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‘I Will Miss You': Lynda Carter Remembers ‘Wonder Woman’ Stunt Performer Jeannie Epper As She Dies At 83
In a career spanning over 70 years, Jeannie Epper has performed stunts in over 100 feature films and series including Kill Bill: Vol 2 and Tokyo Drift.
Disclaimer: This article contains mention of death.
Jeannie Epper, best known as a stunt double for Lynda Carter in the 1970s television show Wonder Woman, passed away on May 5. She was 83. Carter penned a heartfelt note on social media paying tribute to the groundbreaking performer.
Epper, who performed stunts for numerous women on television and movies in the 1970s and 80s including Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious, and Kill Bill: Vol 2, died of natural causes at her California home in Simi Valley, as family spokesperson Amanda Micheli told The Associated Press. Several celebrities including Carter took to social media to remember her and pay their tributes.
Lynda Carter has a lot to say about Jeannie Epper
Sharing a picture of her and Epper from the sets in the Wonder Woman costumes, Carter wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I have a lot to say about Jeannie Epper. Most of all, I loved her. I always felt that we understood and appreciated one another.” She spoke about how they were evenly strongly connected as two women trying to navigate and break through in their respective men-dominated careers during the 70s. “After all, it was the 70s. We were united in the way that women had to be in order to thrive in a man’s world, through mutual respect, intellect, and collaboration,” she wrote.
Carter said that Epper was a “vanguard who paved the way for all other stuntwomen who came after,” adding “Just as Diana was Wonder Woman, Jeannie Epper was also a Wonder Woman. She is so beautiful to me. Jeannie, I will miss you.”
About Jeanie Epper, her career and achievements
Born in 1941 to stunt performer parents, Epper began learning stunts from her father, who had over 200 stunts to his credit, at the early age of nine. Soon, she became one of the pioneers of professional child stunt doubles. Performing as a stunt double for Carter’s television series was a breakthrough for a woman in a spectrum traditionally dominated by men and since then it was Epper’s world too.
“It wasn’t until sexy ladies like Linda Evans and Lynda Carter said we didn’t want hairy-legged boys doubling for us anymore,” Epper told the TV Academy Foundation website The Interviews in 2014. “They said, ‘These girls are just as good as the guys, only they have shaved legs and don’t have hairy armpits.’”
In a career spanning over seven decades, Epper has performed stunts in over 100 feature films and series and some of her notable works include being a stunt double for Kate Jackson in Charlie's Angels (1976), Romancing the Stone (1984), and Catch Me If You Can (2002), among others. She wasn’t even ready to give up on performing stunts even at the age of 60. “Some guys don't like to put me in a really dangerous position anymore. It hurts your pride to acknowledge that you're getting older. I've had to go through that the past few years. But I'm not emotionally ready to stop yet. My neighbors think I'm nuts,” she told People at the time. Her last stunt credit was at the age of 80 in 2021.
Touted to be the “greatest stuntwoman who ever lived,” Epper also appeared in films like The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Foxy Brown (1974), Switchblade Sisters (1975), Drum (1976), Supernatural (2006), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and Quarantine (2008).
Among several accolades, Epper was the first woman to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards, the most prestigious in the field, in 2007. Epper was also one of the founding members of the Stuntwomen's Association of Motion Pictures in 1968, and she presided over the organization as president in 1999. She also held an honorary membership in the Motion Picture Stuntmen's Association.
Several celebrities paid tribute to Jeannie Epper following her demise
Filmmaker Paul Feig wrote, “All hail Jeannie Epper. Stuntwomen are awesome. Stuntmen are awesome. She was a badass. The stunt community are the unsung heroes. Give them Oscars. Thanks for being such an inspiration, Jeannie. RIP warrior.”
The SAG-AFTRA also wrote that they are “deeply saddened” by Epper’s demise who was “Peerless and fearless, Jeannie created a lasting legacy, paving the way for all stuntwomen who followed. SAG-AFTRA member since 1959.”
Epper is survived by her fourth husband, Tim, her children, Eurlyne. Kurtis and Richard, five grandchildren, among which Christopher is a stuntman, and seven great-grandchildren.
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