Helen Gibson’s strong, handsome face and dark hair gave her the look of someone who would try anything. In 1915, while in her early twenties, she was doubling for the star The Hazards of Helen. She was supposed to leap from the roof of the station to the top of a moving train. Years later, she called it her most dangerous stunt.
The Bumblebee stunt team showed up for rehearsals for the latest in the Transformers movie franchise. They were preparing to film the stunt. The rehearsal that day involved 11 stunt drivers and 3 passengers – all men. One of the drivers was told to wear a wig to double for a woman. There was no female stunt drivers included.
Crystal Riley uses the stunts of Helen Gibson in her talk entitled The Stunts of Helen Gibson: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Join Crystal while she discusses tales of peril and possibility, jeopardy and chance; of flirting with danger and being willing to lose it all in this Odd Salon lecture.
Annabel Wood has performed stunts in some of Hollywood's biggest hits including Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), Wonder Woman, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and The Mummy, and TV work is no less impressive with her 3 year stint on Game of Thrones.
In 1985, I made a transition from martial arts and kickboxing to a full time career as a stuntwoman. In 1982, I had moved from Pensacola, Florida to Los Angeles, California for several reasons. One, my sanctioning body, the WKA (World Karate Association) based out of Westminster, CA was working hard to promote me as a fighter.
Remember the famous scene in Sholay where Hema Malini shouts “Chal Dhanno!” as she is chased by Gabbar Singh’s men? While the audience rooted for the actor, the real hero of that iconic action sequence was stuntwoman Reshma Pathan who rode the speeding cart. She has spent 3 decades as body double to Bollywood’s leading ladies.