Richard Talmadge and Prince of Pep
Richard Talmadge was not the best actor, let’s get this out at the start. But he was a fantastic stuntman and went on to a great career as a…
Joe Powell and The Man Who Would Be King
Michael Caine wrote a very interesting account of this stunt on the fall off the rope bridge by Joe Powell in his autobiography, “The Elephant To Hollywood”. The stunt…
Musidora and Les Vampires
I’d have to say upfront that the female stunt performers at the very start of the film industry were very impressive. They were always expected to do things that…
The Adventures of Captain Marvel – Stunts
The action genre was owned primarily by the movie serials during this time and it was the peak of their popularity. The Adventures of Captain Marvel was hugely successful and…
Frank Merrill and Tarzan the Tiger
Frank Merrill, Tarzan The Tiger: Best Stunt Award for 1929 goes to Frank Merrill, born Otto Poll, for the 15-part serial Tarzan the Tiger. Serials of the 20’s and…
Pearl White and The Perils of Pauline
Widely considered to be one of the first female stunt performers by flying airplanes, racing cars, swimming across rivers, and doing other similar feats, White made five successful serials that were…
Tom Cruise and MI4 Ghost Protocol
His commitment to performing his own stunts borders on the lunatic – for the fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible series, he climbs and leaps about on the outside…
Clint Eastwood and The Rookie
The film featured over twice as many stuntmen as it did actors. Held the world record for the biggest ratio of stuntmen/actors. Reportedly, over eighty stuntmen worked on the…
Tony Jaa and Ong Bak
Thai actor Tony Jaa performed a number of stunts for the film, suffering injuries such as a ligament injury and a sprained ankle. One scene involved fighting while his…
Dick Grace and Wings
It’s important to note that the Academy Awards officially began in 1927, and the equivalent to Best Picture, Best Production, went to this film. With that in mind, I…