LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Jeannie Epper, a groundbreaking performer who did stunts for many of the most important women of film and television action of the 1970s and ’80s, including star Lynda Carter on TV’s 鈥淲onder Woman,鈥� has died. She was 83.
Epper died of natural causes Sunday at her home in Simi Valley, California, family spokesperson Amanda Micheli told The Associated Press.
Considered one of the greatest at her craft 鈥� Entertainment Weekly in 2007 called her 鈥渢he greatest stuntwoman who ever lived鈥� 鈥� Epper came from a family dynasty of stunt performers that included both her parents, John and Frances Epper. Her 70-year career as a stuntwoman and stunt coordinator began when she was 9.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all I really know, outside of being a mom or a grandma,鈥� Epper said in a 2004 documentary, 鈥淒ouble Dare,鈥� directed by Micheli.
Her siblings, Tony, Margo, Gary, Andy and Stephanie, all also worked in stunts. Steven Spielberg called them 鈥淭he Flying Wallendas of Film,鈥� according to , which first reported Epper鈥檚 death.
Her children Eurlyne, Richard and Kurtis, and her grandson Christopher followed her into the stunt business.
She found it difficult to get much stunt work as a woman early on but saw a major surge in opportunity as women got more action-oriented roles in the late 1970s.
Her breakthrough role 鈥� and the one she would always be most associated with 鈥� was on 鈥淲onder Woman.鈥� Epper crashed through windows, kicked down doors and deflected bullets while doubling Carter on the series that ran for three seasons from 1976 to 1979 on ABC and CBS.
In the same era, she doubled Lindsay Wagner on 鈥淏ionic Woman鈥� and Kate Jackson on the original 鈥淐harlie鈥檚 Angels.鈥�
In the 1980s, Epper took a famous tumble down a mudslide for Kathleen Turner in 鈥淩omancing the Stone鈥� and fought for Linda Evans in her tangles with Joan Collins on TV鈥檚 鈥淒ynasty.鈥�
Epper also appeared in more highbrow fare, doing the stunt driving for Shirley MacLaine when she threw Jack Nicholson from a Corvette in the 1984 best picture Oscar winner 鈥淭erms of Endearment.鈥�
And she was a constant presence on films directed or produced by Spielberg, including 1977’s 鈥淐lose Encounters of the Third Kind,” 1982’s 鈥淧oltergeist鈥� and 2002’s 鈥淢inority Report.鈥�
鈥淪he certainly qualifies to be one of the great stunt coordinators,鈥� Spielberg said in 鈥淒ouble Dare.鈥�
More recently, her work appeared in 鈥淭he Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,鈥� 鈥淜ill Bill: Vol. 2鈥� and 鈥漈he Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
In 2007, she became the first woman to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Taurus World Stunt Awards.
She was the last survivor among her stunt-performer siblings. Son Kurtis also died before her.
Her survivors include husband Tim, kids Eurlyne and Richard, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
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This story has been corrected to show that 鈥淲onder Woman鈥� ran for only one season on ABC, and on CBS for the other two.
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