Terry Leonard

Director & actor · born 1 January 1941

Stuntman, stunt coordinator, and second unit director Terry Leonard is regarded as a legend in the film business, having worked with too many Oscar-winning directors and talent to name.

Leonard attended the University of Arizona and was a decathlete for the 1964 Olympic trials. Moreover, Terry played professional football for the British Columbia Lions in Vancouver, Canada until his burgeoning football career was abruptly curtailed by a back injury. In the wake of said back injury, Leonard contacted veteran stuntman Chuck Roberson about getting work in Hollywood, California. Terry worked as an extra on the film McLintock! (1963) and performed his first big stunt for the Western movie El Dorado (1966). Leonard subsequently went on to have a long and impressive career as a stuntman, stunt coordinator, and second unit director on a slew of films and a handful of TV shows that have encompassed several decades.

Where to start: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).