Dar Robinson
Encyclopedia
Dar Allen Robinson was an American stunt performer
and actor
. Robinson broke 19 world records and set 21 "world's firsts." He invented the decelerator (use of dragline cables rather than airbags for stunts that called for a jump from high places) which allowed a cameraman to film a top-down view of the stuntman as he fell without accidentally showing the airbag on the ground. The original decelerator can still be seen on display in Moab, Utah.
, California
. At the early age of nine, Dar made the cover of Life Magazine for inadvertently ranking for his accomplished abilities on the trampoline. Dar's father, Jess Weston Robinson was responsible for the "trampoline sensation" that swept the country. Dar spent many hours spent helping in his father's Gymnastic Supply Company. Dar's natural athletic abilities & by his accomplished ease on the trampoline would quickly render him the "ranking" of 3rd place for his division. Ironically he was unaware of the ranking until his placing third. One of Robinson's first major stunts was a 100 foot jump from a cliff into a river for actor Steve McQueen in the 1973 film, Papillon
. In the same year, he appeared as a motorcycle stunt man in the Clint Eastwood
film, Magnum Force
. He is also remembered for driving over the edge of the Grand Canyon and safely parachuting out before hitting the ground. In 1979 he set the world record for a free-fall from a helicopter, dropping 311 feet (95 m) onto an airbag.
At 220 feet, Dar's stunt from Atlanta's Westin Peachtree Plaza
hotel in Sharky's Machine
still holds up as the highest free-fall (no wires) stunt to ever be performed from a building for a commercially-released film. However, despite it being a record-setting fall, in the final edit they are clearly using a dummy (only the briefest moment of the beginning of it is used in the movie).
In a highly publicized feat, as the stunt double
for actor Christopher Plummer
in the 1979 film production Highpoint, Robinson made a 700 foot free-fall from a deck on the world's tallest free-standing structure, the CN Tower
in Toronto, Canada.
Robinson returned to Toronto to attempt a world record cable jump from the CN Tower for a feature-length television documentary film called The World's Most Spectacular Stuntman. The first test of the cable using a bag of water equal to Robinson’s weight smashed into the ground when the cable snapped. High winds and bad weather delayed the jump until August 12, 1980. Although visibly nervous, he leapt from the tower's edge, plummeting more than 1,200 feet (366 m) tied to only a 1/8" (3 mm) steel cable, stopping only a short distance above the ground. For this feat he was listed as highest paid stuntman for a single stunt to date in the 1988 Guinness Book of Records.
, after completing the main stunt, the emergency medical staff was dismissed from the set, and 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.
Robinson is interred in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery
in Los Angeles, California
. After his passing, a documentary on his life was made in 1988 titled The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson.
The last three films in which Robinson worked — Cyclone, Lethal Weapon
, and Million Dollar Mystery — are all dedicated to his memory. Richard Donner
's dedication in the closing credits of Lethal Weapon reads, "This picture is dedicated to the memory of Dar Robinson / one of the motion picture industry's greatest stuntmen". He was survived by his wife, Linda and their son Landon as well as his two sons from a previous marriage, Troy and Shawn.
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Robinson broke 19 world records and set 21 "world's firsts." He invented the decelerator (use of dragline cables rather than airbags for stunts that called for a jump from high places) which allowed a cameraman to film a top-down view of the stuntman as he fell without accidentally showing the airbag on the ground. The original decelerator can still be seen on display in Moab, Utah.
Career
Robinson grew up in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. At the early age of nine, Dar made the cover of Life Magazine for inadvertently ranking for his accomplished abilities on the trampoline. Dar's father, Jess Weston Robinson was responsible for the "trampoline sensation" that swept the country. Dar spent many hours spent helping in his father's Gymnastic Supply Company. Dar's natural athletic abilities & by his accomplished ease on the trampoline would quickly render him the "ranking" of 3rd place for his division. Ironically he was unaware of the ranking until his placing third. One of Robinson's first major stunts was a 100 foot jump from a cliff into a river for actor Steve McQueen in the 1973 film, Papillon
Papillon (film)
Papillon is a 1973 film based on the best-selling novel by the French convict Henri Charrière.This motion picture was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, starring Steve McQueen as Henri Charrière , and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega...
. In the same year, he appeared as a motorcycle stunt man in the Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
film, Magnum Force
Magnum Force
Magnum Force is a 1973 American police thriller film and the second to feature Clint Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan after the 1971 film Dirty Harry. Ted Post, who also directed Eastwood in TV's Rawhide and the feature film Hang 'Em High, directed the second film in the Dirty Harry series...
. He is also remembered for driving over the edge of the Grand Canyon and safely parachuting out before hitting the ground. In 1979 he set the world record for a free-fall from a helicopter, dropping 311 feet (95 m) onto an airbag.
At 220 feet, Dar's stunt from Atlanta's Westin Peachtree Plaza
Westin Peachtree Plaza
The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta is a skyscraper hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree Street adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store...
hotel in Sharky's Machine
Sharky's Machine (film)
Sharky's Machine is a 1981 motion picture directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role. The movie is an adaptation of William Diehl's first novel Sharky's Machine , with a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego....
still holds up as the highest free-fall (no wires) stunt to ever be performed from a building for a commercially-released film. However, despite it being a record-setting fall, in the final edit they are clearly using a dummy (only the briefest moment of the beginning of it is used in the movie).
In a highly publicized feat, as the 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...
for actor Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
in the 1979 film production Highpoint, Robinson made a 700 foot free-fall from a deck on the world's tallest free-standing structure, the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
in Toronto, Canada.
Robinson returned to Toronto to attempt a world record cable jump from the CN Tower for a feature-length television documentary film called The World's Most Spectacular Stuntman. The first test of the cable using a bag of water equal to Robinson’s weight smashed into the ground when the cable snapped. High winds and bad weather delayed the jump until August 12, 1980. Although visibly nervous, he leapt from the tower's edge, plummeting more than 1,200 feet (366 m) tied to only a 1/8" (3 mm) steel cable, stopping only a short distance above the ground. For this feat he was listed as highest paid stuntman for a single stunt to date in the 1988 Guinness Book of Records.
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
Death
Dar Robinson's stunts were always well planned, and he never broke a bone in his 19-year Hollywood career. On November 21, 1986, on the set of the film Million Dollar MysteryMillion Dollar Mystery
Million Dollar Mystery is a 1987 American film released with a promotional tie-in for Glad-Lock brand bags. While performing a routine stunt for this film, legendary stuntman Dar Robinson lost his life on November 21, 1986...
, after completing the main stunt, the emergency medical staff was dismissed from the set, and 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.
Robinson is interred in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. After his passing, a documentary on his life was made in 1988 titled The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson.
The last three films in which Robinson worked — Cyclone, 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...
, and Million Dollar Mystery — are all dedicated to his memory. Richard Donner
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
's dedication in the closing credits of Lethal Weapon reads, "This picture is dedicated to the memory of Dar Robinson / one of the motion picture industry's greatest stuntmen". He was survived by his wife, Linda and their son Landon as well as his two sons from a previous marriage, Troy and Shawn.