‘The greatest stuntwoman who ever lived’, kicking down barriers for women
We’re celebrating amazing people doing fascinating and wonderful things – people who just happen to be over 65, and whose age is the least interesting thing about them. Here, we’re happy to introduce Jeannie Epper – stuntwoman extraordinaire.
Jeannie Epper was already well established in her male-dominated profession when she landed a job that put her in the top ranks – as stunt double for Wonder Woman star, Lynda Carter. It was a time when female action stars were rare, female stunt doubles were even rarer, and the practice of ‘wigging’ (males doubling for female stars) was the norm. As Jeannie says: “It’s much harder to get the job, than to do the job.”
But Jeannie, unafraid of anything (except snakes and spiders), began breaking down the barriers for women, and continued to do so. After a career that has spanned almost 70 years – so far – she’s been dubbed “the greatest stuntwoman who ever lived.”
It wasn’t surprising that Jeannie became a stunt double – it was a family profession. Her father John Epper doubled for stars such as Errol Flynn and Gary Cooper, and her mother and all five siblings joined the profession, along with Jeannie’s own three children. Growing up with three brothers meant she didn’t think about the rules around what a girl was supposed to do – or not do. She rode horses, climbed trees and generally “went wild.” Jeannie did her first stunt at only eight years old.
Kicking down barriers for women
It was the long-running series Wonder Woman that gave Jeannie the power to kick down other doors for women. She doubled for Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone – yes, that famous mud-slide scene – and has hundreds of other TV and movie credits to her name. Not only that, but Jeannie has also mentored and supported other women into the profession, and was closely involved in founding the Stuntwomen’s Association of Motion Pictures in 1968.
She was the first woman to gain a lifetime achievement award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards – but not until 2007, which just shows how slow and tough the fight was against sexism in the industry.
“I was girly,” Jeannie admits. “I’m of slight build, really feminine, and I didn’t look like what they thought a stunt person would look like. But I was feisty, like a Chihuahua.”
Her intrepid example inspired hundreds of women, including Kiwi stunt woman Zoë Bell, whose career took off when she doubled for Zena, Warrior Princess. Together they featured in a 2005 documentary film about women stunt doubles, Double Dare.
Jeannie also helped many younger friends deal with the sexual harassment that was, and still is, rife in the industry.
“I’m the kind that would push them through a wall,” she says.
Still working and giving at 78
Jeannie Epper is well known as a kind and selfless person, ready to give whatever she can where it’s needed. Many professional stuntwomen credit her with advancing their careers, not just through her own courageous battle to the top, but with her encouragement and advice, and her ability to organise for more work and better working conditions. Jeannie has even gone so far as to donate one of her organs to a fellow stuntwoman.
Lessons learned at her father’s knee (“Whatever you do, stay on top of the horse”) have pulled Jeannie through plenty of tricky or dangerous situations. She’s eager to pass those lessons on, to keep her friends and colleagues fit and ready for anything – a key to success in stunt doubling.
One ambition Jeannie always had was to rise to the next level and become a stunt coordinator. There was no opportunity to do that in her early career, but now she can apply her decades of experience, extend her working life and stay active through coordinating stunts. Although she doesn’t take on the ‘death-defying’ level of stunts she did when she was younger, Jeannie still keeps her hand in.
“I like the adventure, the adrenaline, being able to do things a normal person can’t do,” she says.
Life lessons from the world’s toughest stunt doubles
Jeannie and a few of her friends made a list of things you should take on board if you want an exciting and enjoyable life.
It’s harder to get the job than to do the job
You know you can do the work – that’s the easy part. Convincing someone that you can do it is more difficult. A belief in yourself is the first step.
Live selflessly
Kindness goes a lot farther than cruelty or coldness. Be good to the people around you, and when you really need them, they’ll be there for you (they won’t expect you to donate a vital organ, either).
Fight discrimination wherever you find it
Whether it’s sex discrimination, age-based or other, Jeannie Epper is living proof that fighting it moves things forward.
Being an adult doesn’t mean slowing down
You don’t have to give up doing exciting things just because you’re not a teenager anymore. Don’t settle for what other people think is ‘normal’ – do what you love and enjoy your life.
A tough career built on caring
Jeannie’s life and experience have been ground-breaking, but her physical courage is just a small part of her success. What she brings to her work and her life are love and care. She labours to make her profession, and the world in general, a better place for the women who come after her, but is still pretty modest about it all.
“I get embarrassed,” she says. “I just do what I do.”