Stuntmen who has played Ian Fleming's James Bond on film

By: Jon Auty

Published:
2015-07-06

Exclusive article from FSWL contributor and stunt expert Jon Auty, with additions from Anders Frejdh, both on the Board of Advisors for Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame.

We know that the James Bond films require stunt doubles to deliver the action for the actors, but who are the doubles? Who doubles secret agent 007?
Let us take a look through the last 50 years of big screen adventure in a little more detail. No less than 40 stuntmen have played James Bond over the years.

Every James Bond stunt double from 1962 to 2015

• Bob Simmons (1923-1987)
Bob Simmons not only doubled Sean Connery in many Bond outings, but was also the main stunt co-ordinator and action director until 1983. He was also the Bond seen in the gun barrel sequences for Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964).

• Peter Perkins
Peter Perkins, so folk law would have us believe, took over from Bob Simmons when he was unavailable to take charge of the action on From Russia With Love. Simmons was very much available and did work on the picture as an advisor to Perkins, but was never credited. Perkins doubled Connery during the train fight.
Peter Perkins

• George Leech (1921-2012)
George Leech has doubled three Bonds. Sean Connery driving the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, George Lazenby hanging onto the cable car in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and for Roger Moore driving the Lotus in The Spy Who Loved Me. He was also stunt co-ordinator for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Bob Simmons assistant throughout his involvement in the James Bond films.
George Leech

• Alf Joint (1927-2005)
Alf Joint had the task of doubling Sean Connery during the pre-title sequence in Goldfinger. He jumps down from a wall onto stuntman Peter Brace who is playing a guard. He was also on standby to double Connery during the fight where he was fighting Connery as Capunga! Shocking!

• Harold Sanderson
Harold who? I hear you cry. Yes stuntman Harold Sanderson was the Captain of the Disco Volante, but during the pre-title sequence he doubled Connery while Bob Simmons played Jacques Boitier.

• William Suitor
Bill Suitor doubled Sean Connery during the pre-title sequence of Thunderball (1965). Whatever you might say about carrying a jet pack with you everywhere, it certainly came in handy for Bond to escape the gunfight at the ‘ooh la la chateau’. Bill made fifteen or twenty flights over the stag at the very top of the chateau down to the waiting Aston Martin. An invention with James Bond very much in mind.
William Bill Suitor

• Romo Gorrara (1932-1997)
Romo Gorrara doubled Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice (1967) during the fight with Ronald Rich who played Blofeld’s henchman.

• Vic Armstrong
Vic started his Bond career as a double for George Lazenby during the ski chase in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and then went onto double Roger Moore in Live and Let Die (1973). He also doubled Sean Connery as Bond, but that was in the Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again (1983).

• Alfred Zurschmiede
Alfred also doubled for Lazenby as Bond during the ski chase in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

• Ludwig "Luggi" Leitner (1940-2013)
Ludwig also doubled for Lazenby as Bond during the ski chase in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

• Richard Graydon (1922-2014)
Richard Graydon doubled George Lazenby on the cable car in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, he also doubled Roger Moore on top of another cable car in Moonraker, and then on top of a train in Octopussy.

• Les Crawford (-2006)
Les Crawford was Roger Moore’s double on Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). He had also been Roger’s double on The Saint series from 1962 to 1969.

• Martin Grace (1942-2010)
Martin took over as Roger Moore’s chief stunt double on The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and returned to this role on Moonraker (1979) and For Your Eyes Only (1981). Whilst working on Octopussy (1983) he sustained a broken pelvis after hitting a concrete post whilst filming the train sequence. He did return to double Roger on A View to a Kill (1985) whilst coordinating the action.
Martin Grace

• Rick Sylvester
Doubling Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me, this is the man who skied off Mount Asgard because it looked good and hadn’t been done before. Rick was back again a few years later to double Moore, only this time he’d double the start rock climbing and falling from his rock face.
Rick Sylvester

• Donald Griffin
The retired U.S. Navy SEAL piloted the submarine version of the Lotus S1 car in The Spy Who Loved Me? using motorized propellers while manoeuvring it with levered steering mechanisms.

• Pat Banta
American stuntman Patrick Banta (previously married to Tina Broccoli, Albert R. Broccoli's daughter) doubled Roger Moore during the skiing sequence in For Your Eyes Only.

• Paul Weston
Paul Weston took over the doubling duties for Roger Moore from Martin Grace on Octopussy after Martin got injured. He then doubled Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989) for which he was also stunt coordinator.

• Rocky Taylor
Rocky Taylor has worked on every James Bond adventure in one form or another, but has only doubled Bond on one occasion. During the filming of Octopussy, Rocky doubles Roger Moore after Richard Graydon and Paul Weston doubles him leaping from the train and once again in India in the back of Vijay’s turbo tuk-tuk.
Rocky Taylor

• Norman Howell
US Stuntman Norman Howell doubles Roger Moore during the horse riding sequence in Octopussy. Riding behind the aeroplane he jumps over the head of his horse and onto the tail of the aircraft. He then hangs on whilst the plane takes off.

• Jake Lombard
Jake Lombard doubled Roger Moore on Moonraker and Octopussy. Then doubled Timothy Dalton in Licence to Kill.

• BJ Worth
BJ doubled Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. He then doubled Pierce Brosnan during the pre-title sequence parachute jump in GoldenEye (1995) and again for the HALO jump in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

• Dominique Julienne
The son of legendary French stuntman Remy Julienne doubled Timothy Dalton during the pre-title sequence in The Living Daylights. He was hanging from the top of the Land Rover as it raced down the winding roads on the Rock of Gibraltar.

• Remy Julienne
Quite simply the finest stunt driver the world has ever produced. Doubled for Roger Moore on For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and A View To A Kill.

• Jason White
Jason White was Roger Moore’s chief stunt double on A View to a Kill primarily during the fight in Stacey’s house and hanging underneath Zorin’s airship during its journey to the Golden Gate Bridge.

• Simon Crane
Simon Crane was Timothy Dalton’s double on both of his outings as 007, The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. He then doubled Pierce Brosnan on GoldenEye.

• Wayne Michaels
Wayne Michaels became Pierce Brosnan’s main stunt double on GoldenEye. This includes his incredible bungee jump at the very start of the movie. He continued his role as main double on Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough (1999).

• Dick Ziker
American Dick Ziker doubled Roger Moore on the fire engine as it sped through the streets of San Francisco in A View to a Kill.

• Gary Powell
Apart from his excellent co-ordinating jobs on Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015). Gary doubled Pierce Brosnan driving the tank in GoldenEye. He then doubled him again during the boat chase in The World Is Not Enough.

• Wade Eastwood
Pierce Brosnan’s stunt double during the boat chase in The World Is Not Enough and Daniel Craig’s double during another boat chase on Quantum of Solace.

• Mark Mottram
Mark doubled Pierce Brosnan on Tomorrow Never Dies and again during the pre-title sequence of The World Is Not Enough where he takes a real beating as he rolls down the side of the O2 Arena or as we used to call it, The Millenium Dome. He doubled once again for Pierce in Die Another Day (2002).
Mark Mottram

• Mark Southworth
Doubled Pierce Brosnan during the sequence in Tomorrow Never Dies where Bond and Wai Lin crash through the window of Carvers building and fall to the ground using the guide ropes from the banner on the side of the building.

• Jordi Casares
Jordi has worked with Vic Armstrong for over 20 years, but has only doubled Bond once. He doubled Pierce Brosnan during the pre-title sequence of Die Another Day, where he fought to the death on top of a military hovercraft.

• Jean Pierre Goy
Jean Pierre Goy is responsible for jumping a very heavy BMW motorcycle over a helicopter, doubling for Pierce Brosnan in the film Tomorrow Never Dies.

• George Cottle
George Cottle is from the circus family of the same name and doubled Pierce Brosnan during the pre-title sequence of Die Another Day.

• Martin Ivanov
Martin doubled Daniel Craig during the awesome car chase sequence at the start of Quantum of Solace.

• Ray De-Haan
Ray doubled Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day, driving the Aston Martin during the ice chase and the jump from the ice palace.

• Kai Martin
Kai doubled Daniel Craig in both Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012).

• Ben Cooke
Ben was Daniel Craig’s chief double on Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.

• Adam Kirley
Adam drove the Aston Martin on its world record cannon roll in Casino Royale.

• Andy Lister
Andy doubled Daniel Craig in both Skyfall and Spectre.

• Damien Walters
Damien doubled Daniel Craig in Skyfall.

• Lee Morrison
Lee doubled Daniel Craig during the motorcycle sequence in Skyfall.

• Gordon Alexander
Gordon doubled Daniel Craig in Spectre.

The list above covers James Bond stunt doubles, but, of course there are a few flying doubles as well:
• Ken Wallis (1916-2013) flew ‘Little Nellie’ as James Bond in YOLT
• Jay Milligan Sr did the car ‘barrel roll’ as 007 in TMWTGG
• Corkey Fornof flew the Acrostar BD-5J Jet as James Bond in the pre-title sequence for Octopussy
• Douglas James briefly acted as Pierce Brosnan's stand in during a scene for the pre-title sequence of Tomorrow Never Dies. (Pierce wasn't available and neither was Wayne Michaels so James ran from A to B at one point and which was used in the final edit.)
• Skip Evans was the DC3 pilot in Quantum of Solace

James Bond will return but who will double him?

Written by Jon Auty & Anders Frejdh © 2012 From Sweden With Love

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Stuntmen who has played Ian Fleming's James Bond on film

Every James Bond stunt double from 1962 to 2015

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