America's Greatest Daredevils
America's Greatest Daredevils
Taking risks for maximum reward is all part of the American experience—but these stuntmen and women took that to a whole new level. Here are some of the greatest American daredevils of all time.
Buster Keaton
Noted by Jackie Chan as one of his heroes, Buster Keaton was a silent film actor and is often considered America's first stuntman. One notable stunt is the "water tank scene" from Sherlock Jr (1924). Keaton was supposed to grab a water spout while walking on a moving boxcar train, but the water from the spout was much more powerful than Keaton anticipated—it knocked him off-balance and he fell off the train, breaking his neck on the steel railway tie. The craziest part is that he didn't know it until years later.
Vic Armstrong
Vic Armstrong holds more world records than anyone else in Hollywood. He's doubled for Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978) and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. He's also responsible for the stunts in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). He has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and a Technical Academy Award.
Hal Needham
Hal Needham's stunt career mostly revolved around things moving very fast. His career began in the TV Western Have Gun Will Travel (1953). He trained throughout the 1960s and became one of Hollywood's premier stuntmen, culminating with the movie Smokey And The Bandit (1977). After that success, a toy company released action figurines of Needham. He passed on at the age of 82 in 2013.
Colin Follenweider
Colin Follenweider is one of Hollywood's current stuntmen, performing stunts in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008) for Shia LeBeouf's character. He's also appeared in X Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Paramount, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)