Half a century of excellence
The late martial arts movie legend never used stuntmen to film his scenes.
Sources: (MovieWeb) (ScreenCrush)
'Hawkeye' star Jeremy Renner insisted on doing his own stunts in action movies like 'Mission: Impossible, 'The Bourne Legacy,' and 'S.W.A.T.' However, it was the comedy movie 'Tag' that left him seriously injured! He suffered a fractured elbow and wrist after falling 20 feet (6 meters).
In 'Knight and Day,' the actress followed Tom Cruise's lead and said no to a stunt double, filming her own action scenes.
In 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,' the actor decided to film the dangerous scenes riding a motorbike off the top of a 1,240 meter-high crag, plummeting down its vertical, and opening his parachute, base-jump style. And not only once. The actor did the scene six times in order to get it perfect.
Harrison Ford did many of his own action scenes (and even improvised some!) in the 'Indiana Jones' movies
The Chinese actor was a stuntman early in his career and has already collected some broken bones throughout his filmography. He does not use stunt doubles in his action scenes.
The British actor admitted in an interview that, since there was no budget to do special effects in green screen or to hire a stuntman, he decided to film all the stunts in his first movie himself.
Stallone refused to use a stunt double to film his action scenes in 'The Expendables'.
Former bodybuilder and action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger has said no to stunt doubles a few times. In 2013, while filming 'The Last Stand,' Arnie hung on ropes at high altitudes and drove cars at high speed.
The star told the Telegraph that he's not the type of actor who just takes off his shirt. He claims that if he has to be challenged physically, he'll do it to the best of his ability.
Professional wrestler John Cena had no problem filming his dangerous scenes in most of his movies.
The actor did all the battle scenes in 'The Lord of the Rings' without resorting to a stunt double.
Before becoming an actress, Carano was an MMA fighter so the transition to doing action scenes was an easy one. All punches and kicks come from the actress herself.
The actor decided to film all his action scenes in the 'Hunger Games' movies without using stunt doubles.
The actor decided to do most of his action scenes as Wolverine in the 'X-Men' franchise himself.
The respected actor was nominated for four Oscars and won one for 'Elmer Gantry.' Lancaster was known in the 1950s and 1960s for filming without the use of stuntmen.
The actor performs the majority of stunts in the action-packed 'John Wick' series all by himself.
In the 1920s, the actor was considered brave for performing all the stunts in his movies.
The actor refused to have his dangerous scenes of 'Abduction' performed by a stuntman.
The actor did all the action scenes in 'Unstoppable.'
The actress refused to work with stuntwomen in the film 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' spending hours upon hours hanging from ropes. She also does her own fighting scenes. “For me, it was just totally unacceptable that someone else would do my stunts, it was supposed to be me, so why should anybody else do it,” she once said.
Although Christian Bale used a stunt double for the 'Batman' trilogy, he performed all the fighting scenes.
Jaa is a Muay Thai practitioner, choreographer, director, and actor. At age 15, he was taken under the wing of a stunt director and got involved in movies. His fights are real and impressive, considering the acrobatic jumps and amazing blows!
Hollywood A-listers generate major revenue when they lend their names to a movie or TV series. Their fame and reputations make them highly valuable, so it's no wonder that various stars have insured their most precious body parts for millions! However, there are other actors who insist on doing their own stunts, regardless of the risk of injury. They take their craft so seriously that they're willing to push their bodies to the limit for authenticity.
From Michelle Yeoh's martial arts mastery to Tom Cruise's action heroics, click through the gallery to see the actors who do it all themselves.
Stars who risk their lives to film their own stunts
No stunt double available? No issue
CELEBRITY Actors
Hollywood A-listers generate major revenue when they lend their names to a movie or TV series. Their fame and reputations make them highly valuable, so it's no wonder that various stars have insured their most precious body parts for millions! However, there are other actors who insist on doing their own stunts, regardless of the risk of injury. They take their craft so seriously that they're willing to push their bodies to the limit for authenticity.
From Michelle Yeoh's martial arts mastery to Tom Cruise's action heroics, click through the gallery to see the actors who do it all themselves.