They're the unhailed heroes of Hollywood: stunt doubles.
From free falls of fifty feet or more to crashing through windows, amazing chase scenes and
incredible choreographed fights, stunt doubles make most of the silver screen's biggest blockbusters
possible.
Here's a peek at what they really look like, and more about their amazing stunt resumes.
Tanoai Reed is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
The Rock's cousin Tanoai Reed has worked as his stunt double in nearly 20 different roles.
From 2002's The Scorpion King to 2017's Baywatch, Reed has been performing stunts for his world
famous cuz.
In addition to being practically as close as brothers, Reed and Johnson frequently collaborate
behind-the-scenes on aspects of their combined performance.
Reed has won two Taurus World Stunt awards over the years for his work, as well as working
as an actor and motion-capture performer for the 2011 video game Thor: God of Thunder.
Paul Darnell is Robert Pattinson
For the last ten years, Paul Darnell has been working as a stuntman — when he's not busy
competing in parkour and freerunning competitions around the world.
Darnell was inspired to start freerunning and doing stunt work after watching a 2003
episode of Ripley's Believe it or Not! which featured parkour.
Not only is a talented stuntman, but Darnell has also been a two-time finalist on the popular
television series American Ninja Warrior.
A former gymnastics champion at Virginia Tech, Darnell has built up an impressive stunt reel
over the years for himself, including his work as a double for Henry Cavill in Man of
Steel, Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Paul Walker in Fast Five, and Robert
Pattinson in Water for Elephants, Remember Me, and the Twilight saga — a gig that Pattinson
thanked Darnell for when the film won "Best Fight" at the MTV Movie Awards.
Marny Eng is Reese Witherspoon
Since the early 1990s, Canadian stuntwoman Marny Eng has racked up more than 100 roles
working as a stunt double and stunt coordinator, and has been twice nominated for a Taurus
World Stunt Award, among many others.
She's doubled for dozens of women and men over the years, but the actress she's performed
stunts for most frequently has been Reese Witherspoon.
Eng has been her double in at least three different roles, including 2015's Hot Pursuit.
Eng is also no stranger to acting, and you can spot her as Tabitha — a spoof of the
character Samara from The Ring — in the 2003 horror comedy Scary Movie 3.
Jack Gill is Will Ferrell
There's no question that the hilarious NASCAR comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky
Bobby required a lot of fancy stunt driving, and Jack Gill is the man behind that action.
Since the 1970s, Gill has worked as a stunt performer and stunt driver on over 170 films
and television shows, including as the primary stunt driver on both The Dukes of Hazzard
and Knight Rider.
"We had a good time on the show and it was one of those types of shows that was like
a family.
A really tight-knit group."
Over the years, Gill has branched out into stunt coordination and second unit directing,
including on several of the Fast and Furious films.
With a metal plate in his neck, 23 broken bones, and eight concussions over the course
of his four-decade career, there's unquestionably nobody more qualified than Gill to testify
about the difficulties of the job.
Gill has also been instrumental in the push among the stunt community for an Oscar or
two recognizing the achievements of the stunt men and women that make so many of today's
movies possible.
Luci Romberg is Melissa McCarthy
For the last decade, Luci Romberg has been at the top of her game as a stuntwoman.
The Hollywood native is a former champion gymnast and also competes as one of the few
females in high-level freerunning competitions around the world.
"Fell in love with it and haven't gone back."
Over the course of her career, Romberg has doubled for Melissa McCarthy several times,
including in Identity Thief, Spy, The Boss, and Ghostbusters.
Greg Fitzpatrick is Ben Stiller
In the world of stunt performers, getting a job as the preferred stuntman or woman for
one of Hollywood's top stars is the ultimate gig.
For Greg Fitzpatrick, that opportunity came relatively early in his career, when he was
picked as the stunt double for Ben Stiller in the 2003 film Duplex.
Since then, Greg has become the preferred double for Stiller, and has since appeared
in more than a dozen films as Stiller's stuntman.
In addition to his resemblance to Ben Stiller, Fitzpatrick is also a talented stunt performer
and coordinator — he's won two Taurus World Stunt Awards and doubled for Robert Downey
Jr. in both Iron Man and Iron Man 2.
"I'm so happy to be working — to be allowed to work in a business that I love.
And I just want to continue to do it."
Vic Armstrong is Harrison Ford
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Vic Armstrong reigns as the most prolific
stuntman in the world.
Additionally, Armstrong is one of the few stunt performers to ever break the Academy
Award barrier, winning a Technical Achievement Academy Award in 2001.
With well over 100 stunt credits in a career that spans five decades, it probably would
not surprise you to learn that Armstrong doubled for some of Hollywood's biggest roles, including
as James Bond, Superman, and Indiana Jones.
"I'm not into drugs or anything, but when people talk about a high, you do stunts you
get a natural high that I guarantee you nobody in the world can match."
Reportedly, crew members frequently confused Armstrong with Harrison Ford on the set of
the Indiana Jones films, which resulted in Ford sending Armstrong a photo of the two
of them with the humorous inscription, "If you learn to talk, I'm in deep trouble!"
Billy Lucas is Arnold Schwarzenegger
Since 1990's Total Recall, stuntman Billy Lucas has had the sweet gig of working as
Arnold Schwarzenegger's stunt double on the set of most of his films.
From Kindergarten Cop to the Terminator series, if you saw Arnold do some crazy action scenes,
it was most likely Lucas' work that you were watching, not Arnold's:
In addition to his roles as Schwarzenegger's stunt double, Lucas has worked on over 100
different movies and TV shows as a stunt performer and coordinator.
Despite his undoubtedly busy schedule, it seems that Schwarzenegger and Lucas have become
close over the years — the former California Governor even shared a story of how Lucas
saved his life during a risky scuba-diving shot on the set of The 6th Day, saying "I
was trapped.
Then a hand grabbed me and pulled me out.
It was my stunt double, Billy Lucas.
He'd been watching from below with a tank and goggles and realised I was in big, big
trouble."
Randolph LeRoi is Will Smith
A Haitian native who immigrated to Brooklyn as a child, Randolph LeRoi grew up playing
sports and training in taekwondo.
As an adult, LeRoi got involved in modeling and also became a firefighter in Miami.
A spot as "Mr. May" on the fire department's promotional calendar began to land him roles
in commercials and TV spots in Florida, which prompted LeRoi to move to California to try
his hand at acting and stunt performing.
After being picked as the stunt double for Will Smith on 1995's Bad Boys, LeRoi and Smith
have become close friends.
Since then, LeRoi has doubled for Smith on nearly a dozen films, like in 2007's I am
Legend.
Eddie Yansick is Nicolas Cage
Only a few short years after his stuntman debut in 1993, Eddie Yansick got picked to
be Nicolas Cage's stunt double in the 1997 action film Con Air.
Since then, Yansick has doubled for Cage in more than a dozen roles, including Lord of
War, Matchstick Men, and Ghost Rider.
In addition to his over 70 stunt credits over the last three decades, Yansick also works
as a stunt coordinator, actor, and a second unit director.
In 2001, Yansick distinguished himself with his stunt work when he won a Taurus award
for best driving for his performance in a Gone in Sixty Seconds chase scene between
a Mustang and a police car.
Tony Angelotti is Johnny Depp
Tony Angelotti is primarily known for his work as Johnny Depp's stunt double in the
Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, a job he's held at significant personal cost.
An accident on the set of Dead Man's Chest in 2005 nearly ended his career — and his
life.
While rehearsing a "human yo-yo" stunt, everything went drastically wrong …
"Whoa!
Oh s--- ! Oh!
Oh my God!
Ow!
Oh!
Get me down!"]
… the tension on the line was incorrect, and the centrifugal force whipped him around
so hard that when Angelotti hit the end of the line, his pelvis was split apart like
a wishbone on a turkey.
It may not look that bad, but while prepping this sequence, Angelotti broke his pelvis,
suffered injuries to his knees, legs, and bladder, and lost a massive six units of blood
from internal bleeding.
But he hasn't let his injuries keep him down.
He doubled again for Depp in 2007's At World's End, and continues to work in the stunt field
today.
But not every stunt performer can walk away from injuries and return to the job.
Olivia Jackson is Milla Jovovich
Olivia Jackson's promising stunt career was cut short in 2016 when she suffered a near-fatal
accident on the set of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, where she was working as Milla
Jovovich's stunt double.
Prior to her role in that film, Jackson had worked as the stunt double for Charlize Theron
in Mad Max: Fury Road and for Elizabeth Olsen in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
In the horrific incident, the motorcycle that Jackson was riding in a scene crashed into
a camera crane arm when it malfunctioned and didn't move out of the way fast enough.
Jackson was in a medically-induced coma for 17 days because of her injuries, which included
serious facial trauma, a punctured lung, a crushed arm which had to be amputated, and
debilitating damage to her spine and neck.
The accident wouldn't be the only incident to plague the set of Resident Evil — not
long after Jackson's crash, a crew member on the set died when a Humvee slipped from
a sling and crushed him beneath.
For her part, Jackson is fighting bravely to move on with her life, and recently shared
some photos of herself on the road to recovery.
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