Stuntman Richard Dickie Graydon (1922-2014)

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2014-12-23

FSWL are saddened to report yet another passing of a Bond alumni in 2014. British stuntman, stunt coordinator and horse master Richard Graydon, or just Dickie to those who knew him, have died aged 92. Our thoughts and prayers are with Richard's family.

"Richard Graydon is the most courageous stuntman I ever worked with. He treated hanging in the rafters of a volcano 120 feet up, and on top of the cable car in Rio, as if he was having a coffee down at Piccadilly Circus in London! He made what other stunt men claimed as too dangerous and impossible look like a walk in the park. Although small in stature, he was head and shoulders above the rest. Richard’s quick wit and intelligence in the stunt field is greatly missed." – Martin Grace (from our interview with him in 2009)

"A unique man and stunt performer. He gave British and international films some of the most exciting and dangerous action scenes. God bless you Dickie." – Paul Weston

"If it had not been for Dickie moving the boxes nearer the wall for me on Who Dares Wins I would not be here either. RIP Dickie and sleep well." – Terry Cade

"A lovely, polite and superb man." – Terry Bamber

"You set a great example in your work and in life. God Bless and R.I.P. Dickie." – Terence Mountain

Richard Graydon obituary:
Richard Graydon (born 1922) died peacefully in his sleep at the grand age of 92 in a nursing home in England on 22nd December 2014. Graydon had a long and impressive resume and Bond fans will always remember him for the amazing stunts he did doubling for both George Lazenby and Roger Moore as James Bond.

Apart from the Bonds, Graydon also worked with Roger Moore on The Wild Geese (1978) and North Sea Hijack (1979).

In 1974, Richard Graydon (and Martin Grace) toured Sweden with The International Stunt Show which was all about stunts. High falls, car rollovers, big car crashes, motorcycle jumps, tunnels of fire, fight and sword routines and more.

In addition to working as stuntman on over 40 movies, Graydon also coordinated eight films - The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Don't Look Now (1973), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), International Velvet (1978), Champions (1984), A Passage to India (1984), Ladyhawke (1985) and Dream Lover (1986).

His last film was Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998.

In 1999, Richard Graydon was interviewed for the behind the scenes material on the James Bond DVD's. (Graydon was also interviewed for The World of James Bond documentary in 1992.)

The amazing stuntman is survived by his wife Hermione Bedford. (There were no children of the marriage.)

Richard Graydon's James Bond films:
1963: From Russia with Love (stunts)
1964: Goldfinger (1964) (stunts)
1965: Thunderball (1965) (stunts)
1967: You Only Live Twice (stunts)
1969: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (stunts including stunt double for George Lazenby hanging on cable car wire)
1977: The Spy Who Loved Me (stunts)
1979: Moonraker (1979) (stunts including stunt double for Roger Moore on the cable car)
1981: For Your Eyes Only (stunts)
1983: Octopussy (1983) (stunt double for Roger Moore on top of train and the part of Francisco the Fearless)
1985: A View to a Kill (stunts)

Editor's note:
For more about the amazing stuntmen in the James Bond films, check out the following articles:

>The 50 greatest stunts in James Bond films
>James Bond stunt doubles
>The top 10 stunts in the James Bond film series

Photo above:
Richard Graydon doubling for George Lazenby as James Bond on On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Photo by George Whitear. © 1969 Danjaq S.A. & United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved.

For more information about Richard Graydon's career, check out his IMDB profile:

www.imdb.com/name/nm0337040/

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