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Stunt Performer
Performs dangerous physical feats for films and TV — falls, fights, car chases, fire stunts.
Did you know?
Jackie Chan has broken many bones doing his own stunts, and he fractured his skull in a fall while filming Armour of God.
How subjects help
- Physical Education: Train to fall, roll and fight safely, and stay fit for long days of repeated takes.
- Drama: Move exactly like the actor you are doubling so the audience never spots the swap.
- First Aid: Treat cuts, sprains and burns straight away if a stunt doesn't go to plan.
- Physics: Work out speeds, heights and landing spots so a fall or car jump ends safely.
A famous name
Zoë Bell: New Zealand stuntwoman who doubled for Lucy Lawless in Xena and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.
Try it yourself: Storyboard a film stunt (on paper only)
- Plan a short action scene, like a hero jumping from a wall onto a hay cart. Draw it only: never try it.
- In each box, draw one camera shot: close-up, wide, from below.
- Mark where the safety mats and crew would be, just out of the camera's view.
- Which camera angle makes the jump look biggest? Why does the audience never see the mats?
Stunt performers plan every move with a stunt coordinator, using camera angles and safety kit, so a scene looks dangerous but isn't.
Also try: Tell one story three ways.
Known for it in
USA, UK, India, Hong Kong, Australia