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Former Navy SEAL working for Alabama defense contractor now in Hollywood limelight

Kevin "Dauber" Lacz
Kevin “Dauber” Lacz

Clint Eastwood’s upcoming film “American Sniper” is nearing the end of production out in California, and Kevin “Dauber” Lacz (pronounced “lace”) is making the most of every moment.

Lacz is a former member of Navy SEAL Team 3 and was a close personal friend of the late Chris Kyle, who is commonly referred to as “the most lethal sniper in American military history.” Before he was tragically killed, Kyle penned an autobiography called “American Sniper” detailing his transition from Texas rodeo cowboy to sniper. The upcoming film of the same name will star Bradley Cooper (American Hustle, The Hangover, Limitless) as Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) as his wife, Taya Renae Kyle.

Lacz is Alabama’s connection to what has become one of the year’s most highly anticipated films. Now retired from the SEALs, Lacz currently works for Birmingham, Ala.-based defense contractor XTreme Concepts.

He was initially tapped to be one of the movie’s technical advisors, tasked with showing the actors how it’s done in real life. But he was ultimately asked to play himself on-screen in the film.

Since then, Lacz has been seen making the rounds in L.A. and hitting the red carpets with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.

He was photographed hanging with reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant at a recent movie premier.

Lacz and Durant

Ellen Degeneres even shared a picture of him and Bradley Cooper on the “American Sniper” set that got over 165,000 “likes” on Facebook.

Bradley Cooper Kevin Lacz

Variety’s chief film critic Scott Foundas speculated recently that Warner Bros. may try to get “American Sniper” out ahead of the Oscar deadline, which is Dec. 3rd. However, an official release date has not yet been set.

Yellowhammer will stay on top of the latest developments with the film, and will have some exclusive content to share with Alabama folks once production has wrapped.

In the mean time, check out our in-depth piece, “The little-known Alabama connection to Clint Eastwood’s upcoming ‘American Sniper’ film.


Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

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