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Behind the Scenes with Hollywood's Greatest Daredevil
Steven Spielberg calls him the man who makes the impossible seem credible. Harrison Ford jokes that if he could talk, Ford would be "in deep trouble." Arnold Schwarzenegger credits him with "putting him on the map." Vic Armstrong isn't just any stuntman-he's the Guinness World Record holder as the most prolific stunt performer in film history. His iconic leaps include Indiana Jones jumping from horseback onto a Nazi tank, Superman soaring through the skies, and James Bond performing death-defying escapes across five decades of 007 films. Beyond his physical feats, Armstrong revolutionized the industry with technical innovations like the fan descender that transformed how dangerous falls are filmed. His autobiography offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of action filmmaking from the practical stunt era through the rise of CGI, revealing the extraordinary human effort behind cinema's most memorable moments.
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From Horseshoes to Hollywood: The Unlikely Journey
My path to becoming Hollywood's most prolific stuntman began with horses, not movies. My father Robert was a celebrated farrier for the British Olympic team who even shod horses for the Queen. His legendary toughness-once continuing to work after a nail ripped through his hand tendons-set the standard for the resilience I'd need in my future career. Our family's constant relocations, including a formative period in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising, instilled in me both adaptability and a love for adventure.
By age nine, I was riding my first racehorse, determined to become a steeplechase jockey despite my size. I'd starve myself from 210 pounds down to 140 just to race. This single-minded dedication taught me discipline that would serve me well later. My introduction to the film world came through Johnny Rock, Britain's biggest horse supplier to films, who hired me to drive horses to Elstree Studios for an episode of The Avengers. Watching stuntmen nervously working with horses, I thought, "I can do that ten times better."
My break came when family friend Jimmy Lodge needed someone to double for a lead actor in Arabesque with Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. At 20 a day compared to my 2 weekly as a jockey, the financial incentive was irresistible. I even had a memorable encounter with Sophia Loren when I quipped, "If you were riding me bareback, I'd be bucking too!" Thankfully, she laughed.
Breaking into the stunt business proved challenging until I joined HEP, the only stunt agency at the time. Being young was my greatest asset-actors would often choose me as their double regardless of resemblance. I was among the first of a new generation of stuntmen, as most in the 1950s had military backgrounds. My first major job came in 1966 on The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-Ling-a-Ling, doubling for Ian McKellen. Though the production ultimately collapsed, the connections I made proved invaluable, leading directly to my entry into the James Bond franchise with You Only Live Twice.
That film featured the most spectacular set I'd ever seen-a massive volcano rocket base for SPECTRE's headquarters, visible from miles away. My job as one of the attacking ninjas involved sliding down 125 feet of rope from the roof while firing a gun. The experience was terrifying but educational-watching coordinator Bob Simmons organize teams with clear leadership taught me techniques I'd use throughout my career. I earned 90 for sliding down those ropes-enough to buy my first car, a Ford Anglia like Harry Potter's flying one.
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Becoming Bond's Body and Beyond
My career accelerated when I doubled George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, performing dangerous stunts including hanging over a cliff edge with a questionable safety cable. Years later, I doubled Roger Moore in Live and Let Die after his regular double called in sick. The stunt required me to cut a rope with a buzz saw watch, flip over and swing across to confront the villain. Unfortunately, the platform's weld gave way during my somersault, causing me to crash down and crush the pads under my heels-an injury that still plagues me today.
Between Bond films, I worked on The Odessa File, doubling Jon Voight in a nerve-wracking scene being pushed under a subway train. I learned invaluable lessons about impact absorption when Joe Dunne and I crashed through a skylight onto what should have been a safe landing. The carpet we'd placed over cardboard boxes and mattresses eliminated all give, making it like landing on an oak table. This experience taught me about proper lamination for safely absorbing falls-lessons I still apply today.
My work on A Bridge Too Far proved career-defining. This mammoth $25 million production featured every star imaginable-Connery, Hopkins, Olivier, Hackman, Redford and more. Director Richard Attenborough specifically requested young stuntmen to realistically portray the 19-20 year old soldiers who fought at Arnhem. Working in Holland for six months during a gloriously hot summer, I coordinated massive action sequences including the Rhine River crossing using original canvas boats in dangerous currents.
Meeting actual Arnhem veterans was deeply moving-watching them weep as we recreated their experiences brought home the reality of what we were portraying. One particularly dangerous stunt had me doubling Ryan O'Neal for a parachute landing. Suspended 80 feet up by hooks that began popping off in strong winds, I went into free fall with only half my parachute catching air, landing backwards 200 feet from my target and hitting my head.
The film elevated my status in the stunt industry, as I was now employing people who had previously employed me. I also started my own company, Stunts Incorporated, creating branded T-shirts that became highly coveted souvenirs after Prince Charles was photographed wearing one while playing polo. The philosophy behind Stunts Incorporated was simple: employ the best people because you're only as good as those who work for you.
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Superman Takes Flight
Superman and Superman II became defining projects in my career, spanning nearly a year of intense stunt work where I served as Christopher Reeve's primary flying double. The productions revolutionized practical effects in filmmaking, pushing technical and physical boundaries daily. I spent countless hours suspended in various harness configurations, each carefully designed to create different flying effects, and lying on specially crafted body molds mounted on blue-painted pole arms. The legendary Fortress of Solitude set presented unique challenges, with its crystalline structures requiring precise navigation during flight sequences.
The physical demands were extraordinary, particularly for Superman's dramatic entrance through Lex Luthor's lair. This complex stunt required me to dive headfirst through a breakaway ceiling piece while maintaining perfect flying form - arms extended, body rigid, cape flowing. The landing space was brutally tight - just three feet between my entry point and the crash pad hidden in prop boxes. Timing and body control had to be perfect; even a slight miscalculation could have resulted in serious injury.
Technical mishaps were part of the journey. One particularly memorable incident involved an elaborate piano wire rig designed for a spinning descent sequence. Despite extensive testing, the wires snapped during filming, sending me into an uncontrolled 15-foot fall. The incident highlighted the real dangers behind these groundbreaking effects. When the effects team later proposed attaching me to a glider's nose for outdoor flying scenes, I firmly declined. My suspicions about the idea's safety were confirmed when the effects supervisor admitted his own vertigo would prevent him from attempting it - a telling moment that reinforced the importance of trusting my instincts.
The Krypton destruction sequence required innovative approaches to achieve its otherworldly feel. I wore a specially designed luminescent suit to portray a falling Kryptonian, creating ethereal light trails during the planet's collapse. One particularly amusing moment came when a cameraman, seemingly forgetting basic physics, asked if I could "fall any slower" during a take - perfectly illustrating the sometimes absurd disconnect between filmmaking ambitions and physical reality.
Filming in New York brought its own memorable moments, especially during a massive blackout that actually enhanced our nighttime flying sequences. Crowds would gather in the early hours, often at 3 AM, creating an electric atmosphere as they watched "Superman" soar between buildings. During one night shoot, we inadvertently terrified a security guard who stumbled upon what he thought was a real shootout, sending him running for his life. The New York shoot also led to an unexpected encounter with Frank Sinatra, who delivered his characteristic wit when I declined a drink, drawling "I never trust a man who doesn't drink."
The Superman films proved transformative for my career, establishing me as a go-to professional for high-stakes stunts in major productions. The experience not only enhanced my professional reputation but also provided invaluable insights into the filmmaking process, eventually influencing my transition into directing. These projects demonstrated that pushing boundaries in practical effects, when done with proper preparation and respect for safety, could create truly unforgettable cinema moments.
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Becoming Indiana Jones
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" brought me to Tunisia's extreme heat where conditions were brutal-120-degree temperatures that stopped filming at 2pm daily, with everyone falling ill despite precautions. Steven Spielberg was so concerned about getting sick that he would only consume food and drinks he personally unsealed. We later discovered hotel staff were refilling Evian bottles from the water truck!
The production moved at breakneck speed, with Spielberg constantly reminding everyone this was "just a B movie" and to keep moving. This urgency stemmed from his determination to prove he could deliver on schedule and budget after "1941." One famous scene change occurred when the elaborate sword fight between Indy and an Arab swordsman was scrapped due to time constraints-Dave Tomblin sarcastically suggested "just shoot the guy," and Spielberg realized that was the perfect solution.
Harrison Ford and I worked closely on all the fight choreography. I'd design sequences before bringing him in to ensure the moves felt comfortable for him. Our resemblance was so uncanny that I doubled him in several films including "Return of the Jedi" and "Blade Runner." Nobody realized during production that "Raiders" would become a classic-it felt like just another tough, uncomfortable shoot. Only at the cast and crew screening, watching children stand on their seats shouting "Go on Indy!" did I realize we'd made something extraordinary.
Returning to the Indiana Jones franchise for "Temple of Doom" was like reuniting with family. The sequel promised a darker, scarier adventure, and Spielberg had grown even more prominent after the success of "E.T." We began filming in Macao with the Obi-Wan nightclub escape sequence. My wife Wendy (doubling Kate Capshaw) and I rehearsed tumbling through canopies using fan descenders-a technology I'd continue to refine throughout my career.
The production moved to Sri Lanka for the elephant sequences and the spectacular rope bridge stunt. This massive structure, strong enough for the entire crew to cross, was cut in half for a one-take sequence with no second chances. For the perilous shots, I doubled Indy, using fan descenders for the dangerous hanging fights. Spielberg, terrified of heights, repeatedly postponed walking across the bridge despite daily promises to do so.
When Harrison Ford's back seized up after weeks of elephant riding, he flew to America for surgery, threatening a two-month production shutdown. I saved the film by doubling Ford for several weeks, performing scenes of releasing the children, mine car sequences, gantry jumps, and the rock-crusher conveyor belt fight with Pat Roach. Ford was always gracious and down-to-earth, often preferring to socialize with crew members over industry elites.
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The Leap That Made Movie History
After five years away from the Indiana Jones franchise, I was thrilled to rejoin Spielberg, Ford and Lucas for The Last Crusader. Though I'd largely retired from stunt work, I came out of retirement specifically for this film.
My proudest stunt was leaping from a galloping horse onto a moving tank. I used a specialized flexible steel strap with elevated stirrup pegs near the horse's shoulder blades to give me the necessary height and leverage for the jump. On my second attempt, I perfectly timed my leap with the horse's upward stride, propelling me across to land on the tank.
Unfortunately, I later had a nasty accident during a fight scene with Simon Crane atop the tank. When a truck exploded nearby, we jumped off to help the driver, but I caught my toe behind the tank's bumper bar while my weight fell forward, completely tearing the ligaments in my knee. Despite the production wanting to send me home for surgery, I insisted on staying to finish my coordinator duties.
Harrison Ford was always eager to do his own stunts, but I sometimes had to diplomatically discourage him. When he wanted to do a dangerous jump from a rock onto a horse, I took him aside and jokingly complained he was costing me bonus money by doing all the stunts himself. He was genuinely mortified at the thought of "taking food from my table."
The film took us to Venice, Jordan, Germany, and the US, featuring massive set pieces including the tank battle, motorcycle chase, Venice boat chase (with my wife Wendy doubling Alison Doody), and the opening train sequence with River Phoenix in Colorado. Working with Spielberg was wonderfully collaborative-he trusted my judgment completely while constantly impressing me with his creativity and ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.
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Innovations That Changed Action Cinema
While filming "Green Ice" with Ryan O'Neal in Mexico, I made stunt history with the first-ever fan descender machine. After testing it with a terrifying 340-foot leap off a Mexico City skyscraper, I performed the stunt ten times, earning $9,500 before 11am. The final shot involved jumping off the building, being followed by a helicopter camera for 200 feet, landing on a window ledge, then jumping onto a moving truck-all in one continuous take.
The fan descender revolutionized the industry. We later used it on "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" for multiple sequences, and it spread worldwide after stuntman Glenn Randall took one back to the States. Years later, I received a Technical Achievement Academy Award for the device. The fan descender became a mainstay in the industry, especially with the advent of digital wire removal, saving countless lives and sleepless nights for stunt performers.
Working as co-stunt coordinator with Alf Joint on "An American Werewolf in London," I faced the challenge of creating havoc in Piccadilly Circus with limited permission from police. We could only briefly stop traffic at 3am on weekends, so we built a full-scale replica of Piccadilly Circus at Brooklands Aerodrome for two weeks of intensive rehearsals.
The sequence's centerpiece was a London double-decker bus that needed to perform a 180-degree spin. When the bus wouldn't spin properly during practice, Dave Bickers ingeniously modified it with fork lift wheels that could drop down on cue. On the night of filming, I drove the bus at speed into Piccadilly Circus, nearly crashed into a Wimpy restaurant, but Dave's mechanism worked perfectly, triggering a chain reaction of 20 vehicles crashing. The entire sequence was completed in just two and a half minutes before normal traffic resumed.
For the Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies," I pitched a seven-floor car park chase to Barbara Broccoli, who initially thought I was mad. I explained we could film it all on one floor with color schemes to differentiate levels. For the remote-controlled BMW scenes, we created a special car with a driver lying flat beneath the seat, using three video monitors connected to lipstick cameras for navigation. The climactic car plunge was accomplished using a flying cam for aerial shots and a specially-built cannon to launch the BMW into the shop front.
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From Stuntman to Director
My directing break came through George Lucas's Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. While prepping Universal Soldier, Lucas invited me to shoot action sequences in Spain for a week. My secret agenda was to prove I could direct, hoping for my own episode.
After impressing Lucas with my work ethic (shooting 72 set-ups in one day and working crews so hard the electricians quit), he offered me an episode originally intended for Spielberg. I directed "Austria, March 1917," casting Christopher Lee as Count Czernin-fulfilling screenwriter Frank Darabont's dream casting.
Lucas gave me complete creative freedom, even letting me use the trademark Indiana Jones hat. I found directing actors no different than directing action-it's all storytelling. My episode included a powerful scene with no dialogue where the Emperor's decision is conveyed purely through visuals, which Lucas particularly praised.
My directing career expanded when I took over F/X2 after the original director left, and later had significant uncredited directing input on Double Impact with Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film's DP introduced me to legendary agent Phil Gersh, who took the unusual step of representing a stuntman-turned-director.
After Double Impact's success, producer Moshe Diamant offered me Joshua Tree with Dolph Lundgren to direct. Though I created some original chases and action sequences, the producers limited my post-production time, preventing me from finishing it properly. Despite this, it became a cult film.
On Starship Troopers, Paul Verhoeven and I coordinated our shoots perfectly, each finishing what the other started-requiring complete understanding of each other's vision. Paul later wrote on my poster: "You weren't my second unit director, you were my co-director." The film featured spectacular practical effects, including the longest film explosion ever-three-quarters of a mile of dynamite and petrol that created a massive advancing fireball. Though CGI was available, I believe real fire still looks more authentic.
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Working with Hollywood's Biggest Stars
Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with cinema's greatest stars, each bringing their own approach to action sequences. Harrison Ford was hands-on, always wanting to do as much as possible himself. During Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I had to diplomatically discourage him from attempting particularly dangerous stunts by joking that he was taking money from my pocket by doing everything himself.
Sean Connery, by contrast, preferred letting stuntmen handle the action while he focused on acting. Though famously intolerant of unprofessionalism, Sean was great fun when you earned his respect. On Never Say Never Again, I performed dangerous horse jumps and helicopter stunts while doubling him, including a harrowing 40-foot leap into a well set where I nearly crashed into a stone wall.
Arnold Schwarzenegger impressed me with his intelligence and work ethic. On Conan the Destroyer, he trained rigorously at 8,000 feet altitude, improved his riding skills during Sunday outings with my wife Wendy and me, and joined our late-night parties while still expecting everyone in the gym by 5 AM. Years later at the World Stunt Awards, he acknowledged stunt performers like me as "the guys that put me on the map."
Tom Cruise proved fearless on Mission: Impossible III, jumping off an 80-foot building on a decelerator, performing 100-foot swings across green screens, and even lying under a jackknifing semi-truck. We shot him dropping face-first from a 75-foot wall, stopping inches from the ground. For driving sequences, Tom demonstrated exceptional skill, weaving through 400 cars on a closed LA freeway without rehearsal.
Will Smith on I Am Legend was incredibly professional-perhaps the most professional actor I've ever worked with. During a freezing night shoot under Brooklyn Bridge, he spontaneously performed a rap concert to lift everyone's spirits. The film presented huge logistical challenges, including shutting down ten blocks of Manhattan for car racing scenes that could only be shot weekends before 10am.
Working with directors has been equally fascinating. Steven Spielberg's collaborative approach allowed for constant improvement of action sequences. Though every scene was meticulously storyboarded, we constantly improvised enhancements on set. Ridley Scott's highly visual directing style sometimes prioritized imagery over actors-I remember one elaborate scene with wind machines, smoke effects, colored pigeons, bears, bees, and butterflies that took seven hours to set up, only for someone to remind Ridley they'd forgotten to bring in the actors!
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The Evolution of Action Cinema
After over four decades in the film industry, I've witnessed its dramatic transformation. The characters, style, magic, and wild fun of the '70s and '80s have diminished as CGI has increasingly replaced practical stunts. I admire the golden era of filmmaking from the 1940s described in memoirs by Errol Flynn, David Niven, and John Huston-a time when filmmakers were true pioneers who built entire towns, employed armies, and created magical worlds without computer assistance.
In my own career, I've tried to emulate those pioneers. On films like The Mission, Rambo III, and Mohammad, I led teams of practical, resourceful people who could build anything needed from scratch. We ventured into remote jungles, organized our own food and transportation, and simply did whatever was necessary to survive and create movie magic.
The transition to digital effects has been both blessing and curse. While CGI has made certain stunts safer and enabled previously impossible sequences, something intangible is lost when audiences sense they're watching computer-generated imagery rather than real human achievement. On films like Thor and Spider-Man, I've worked to balance realism with spectacle, using practical stunts whenever possible while embracing new technologies where appropriate.
My approach to stunt work has always emphasized safety and preparation. I repeatedly practiced leaping from a galloping horse onto a manure heap, training my trusted horse Huracan to maintain a straight line while I perfected my timing. For the ice car chase in Die Another Day, I insisted on converting the Aston Martins and Jaguars to four-wheel drive-a million-pound modification that was absolutely necessary. Chris Corbould's team performed engineering miracles, replacing engines with short V8s and installing Ford Explorer front axles.
Despite the changing industry, certain principles remain constant. The relationship between stunt performers and actors is special-stars generally love stuntmen because we're less intense and more boisterous than actors, allowing celebrities to let their hair down around us. David Niven would seek out the stuntmen's table to tell Hollywood stories, drawing crowds of listeners by the end of the evening.
I remain awestruck by the film industry after all these years. In 2003, I began directing commercials worldwide, still finding excitement in new locations and projects. Even after decades in the business, I'm fascinated watching other film crews work. Though the wild frontier days of filmmaking may be behind us, I'm proud to have been part of that tradition while still continuing to make movies today.
