Magnotta was known in the film industry as a stunt coordinator for numerous features shot in New York during the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to handling the stunts on "Taxi Driver," Magnotta lent his expertise to films like Brian De Palma's "Dressed to Kill," Francis Ford Coppola's "The Cotton Club," Ron Howard's "Splash" and Russel Mulcahy's "Highlander," among many other titles. Magnotta's final screen credit was as coordinator and stunt performer in the 1988 film "The In Crowd."

While performing a stunt for the 1987 film "The Squeeze" which required him to drive a car off a ramp and into the Hudson River, a specially designed Plexiglass windshield trapped him inside the car after it entered the water, resulting in Magnotta's death at the age of 43.