History Main / NoStuntDouble

* Creator/LouFerrigno did almost all of his own stunts in ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'' (according to a commentary on the pilot movie's [=DVD=] release, he did about 80-90% of them), mostly because they could hardly ever find a stuntman who looked anything like him. He stated in an interview that he often didn't want to do them, but because of his extremely muscular build it was difficult to find people in the field who matched his physique. Manny Perry was his stuntman for the scenes that required a double.

* Creator/LouFerrigno did almost all of his own stunts in ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'' (according to a commentary on the pilot movie's [=DVD=] release, he did about 80-90% of them), mostly because they could hardly ever find a stuntman who looked anything like him. He stated in an interview that he often didn't want to do them, but because of his extremely muscular build it was difficult to find people in the field who matched his physique.

* The film ''Film/StickIt'', about gymnastics in the last days of the Perfect 10 scoring system.[[note]]This is still used in college gymnastics.[[/note]] Most of the supporting characters/extras ranks were filled with UsefulNotes/{{NCAA}} and elite amateur gymnasts -- including Olympians Mohini Bhardwaj, Allana Slater, and eventual 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin -- all of whom did their own stunts. Among the leading roles, Maddy Curley (Mina Hoyt), a former NCAA Division I gymnast, did her own stunts, as did Tarah Paige (Tricia Skilken), who actually ''is'' a Hollywood stuntwoman and moreover competed in the elite ranks of USA Gymnastics before heading to Hollywood[[note]]as Tarah Chellevold, should you be interested in [=YouTubing=] her[[/note]]. In fact, Tricia's lovely illusion twist on beam featured in Tarah's national championships balance beam routine at one point.

* Creator/LouFerrigno did his own stunts in ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'', mostly because they couldn't find a stuntman who looked anything like him.

* Verne Troyer had to do all his stunts as Mini-Me in ''Film/AustinPowers'' because there are no doubles who are of his height, though having a stunt double background helped.

* Creator/SteveMcQueenActor did his own stunt driving in ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', ''Film/{{Bullitt}}'' and ''Film/TheThomasCrownAffair1968''. In the case of ''Bullitt'', he made a habit of putting his head near the window so the audience would see that it was really him and not a stunt driver.

* Maggie Q of CW's ''Series/{{Nikita}}'' always does her stunts.

* In ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' Hawaii episodes, Barry Williams, who played Greg, did his own surfing scene and scraped his feet on the sharp coral.

# The actor only claims to do their own stunts [[SmallNameBigEgo in an effort to bolster their own image]], but in fact are constantly replaced. While they may be enthusiastic, such claims [[NiceToTheWaiter may not endear you to future stunt teams]]. [[note]]The use of a BodyDouble means often the actor is not even invited to set where some big sequence is filmed, so they may think falling three feet onto a pad is all the character is doing when the stuntman is jumping between helicopters.

* The film ''Film/StickIt'', about gymnastics in the last days of the Perfect 10 scoring system[[note]]This is still used in college gymnastics[[/note]]. Most of the supporting characters/extras ranks were filled with NCAA and elite amateur gymnasts -- including Olympians Mohini Bhardwaj, Allana Slater, and eventual 2008 Olympic AA champion Nastia Liukin -- all of whom did their own stunts. Among the leading roles, Maddy Curley (Mina Hoyt), a former Division I NCAA gymnast, did her own stunts, as did Tarah Paige (Tricia Skilken), who actually ''is'' a Hollywood stuntwoman and moreover competed in the elite ranks of USA Gymnastics before heading to Hollywood[[note]]as Tarah Chellevold, should you be interested in youtubing her[[/note]]. In fact, Tricia's lovely illusion twist on beam featured in Tarah's national championships balance beam routine at one point.

* Bob Barker in ''Film/HappyGilmore''. The crew was going to give him a stunt double for his fight with Creator/AdamSandler but he insisted on doing it himself. Earlier he had been trained in martial arts by Creator/ChuckNorris.

* Wilt Chamberlain and Creator/GraceJones did 90% of their own stunts for ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

* In ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' Hawaii episodes, the actor that played Greg did his own surfing scene and scraped his feet on the sharp coral.

* ''Series/TheRockfordFiles'' lead actor Creator/JamesGarner did all his own stunts; it is sometimes claimed that the series was cancelled when Garner's doctor expressed concern over the possible long-term effects of the injuries he sustained on set.

In modern times, this tropes comes up because audiences tend to be pretty savvy and will recognize an ObviousStuntDouble when it rears its head. Stunt doubles usually have to be obscured in some way ([[FakeShemp by keeping the camera far away, cutting really tight around the face, keeping the lighting low or by filming from the back]]), because otherwise the audience might get pulled out of the scene. But if the actor does their own stunts, you can do more closeups or bright lighting or whatever you might like to do. The tradeoff, of course, is that you might need to make the stunt itself less impressive in order to match the actor's skill level in stunt work. (The use of a DigitalHeadSwap has alleviated some of these issues, allowing more complex scenes without needing to obscure the double's face that much.)

It's also a cool thing to engage with as an actor, as they [[DyeingForYourArt often spend months at the gym]] and practicing the stunt in order to get it right, which may also help them carry themselves differently physically as appropriate for the role. It's also a way of hinting that the actor isn't merely a badass in-character; they're also a badass in RealLife!

** In "Remember Me", Creator/GatesMcFadden (Crusher) did her own stunts, which mostly involved throwing herself about the set as she is trying to avoid getting sucked into a time vortex. She very shortly thereafter learned that she was pregnant and had been inadvertently risking a miscarriage (fortunately, there was no harm done).

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "Power Play", Creator/MarinaSirtis (Troi) was the sole actor to perform her own stunt during the scene where the ''Enterprise'''s away team was flung backwards due to a lightning storm. Shooting the scene took two takes, and during the second take, she flung herself back and landed hard on her tailbone, leaving her unable to walk for 3 weeks.

* In ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'', stunt doubles were going to do the swordfights between Gomez and Tully, but Creator/RaulJulia and Dan Hedaya insisted on training and doing it entirely themselves. A double was used for Gomez's juggling scene, however.