As It Occurs6:44Surprise Lady stunt-double Jeannie Epper left a legacy for stuntwomen in Hollywood
Stuntwoman Jeannie Epper was “an icon” and a “glass ceiling smasher,” says Amanda Micheli, a filmmaker who spent six years making film concerning the stuntwoman’s life and influence on Hollywood.
Epper — one of many Hollywood’s most famed stunt performers — died on Sunday on the age of 83.
She appeared in over 150 movies and was a stunt double for a number of the most vital feminine motion figures in movie and tv throughout the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s, together with Lynda Carter within the iconic TV sequence Surprise Lady.
She was thought of one of many best at her craft. Entertainment Weekly in 2007 referred to as her “the best stuntwoman who ever lived.”
However Micheli, who directed the 2004 documentary Double Dare, says that she ought to be remembered extra as “somebody who kicked doorways open for different ladies” within the stunt trade.
“[She] impressed ladies not solely in Hollywood, however in all kinds of male-dominated industries to comply with their goals,” she advised As It Occurs host Nil Köksal.
‘Her DNA is in all of us stuntwomen’
Epper’s 70-year-long profession began when she was solely 9. She got here from a household dynasty of stunt performers that included each her dad and mom, John and Frances Epper.
She was a beloved spouse, mom and grand-mother. All three of her youngsters, Eurlyne, Richard and Kurtis, labored as stunt performers.
In 1968, Jeannie Epper co-founded the Stuntwomen’s Affiliation of Movement Footage (SAMP), serving as its president in 1999 and later as an honorary member.
Her contributions to the trade have been acknowledged in 2007 when she grew to become the primary lady to obtain a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards.
SAMP president Katie Rowe says Epper’s legacy extends past blood ties and lives within the youthful stunt technology.
“Her DNA is in all of us stuntwomen,” Rowe mentioned. “All stuntwomen working immediately owe a debt of gratitude to her.”
Profession in a person’s world
Whereas doubling for Carter on Surprise Lady, Epper carried out daring stunts that included crashing via home windows, kicking down doorways, and deflecting bullets.
“I’ve quite a bit to say about Jeannie Epper. Most of all, I cherished her,” Carter said on X, formerly Twitter. ” I’ll miss you.”
Epper additionally doubled Lindsay Wagner on Bionic Lady and Kate Jackson on the unique Charlie’s Angels.
She was a relentless presence on movies directed or produced by Steven Spielberg, together with 1977’s Shut Encounters of the Third Form, 1982’s Poltergeist and 2002’s Minority Report.
Extra lately, her work appeared in The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift, Kill Invoice: Vol. 2 and The Wonderful Spider-Man 2.
Within the ’70s and ’80s, the Hollywood stunt trade was closely male-dominated, with most motion motion pictures centred round male protagonists.
“She led the best way for ladies in our trade, at a time once they threw clothes and wigs on males to double females,” Rowe mentioned.
Regardless of being a minority within the stunt trade, Epper actively advocated for the development of costumes and stunt efficiency circumstances for ladies, who usually needed to carry out stunts with out pads because of restrictive outfits like miniskirts or swimsuits.
Rowe describes her as “stunt royalty” who was “an amazing, enjoyable spirit and a very beautiful particular person.”
She was additionally extraordinarily approachable, and was all the time light in giving recommendation and uplifting individuals round her, Rowe says.
“She was as powerful as nails, however as form as will be,” Rowe mentioned.
Micheli says she’s very excited for the subsequent technology of stuntwomen to comply with in Epper’s footsteps.
“She created a bigger household and a sisterhood of mentoring youthful ladies and galvanizing them,” she mentioned.