Wilkey has started his stunt career in the '70s. He performed stunts in John Carpenter's Christine (1983, with David Spielberg), the action thriller Cobra (1986, with Andrew Robinson, Brian Thompson, and Marco Rodriguez), the comedy Throw Momma from the Train (1987, with Kate Mulgrew), and the science fiction film Alien Nation (1988, with Jeff Kober, Leslie Bevis, and Tom Morga).