Vic Armstrong | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-10-05)5 October 1946 (age 79) |
| Occupations | Stunt double,film director |
Victor Monroe Armstrong (born 5 October 1946) is a British film director,stunt coordinator,second unit director, andstunt double—the world's most prolific, according to theGuinness Book of Records.
An early role of his beforeIndiana Jones was inSteptoe and Son episode "The Seven Steptoerai".
The 6-foot (1.8 m) Armstrong doubled for 6-foot-1-inch (1.85 m)Harrison Ford in the first threeIndiana Jones films, 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m)Timothy Dalton forFlash Gordon,George Lazenby for the Swiss Alps skiing scenes in the Bond filmOn Her Majesty's Secret Service, and 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m)Christopher Reeve inSuperman andSuperman II. Reportedly, Armstrong looked so much like Harrison Ford that the crewmembers on the films were constantly mistaking him for Ford. This proved useful when Ford injured his back and had to sit out for filming crucial action sequences inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Armstrong filled in for him. The stunt where he jumps from a horse onto a German tank inIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade was voted one of the top-10 film stunts of all time by a panel of experts and Sky Movies viewers in the UK in 2002. On a private photograph taken on the film set, Ford wrote to Armstrong, "If you learn to talk, I'm in deep trouble!"[1] Armstrong was unable to work on the fourthIndiana Jones film,Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, due to commitments toThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. He had discussed, though, possible action sequences withSteven Spielberg during production ofWar of the Worlds.[2]
Armstrong is a famed stunt coordinator and action unit director, notable for (amongst others) the action sequences of severalJames Bond films,War of the Worlds andI Am Legend. Armstrong was also the opening scene director onTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
In 1993, Armstrong made his directorial debut with action filmJoshua Tree (orArmy of One), starringDolph Lundgren,George Segal,Kristian Alfonso, andKen Foree.[3]
He was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 2003, when he was surprised byMichael Aspel atPinewood Studios.[citation needed]
In 2012, Armstrong wassecond unit director forThe Amazing Spider-Man. In 2013, he signed on to directLeft Behind, a remake of the series that got released in 2014. His next directorial effort was the true storyA Sunday Horse.[4]He also worked on the 2022Amazon Prime Video seriesThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as second unit director and action director.[5]
Armstrong is a long-serving member of theBritish Stunt Register.
In 2001, he received a Technical AchievementAcademy Award for "the Fan Descender for accurately and safely arresting the descent of stunt persons in high freefalls".[6][7][8] In 2002, he received theBAFTA Michael Balcon Award.[9]
Armstrong is the brother of Andy Armstrong and husband of stuntwoman Wendy Leech, who is the daughter of fellow stunt performerGeorge Leech. He met her while filmingSuperman II, when she doubled forMargot Kidder).
The couple have four children between them. Armstrong has two children from his first marriage, and Leech has a daughter from her first marriage. They have one daughter together. Vic is uncle to stuntman James Armstrong and film maker Jesse V Johnson[citation needed]
His memoirMy Life as Indiana Jones, James Bond, Superman and Other Action Heroes: The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman was published byTitan Books in early 2011.
As stunt double
| Year | Title | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Superman | Christopher Reeve |
| 1979 | Bear Island | Donald Sutherland |
| 1980 | Superman II | Christopher Reeve |
| Flash Gordon | Timothy Dalton | |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Harrison Ford |
| 1982 | Blade Runner | |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | |
| Never Say Never Again | Sean Connery | |
| 1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Harrison Ford |
| 1989 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | |
| 1991 | Regarding Henry | |
| 1992 | Patriot Games |
As director
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Joshua Tree |
| 2014 | Left Behind |
| 2016 | A Sunday Horse |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
