Rocky Taylor | |
---|---|
Born | Laurie Taylor 28 February 1945 [1] Bermondsey, England |
Occupation(s) | Stuntman, actor |
Years active | 1961–present |
Relatives | Larry Taylor (father) |
Rocky Taylor (born Laurie Taylor; 28 February 1945) is an English stuntman and actor.
His first appearance as a stuntman was an uncredited role in Dr. No . He has since been a stuntman for many famous and successful films including multiple James Bond and Indiana Jones films, A Bridge Too Far , Titanic , The Da Vinci Code , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and the HBO television series Game of Thrones . He has also had minor acting roles in 40 films, including doubling for Roger Moore and Sean Connery in James Bond films. He is also known for playing the original Honey Monster in a series of commercials for Sugar Puffs. [2]
Taylor currently holds the record for being the oldest stuntman in Britain, with 35 years as a stunt performer and 20 years as a stunt coordinator. He appeared on Russell Howard's Good News in 2011 to discuss his career.
Taylor suffered a fractured spine in 1985 when a stunt on the film Death Wish 3 went wrong, but survived the fall from a burning building. He performed the stunt successfully 26 years later in 2011. [3]
Taylor was born in Bermondsey, southeast London, England. His father Larry was also a stuntman, appearing in several films, including Zulu and a 1958 Titanic film, A Night to Remember .
In April 2019, he released his official biography, Jump Rocky Jump, with Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers. [2]
On 2 April 2020, Taylor was reported to be in "critical condition" after contracting COVID-19. [4]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Gorgo | Man in Crowd | Uncredited |
1967 | The Dirty Dozen | Airborne Soldier | Uncredited |
1974 | The Man with the Golden Gun | Beirut Thug | Uncredited |
1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Staff Car Driver | Uncredited |
1983 | Never Say Never Again | Hostage Guard | Uncredited |
1989 | Batman | Napier Hood #5 | |
1997 | Titanic | Bert Cartmell | Uncredited |
1997 | Tomorrow Never Dies | Carver's Thug | Uncredited |
1999 | The World Is Not Enough | Man in Restaurant | Uncredited |
2002 | Die Another Day | Man at Sword Club | Uncredited |
2018 | Final Score | Lift Guard | Credited |
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.
Tomorrow Never Dies is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay by Bruce Feirstein, it follows Bond as he attempts to prevent Elliot Carver, a power-mad media mogul, from engineering world events to initiate World War III.
George Frederick Bernard Powell, credited as Nosher Powell, Freddie Powell, or Fred Powell, was an English actor, stuntman and boxer. He is best known for his work in the James Bond film series, most notably From Russia with Love (1963).
Death Wish 3 is a 1985 American vigilante action-thriller film directed and edited by Michael Winner. It is the third film and the last to be directed by Winner in the Death Wish film series. It stars Charles Bronson as the vigilante killer Paul Kersey and sees him battling with New York street punk gangs while receiving tactical support from a local NYPD lieutenant. Despite being set in New York City, some of the filming was shot in London to reduce production costs. It was succeeded by Death Wish 4: The Crackdown.
Edward Kidd is an English former stunt performer. He was paralysed and suffered brain damage following an accident in 1996. 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.
Rémy Julienne was a French driving stunt performer and coordinator, assistant director and occasional actor. He was also a rallycross champion and 1956 French motorcross champion.
Simon Crane is a British stuntman, stunt coordinator, second unit director and film director.
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The Man with the Golden Gun is a 1974 spy film and the ninth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. A loose adaptation of Ian Fleming's posthumously published 1965 novel of the same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a breakthrough technological solution to contemporary energy shortages, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the "Man with the Golden Gun". The action culminates in a duel between them that settles the fate of the Solex.
For Your Eyes Only is a 1981 spy film directed by John Glen and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. The film stars Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, and co-stars Carole Bouquet, Chaim Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson and Julian Glover.
A Night to Remember is a 1958 British historical disaster docudrama film based on the eponymous 1955 book by Walter Lord. The film and book recount the final night of RMS Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage after she struck an iceberg in 1912. Adapted by Eric Ambler and directed by Roy Ward Baker, the film stars Kenneth More as the ship's Second Officer Charles Lightoller and features Michael Goodliffe, Laurence Naismith, Kenneth Griffith, David McCallum and Tucker McGuire. It was filmed in the United Kingdom and tells the story of the sinking, portraying the main incidents and players in a documentary-style fashion with considerable attention to detail. The production team, supervised by producer William MacQuitty used blueprints of the ship to create authentic sets, while Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and ex-Cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge worked as technical advisors on the film. Its estimated budget of up to £600,000 was exceptional and made it the most expensive film ever made in Britain up to that time. The film's score was written by William Alwyn.
Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.
Stuart Fell is a professional actor and stuntman. Prior to this career, Fell served in the Parachute Regiment. He has appeared on British television many times, with his earliest role being in the LWT comedy series Hark at Barker, in which he plays the driver of a car that crashes when he's distracted by Ronnie Barker carrying a mannequin. In 1971, he appeared as an uncredited extra in the Doctor Who serial Terror of the Autons, and his last role came in 1998, as a stuntman in Duck Patrol.
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Gary Connery is a British skydiver, BASE jumper, and professional stuntman. Connery has performed stunt-work in numerous films. He has also acted as the stunt-double for Gary Oldman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rowan Atkinson, and John Hurt. He is acknowledged as the first skydiver to land after a wingsuit jump without using a parachute. He made his first parachute jump at age 23, as part of his army training.
Tommy Lane was an American actor and stunt performer known for his appearances on television and in films of the 1970s, including Shaft (1971), Shamus (1973) and Live and Let Die (1973). In Shaft and Live and Let Die, he wore a tweed jacket. He also performed stunts in several movies.
The British Stunt Register (BSR) is a member's association and the only known, UK based, organised group of peer reviewed stunt professionals. It offers members screen relevant Health & Safety training, and operates a Career Grade Scheme. The BSR provides the only formally recognised UK criteria for training, induction, and professional recognition available to those wishing to pursue a career in stunts for screen entertainment.