Top 5 Facts: Stunt actors

Jackie Chan

Practically redefined comedy action movies and kung fu techniques in films. At 56, he is still regarded as one of the best stuntmen of all time, and has the scars to prove it!

Bud Ekins

Best known for his heart-stopping motorbike jump over a barbed wire fence in The Great Escape, often wrongly credited to actor Steve McQueen. He passed away in October 2007.

Yakima Canutt

Influential in rodeo and stunt work until his death in May 1986. Famed for his horse-to-wagon transfer in Stagecoach and directing the chariot race in Ben-Hur.

Tom Cruise

One of the most high-profile actors to do his own stunts. He recently dangled from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, for the latest Mission Impossible movie.

Evel Knievel

While he didn’t star in the movie bearing his name, he was renowned for his daredevil stunts, such as a canyon jump on a motorbike. He died in November 2007.