entrance into the cinema world and even though his death in a car crash at only age 40 was unexpected, it was like him to leave with a bang. It is ironic and sad that Paul Walker died on the same day as my birthday, Nov. 30.

I have been watching Walker’s movies since I was at Pinkerton Elementary. The first time I was introduced to his acting was on a school trip for reading a certain number of books in the school’s “Bluebonnet” program. We all went to a theater to see the new Disney movie Eight Below, and I remember thinking that he stuck out from the other actors in the film.

As I grew older and my admiration for Walker grew as he gained fame from The Fast and Furious series, I realized that he had not only made his mark on the world, but also on me. His career was not just about living the glamorous life of a movie star, it was about being a generous person who also took care of his daughter. He founded an organization to provide disaster relief, called “Reach Out WorldWide,” and it seems fitting that the proceeds for the seventh Fast and Furious movie will be donated to his organization.

I like to think that every actor brings something new to the film world, and Walker was the type of person that people gravitate towards, with his bright smile and adventurous spirit. It takes a high level of skill to be in over 30 well-known movies, plus numerous television shows. I have no doubt that he followed his passion of acting and was able to make a change in the world, whether it was through his roles and characters on screen, or with his charity off-screen.

I wonder how Walker did it, how he played all types of different roles, sometimes being a comedic character and other times being an action hero. I do not know what it is like to be in successful movies, but I do know that he followed his dreams and did not let anything stop him. Walker is not perfect, but he continued to live the “fast life” and live in the moment until the day he died, and for that I admire him.

I and the rest of the world were shocked to discover the long-time actor Walker had been killed in a fatal car crash. It is a shame we did not get to see the rest of his movies, and that he died at a fairly young age. But even with death, this is not the end of Paul Walker and his famous comedic personality.

Along with many deceased, great actors of the past like Patrick Swayze and Audrey Hepburn, Walker will always be remembered as one of the best actors. Paul Walker will continue to live on in our hearts.