Jeannie Epper, a groundbreaking stuntwoman who performed in far more than 100 movies and television series, has died. She was 83.
Epper died Sunday night time of organic will cause surrounded by loved ones at her dwelling in Simi Valley, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.
In a extended occupation spent bursting by doors, kicking down partitions and falling off roofs, Epper improved the study course for women in the sector when she became Lynda Carter’s stunt double on the 1970s Television set sequence “Wonder Lady.” It was Epper, standing in for Kathleen Turner, who was swept down a mudslide in “Romancing the Stone” — for which she obtained a 1985 Stuntman Award for most spectacular stunt in a feature movie.
In a blond wig, Epper took the blows for Linda Evans in those legendary catfights with Joan Collins on the nighttime cleaning soap “Dynasty.” It’s Epper’s stunt-driving that audiences see when Shirley MacLaine throws Jack Nicholson from her Corvette in the movie “Terms of Endearment.”
Epper’s prolific credits incorporate stunt do the job in “The Bionic Girl,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Robocop,” “The Italian Job” and “Kill Invoice: Vol. 2.” Epper was profiled alongside fellow stuntwoman Zöe Bell in the 2004 documentary “Double Dare.”
She has been named the “godmother of stuntwomen” and “the grand matron of Hollywood stuntwomen,” working perfectly previous retirement age. At age 74, she performed stunts in the 2015 comedy “Hot Pursuit,” starring Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon.
“She unquestionably qualifies to be one of the best stunt coordinators,” stated director Steven Spielberg, who labored with Epper on “Catch Me if You Can” and “Minority Report.”
She was born Jean Luann Epper in 1941 to John and Frances Epper, equally skilled stunt performers. In the 1920s, Epper’s father immigrated to the United States from Switzerland and proven a using academy in Los Angeles exactly where he later on grew to become a stuntman for videos, specializing in horseback stunts and doubling for actors including Ronald Reagan and Gary Cooper.
Jeannie Epper grew up in North Hollywood with five brothers and sisters — all of whom worked as stunt persons. Her 3 little ones and grandchildren also went into the loved ones business.
Epper was a qualified rider, and at age 9, she broke into stunt operate, riding a horse bareback down a mountain for a 1950s Tv set present, becoming 1 of the very first skilled boy or girl stunt doubles.
“My father reported it could be perilous, but he knew I was an excellent rider,” she informed The Situations in 1999. “He saved telling me to continue to keep my head up, but which is about all. I feel he didn’t want to over-worry me. There’s a fine line between being worried and destroying someone’s confidence.”
The series marked the start out of Epper’s game-transforming career in the male-dominated business.
Though Epper came from a spouse and children of stunt people today, it was normal when she commenced operating for men to use wigs when carrying out stunts for actresses. But many thanks to persistence and shifts in attitudes and trend, Epper adjusted the company.
“Actresses started saying, ‘I do not want a hairy-legged dude carrying out this for me,’” she advised The Moments in 1999. “And women had been wearing much less and significantly less garments in front of the camera, and it was so noticeable it was a man.”
Later, as a stunt coordinator, Epper recalled dealing with gentlemen who resented taking orders from a lady.
Whilst doing work on the 1980s police series “Cagney & Lacey,” she described a guest actor who not only couldn’t toss a convincing punch but also refused to be instructed by a woman, letting only other stuntmen on established to demonstrate him what to do.
“He threw the punch properly adequate to shoot the scene,” she claimed. “But he nevertheless could not throw it like a male.”
In 2019, on the celebration of staying honored at the Artemis Ladies in Motion Film Competition, Melanie Sensible — a producer, actor, stuntwoman and founder of the group — claimed of Epper, “Jeannie impressed a wave of ladies to get into stunts. They are in awe of her.”
Epper was a founding member of the Stuntwomen’s Assn. of Movement Photographs and an honorary member of the Stuntmen’s Assn. of Movement Shots.
Instances staff author Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
