Kent and his experiences as a stuntman served as one of the inspirations for Cliff Booth, the character portrayed by Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

In 1955 Kent moved to Hollywood with his wife, Joyce, and son, Greg, and worked as a parking lot attendant while looking for acting jobs.

[3] He acted, worked stunts, and directed action for directors Richard Rush, Monte Hellman, Al Adamson, Don Jones, Ray Dennis Steckler, Peter Bogdanovich, and Brian De Palma.

He performed television stunts and acted on Green Hornet, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and NBC's Daniel Boone starring Fess Parker.

[6] In his 2009 memoir Shadows and Light,[7] Kent wrote of an "outlaw" cinema aimed at breaking film taboos and barriers.