Eddie Kidd

Last updated

Eddie Kidd

OBE
Born
Edward Kidd [1]

(1959-06-22) 22 June 1959 (age 64)
Islington, London, England
OccupationFormer stunt performer
Years active
  • 1974-1998
  • 2002
  • 2012-present

Edward Kidd OBE (born 22 June 1959) is an English former stunt performer. He was paralysed and suffered brain damage following an accident in 1996. [2] On 15 June 2012 it was announced that he had been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to charity. [3]

Contents

Stunt work

Kidd started his career at the age of fourteen. He is the holder of many world records for jumping over cars and buses. [4] He has worked as a stunt double in many films, notably for Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights , Roger Moore and Michael Caine in Bullseye! and Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye . [5] One of his most famous motorcycle stunts was in the 1979 film Hanover Street starring Harrison Ford. Doubling for Ford on a motorbike he jumped a 120 feet (37 m) railway cutting at 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. He also doubled for Val Kilmer in Top Secret! . [6]

In his role as stunt biker Dave Munday in the 1981 film Riding High , Kidd performed a motorcycle jump across an 80-foot gap in a disused viaduct across the Blackwater River in Essex. In 1993, he jumped over the Great Wall of China on a motorcycle. [7] Despite performing over 12,000 jumps in his career, [8] he did not have a UK motorcycle licence until 1995.

Jump contest

In 1993, the American motorcycle daredevil Robbie Knievel challenged Kidd to a world title motorcycle "jump off" competition in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, USA. Knievel, son of the daredevil Evel Knievel, had deemed Kidd to be the only motorcycle jump rider worthy of challenging him. The event was televised as a pay-per-view event titled The Daredevil Duel: Knievel vs. Kidd. The competition required each rider to make three motorbike jumps with the cumulative distance covered by each used to determine the winner: Kidd won by six feet. As Knievel and Kidd did not meet again competitively the winner's belt remains with Kidd. [5]

Accident

On 6 August 1996, Kidd was involved in a serious motorcycle accident while performing at the Bulldog Bash, held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon. In comparison to some of his previous stunts, the jump Kidd made that day was relatively minor, comprising a jump of approximately 15 m (49 ft) across a drag strip. The relatively short landing area beyond the drag strip consisted of an uphill incline leading to the edge of a steep embankment. Although Kidd completed the jump and landed the bike upright on two wheels, his chin struck the petrol tank of his motorcycle and he was knocked unconscious. As a result, he was unable to prevent himself and his bike from continuing up and over the 6 m (20 ft) embankment edge. He sustained serious head and pelvic injuries in the resulting fall. [9] After the accident, doctors told Kidd's parents that it was possible he could be in a coma for up to 10 years. However, he regained consciousness within three months of the accident, but was left paralysed and with brain damage.

Later career

Kidd appeared in an episode of Russell Brand's 2002 TV documentary series RE:Brand to talk about his life after the accident. Kidd took control of a motorcycle again when he formally opened the Beyond Boundaries Live 2007 Exhibition at Sandown Park, Esher on 29 June 2007. On 17 July 2012, he carried the Olympic Torch during its relay journey through Lewes, East Sussex. [10]

On 17 April 2011, Kidd started the 2011 London Marathon, ditching his wheelchair at the start and walking the rest of the way, stating it would take "four weeks to complete" and that it was his "greatest stunt yet". On 6 June, he completed it. [11] Kidd also said he would compete in another marathon in two years' time.

Personal life

Kidd was once married to dancer and actress Debbie Ash, the sister of actress Leslie Ash; after having one child they divorced. Kidd married Stringfellows waitress Sarah Carr and they had one child before their divorce. [12]

Twenty-three years after a brief relationship with her, Kidd met model Samantha Kirli again in 2004 and they married in 2007 but separated in December 2012. In August 2013, Kirli was convicted of assaulting Kidd. The court heard that she tried to throttle Kidd, slapped him on the face and chest and kicked him. She was sentenced to five months in prison and a restraining order was issued against her. [13]

In 1984, Martech released a computer game based on Kidd's stunts titled Eddie Kidd Jump Challenge . [14]

In 1987, Kidd branched into clothes and hair modelling and appeared in commercials for Sunsilk, Vileda and Levi's. [15]

Kidd has also had a singing career, releasing two albums and several singles including "Leave it to the Kidd" (Decca FR 13795). [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evel Knievel</span> American stunt performer (1938–2007)

Robert Craig Knievel, known professionally as Evel Knievel, was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. He died of pulmonary disease in Clearwater, Florida, in 2007, aged 69.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stunt performer</span> Person who performs stunts

A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed to a daredevil, who performs for a live audience. When they take the place of another actor, they are known as stunt doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Knievel</span> American stunt performer (1962–2023)

Robert Edward Knievel II was an American motorcyclist and stunt performer. He had also used the stage name Kaptain Robbie Knievel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skycycle X-2</span> Type of aircraft

The Skycycle X-2 was a steam-powered rocket owned by Evel Knievel and flown during his Snake River Canyon jump in Idaho in 1974.

<i>Viva Knievel!</i> 1977 American action film

Viva Knievel! is a 1977 American action film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Evel Knievel, Gene Kelly and Lauren Hutton, with an ensemble supporting cast including Red Buttons, Leslie Nielsen, Cameron Mitchell, Frank Gifford, Dabney Coleman and Marjoe Gortner.

<i>Eddie Kidd Jump Challenge</i> 1984 video game

Eddie Kidd Jump Challenge is a stunt bike video game released for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MSX and ZX Spectrum first released in 1984, licensed by British stunt performer, Eddie Kidd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle stunt riding</span> Motorcycle acrobatic sport

Streetbike freestyle is a motorsport which involves wheelie, stoppie, acrobatics, burnout and drifting. Motorcycles are modified to do multiple tricks

Dale Charles Buggins (1961–1981) was an Australian stunt motorcyclist who had built a national and international reputation by the age of 20. At 17, Buggins broke a world record previously held by American stuntman Evel Knievel when he jumped 25 cars with a Yamaha dirt bike, in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Maddison</span> Australian motorcycle racer

Robert William 'Robbie' Maddison is an Australian motorbike stunt performer. Nicknamed 'Maddo', he is from the town of Kiama, New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubba Blackwell</span> American motorcycle stunt performer

James Blackwell is an American stunt performer and motorcycle jumping world record holder who is sponsored by and promoted by the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company. Before his association with Harley, Blackwell was sponsored by the now-defunct Buell Motorcycle Company.

Chris Bromham, is a Welsh motorcycle stunt performer. Bromham is the current World Record holder of the motorcycle jump obstacle record, having jumped over 18 double-decker buses, and in the same jump a new distance record of 208 feet, on 29 August 1983 riding a KTM 500 Motocross at Norman Park, Bromley, England.

<i>Evel Knievel</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Marvin J. Chomsky

Evel Knievel is a 1971 American biographical film starring George Hamilton as motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel.

<i>Riding High</i> (1981 film) 1981 British film

Riding High is a 1981 British drama film directed by Ross Cramer and starring Eddie Kidd, Irene Handl and Murray Salem. The screenplay concerns a bored young motorcycle messenger who begins training to take part in a major biking competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Linkogle</span>

Larry "Link" Linkogle is a professional freestyle motocross rider and the co-founder and owner of Metal Mulisha, LLC. Linkogle holds the world record for long-distance motorcycle jumps and has appeared in feature films as a stuntman. He is regarded as a founder of freestyle motocross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Laswell</span> American motorcycle stunt performer (1958–1996)

Sherman Dwayne "Butch" Laswell was an American stunt performer and professional motorcycle stunt rider. Laswell died after sustaining injuries during a live stunt in front of a crowd of spectators, while attempting to carry out a dangerous motorcycle jump in Mesquite, Nevada. The accident was captured on camera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Danger</span> American motorcycle racer

Doug "Danger" Senecal, born March 31, 1962, in Palmer, Massachusetts, is known as Doug Danger. He is an American motorcycle jumping world record holder and stunt performer and Stage 4 cancer survivor who lives in Oak Hill, Florida.

<i>Evel Knievel</i> (2004 film) American TV series or program

Evel Knievel is a 2004 American drama film directed by John Badham and written by Jason Horwitch. The film stars George Eads, Jaime Pressly, Lance Henriksen, Fred Thompson, Beau Bridges, Matt Gordon and Peter MacNeill. The film premiered on TNT on July 30, 2004. The movie is well known for its many gaffes and inaccurate portrayal of Knievel and his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evel Knievel Museum</span> History museum in Kansas, United States

The Evel Knievel Museum is a non-profit museum located in Topeka, Kansas, United States. The museum houses the largest collection of authentic Evel Knievel memorabilia in the world, including interactive experiences. It is 13,000 square feet and two stories. The museum is located adjacent to Topeka’s Historic Harley-Davidson and opened in June 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Harvill</span> American motorcycle stuntman (1992–2021)

Alex Harvill was an American motocross racer and stunt performer. On May 12, 2012, he set a Guinness World Record for the longest ramp-to-dirt motorcycle jump at 425 feet (129.54 m). On July 6, 2013, he set a Guinness World Record for the longest dirt-to-dirt motorcycle jump at 297.55 feet (90.69 m).

References

  1. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Stuntman wants to jump again". BBC. 4 December 2001.
  3. ↑ "Honours for Branagh and Jowell". BBC News. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "Stunt Daredevil Eddie Kidd". RTÉ Archives.
  5. 1 2 "1979: Daredevil Kidd's 80ft river jump". 10 December 1979 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "Eddie Kidd". BFI. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "A great jump over the Great Wall". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. 11 May 1993. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sailing across river". Spartanburg Herald-Journal . 6 September 1993. Retrieved 16 August 2013. Kidd, 31, who performed stunts in James Bond movies, has made more than 12,000 jumps without breaking a bone
  9. ↑ "A Family Affair: 'My mechanic told me not to jump'". The Independent. 22 November 1999.
  10. ↑ "Eddie Kidd". Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Ex-stuntman Eddie Kidd completes London Marathon". BBC.
  12. ↑ "Wife of stuntman Eddie Kidd charged with domestic abuse". The Telegraph. 20 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "Stuntman Eddie Kidd's wife Samantha jailed for assaulting him". BBC. 1 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Eddie Kidd: Jump Challenge". bbcmicro.co.uk.
  15. ↑ Small, Nicola (8 December 2018). "Motorbike stunt legend Eddie Kidd appeals for Stephen Hawking-style voicebox". mirror.
  16. ↑ "Eddie Kidd Discography - UK - 45cat". www.45cat.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.