Dar Robinson

Actor · born 26 March 1947 · Los Angeles, California, USA

One of the modern US cinema's greatest stuntmen and stunt innovators, Dar Robinson only appeared in a relatively small number of films compared to other stuntmen (before losing his life in an off-set motorcycle accident); however, he set new benchmarks in stunt performances. Robinson broke 19 world records and set 21 "world's firsts." He also invented the decelerator, a dragline cable rather than an airbag for stunts that involved jumping from high places.

Dar Robinson's stunts were always well planned, and he never broke a bone in his 13-year Hollywood career. On November 21, 1986, on the set of the film Million Dollar Mystery, after the completion of the main stunt, the emergency medical staff was dismissed from the set. While filming a routine high speed run by the camera with a fellow stuntman, Robinson rode his stunt motorcycle past the braking point of a turn and straight off a cliff, to his death.

Where to start: To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).