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Stunt Performers


Overview

Stunt Performers

Introduction

Stunt performers, also called stuntmen and stuntwomen, are actors who perform dangerous scenes in motion pictures and on television shows. They may fall off tall buildings, get knocked from horses and motorcycles, imitate fistfights, and drive in high-speed car chases. They must know how to set up stunts that are both safe to perform and believable to audiences. In these dangerous scenes, stunt performers are often asked to double, or take the place of, a star actor.

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$50,000

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma


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Experience

On-the-job training


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Skills

Coaching/Physical Training
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Personality Traits

Athletic
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Earnings

The earnings of stunt performers vary considerably by their experience and the difficulty of the stunts they perform. As of July 2020, the minimum daily salary of stunt performers and stunt coordinators who were SAG-AFTRA members was $1,030. Stunt performers and coordinators working on a weekly basis in motion pictures or television earned a minimum of $3,840 per week. Stunt coordinators who ba...

Work Environment

The working conditions of a stunt performer change from project to project. It could be a studio set, a river, or an airplane thousands of feet above the ground. Like all actors, stunt performers are given their own dressing rooms.

Careers in stunt work tend to be short. The small number of jobs is one reason, as are age and injury. Even with the emphasis on safety, injuries commonly occ...

Outlook

More than 7,700 stunt performers belong to SAG-AFTRA, but only a fraction of those can afford to devote themselves to film or television work full time. Stunt coordinators will continue to hire only very experienced professionals, making it difficult to break into the business. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has cancelled or delayed many film and TV productions in 2020. There is currentl...