Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon
Encyclopedia
Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon is a stunt
woman, stunt double
, and stunt driver in the US movie industry. She has also been credited as Cheryl Wheeler-Duncan, Cheryl Wheeler, Cheryl M. Wheeler, and Sheryl Wheeler. She has been stunt double for Rene Russo
, Kathleen Turner
, and Goldie Hawn
. She has two daughters, and with her husband, Dr. Lindsey Duncan, owns Genesis Today, Inc., a nutritional supplement company in Austin, Texas
.
at fifteen years-old in Pensacola, Florida, with instructor Gerry Blanck. She began kickboxing when her instructor began training an amateur team, but her championship matches were considered professional, as she was paid for the work. Wheeler-Dixon also studied Judo, Aikido and grappling and trained for a while with kickboxer and actor Don Wilson. She is a three-time WKA
World Kickboxing
Champion with a record of 17-1-1 and a 2nd degree black belt
in Yoshukai Karate.
, Die Hard 2
, Lethal Weapon
III & IV, Demolition Man
, The Thomas Crown Affair
and Charlie's Angels
. Wheeler-Duncan was inducted into Black Belt Magazine
's Hall of Fame as 1996 Woman of the Year. With Chris Casamassa
, she appeared on the cover and in a feature article in Black Belt Magazine in July 1997. Wheeler-Dixon received a Stunt Award for "Best Stunt Sequence" in the 2000 film of Charlie's Angels
.
Wheeler-Dixon was injured during the filming of "Back to the Future II" when she shattered her face and right wrist in a fall and required reconstructive surgery. In April 2010 she was featured on the cover and wrote an article for Healthy Living Magazine. She also works as a "stuntnastics" instructor and stunt performer at The Stunt Ranch in Austin, Texas.
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
woman, stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
, and stunt driver in the US movie industry. She has also been credited as Cheryl Wheeler-Duncan, Cheryl Wheeler, Cheryl M. Wheeler, and Sheryl Wheeler. She has been stunt double for Rene Russo
Rene Russo
- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
, Kathleen Turner
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
, and Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
. She has two daughters, and with her husband, Dr. Lindsey Duncan, owns Genesis Today, Inc., a nutritional supplement company in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Early years
Cheryl Wheeler began studying Yoshukai KarateYoshukai Karate
karate is a branch discipline of the Japanese/Okinawan martial art, Karate-dō, or "Way of the Empty Hand."The three kanji that make up the word Yoshukai literally translated mean “Training Hall of Continued Improvement.” However, the standardized English translation is "Striving for Excellence."...
at fifteen years-old in Pensacola, Florida, with instructor Gerry Blanck. She began kickboxing when her instructor began training an amateur team, but her championship matches were considered professional, as she was paid for the work. Wheeler-Dixon also studied Judo, Aikido and grappling and trained for a while with kickboxer and actor Don Wilson. She is a three-time WKA
World Kickboxing Association
The World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....
World Kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
Champion with a record of 17-1-1 and a 2nd degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in Yoshukai Karate.
Career
Wheeler-Dixon began work in the film industry in 1987 and maintains an extensive filmography of stunt work in such films as Back to the Future II, Bird on a WireBird on a Wire (film)
Bird on a Wire is a 1990 feature film starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, directed by John Badham, and shot mainly in British Columbia, Canada. The title refers to the Leonard Cohen song "Bird on the Wire"...
, Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
, Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
III & IV, Demolition Man
Demolition Man (film)
Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
, The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)
The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1999 American heist film directed by John McTiernan. The film, starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo and Denis Leary, is a remake of the 1968 film of the same name....
and Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
. Wheeler-Duncan was inducted into Black Belt Magazine
Black Belt Magazine
Black Belt is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports founded in 1961 by Mitoshi Uyehara. During the early years of the publication, Uyehara was a hands-on owner and publisher...
's Hall of Fame as 1996 Woman of the Year. With Chris Casamassa
Chris Casamassa
Chris Casamassa is an American martial artist of Italian origin , actor and stuntman who is best known for his role as Scorpion in the movie Mortal Kombat, which was based on the popular fighting-game series...
, she appeared on the cover and in a feature article in Black Belt Magazine in July 1997. Wheeler-Dixon received a Stunt Award for "Best Stunt Sequence" in the 2000 film of Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
.
Wheeler-Dixon was injured during the filming of "Back to the Future II" when she shattered her face and right wrist in a fall and required reconstructive surgery. In April 2010 she was featured on the cover and wrote an article for Healthy Living Magazine. She also works as a "stuntnastics" instructor and stunt performer at The Stunt Ranch in Austin, Texas.