Richard Graydon

Richard Graydon
Born (1922-05-12)12 May 1922
Died 22 December 2014(2014-12-22) (aged 92)
Occupation Stunt performer, stunt coordinator, stunt double,
actor
Years active 1952 – 1998

Richard Graydon (12 May 1922 – 22 December 2014) was a British stunt performer and stunt coordinator best known for his work in the James Bond film series.

Early life

He was educated at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and was an amateur jockey and a dancer. He was rejected for service in the RAF in World War II due to a childhood eye injury.

Career

His acting, dancing and horse riding skills were used to good effect in the 1952 film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men and he then developed a career as a stunt performer. His stunts for James Bond films included toboganning down the Cresta Run in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and doubling for Roger Moore in a cable car fight scene 1,000ft above ground on Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil in Moonraker. Graydon was shorter than Moore at 5ft 8in but it was necessary to maintain the height difference with the stuntman doubling for 7ft 2in Richard Kiel who played Jaws. In the scene he had to fall and then hold on to the roof of the cable car with his hands and did not have his safety harness on. His left hand slipped off the roof but he held on one-handed until he could regain his grip. He became known for his ability to hang onto things high above the ground and was selected for stunts that required that skill.

He married in 1970 and died in December 2014 aged 92.[1]

Selective stunt filmography

Year Film Role
1963From Russia with Lovestunts - uncredited
1964Goldfingerstunts - uncredited
1965Thunderballstunts - uncredited
1967You Only Live Twicestunts - uncredited
1968The Charge of the Light Brigadestunt coordinator
1969On Her Majesty's Secret Servicestunt double for George Lazenby - uncredited
1977Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hopestunt guard - uncredited; stunts - uncredited
1977The Spy Who Loved Mestunts - uncredited
1979Moonrakerstunt double for Roger Moore - uncredited; stunts
1981Raiders of the Lost Arkstunts - uncredited
1981For Your Eyes Onlyadditional stunts - uncredited
1983Octopussystunts - uncredited
1984A Passage to Indiastunt coordinator - uncredited
1985A View to a Killadditional stunts - uncredited
1989Batmanstunts
1998Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrelsstunts

Selective actor filmography

Year Film Role
1952The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men Merrie Man
1983Octopussy Francisco the Fearless

References

  1. "Richard Graydon - obituary". The Telegraph. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.

External links



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