Joe Powell, stuntman – obituary
He was not on the list.
After stuntman Joe Powell accepted a £50 job to jump out of a plane clutching a dummy, his disappearance to the loo for an inordinate amount of time fuelled speculation he had lost his nerve.
Nothing could have been further from the truth: the veteran commando, whose daredevil credits include three Bond films and an account of the D-Day Landings he had fought in, was simply trying to figure out how the parachute fitted. He had never leapt out of a plane before.
It was utterly typical of the way he worked – on the hoof, to make the sequence more authentic.
“You don’t have time to be scared,” he once explained. “If you stop to think about what you are doing you wouldn’t do it. These days you still see stuntmen falling off cliffs and going straight into a perfect dive. I didn’t have any training so when I performed a stunt the audience were literally seeing someone fall off a cliff – it made it more realistic.”
Though he didn’t have any formal training for the stunt world of the movies, he had a head start courtesy of the gruelling regime the commandos had to conquer as they were put through their paces in the Highlands during the Second World War.
Powell, the son of public house proprietors Joseph Augustus Horatio Powell and his wife Ada, was born at the Shepherd and Flock pub in London’s Shepherd’s Bush. One of six children – his brother Eddie also became a stuntman – he learned to box as a young boy and joined the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers Cadet Corps.
After leaving school at 14 he signed up for the Grenadier Guards in 1939, aged 17, and trained at Chelsea Barracks. He was posted to Troon in Ayrshire after volunteering for the Special Forces and served with No 4 Commando under Lord Lovat. He learned mountain warfarefrom a base camp at Braemar but from 1942 the Commando training centre was at Achnacarry in the West Highlands, a forbidding establishment known as Castle Commando.
All recruits were expected to be at peak physical fitness at all times and in fighting order – able to run and march seven miles in an hour. Such high standards were maintained through punishing exercises with live ammunition and explosives, often in appalling weather conditions. They also needed to be experts in a range of skills including unarmed combat, seamanship, demolition and sabotage plus cliff and mountain climbing – no cliffs are insurmountable, they were told.
It was all perfect preparation for a life beyond soldiering. However he didn’t fall into his new role until he had seen extensive action in Europe, been Mentioned in Dispatches and won the Croix de Guerre.
He took part in Operation Abercrombie, a reconnaissance raid near Boulogne, in April 1942, manning an anti-tank gun from an assault landing craft. Lord Lovat received the Military Cross for the operation. Then 4 Commando’s next major raid was at Dieppe that August. And in June 1944 Powell was part of Operation Overlord, the D-Day Landings. They were the first commandos to reach the beach and stormed the heavy fortifications of Ouistreham (Sword Beach) taking out several gun positions. He was photographed that day helping to carry a wounded colleague.
Then in November that year he took part in Operation Infatuate, the attack on Flushing. By this time they were veterans of amphibious assaults, Powell was seconded to a Marine Commando unit for the mission and landed at Walcheren, with the aim of silencing the enemy guns that were hindering their passage from the Scheldt river estuary to the port of Antwerp which was in the hands of the Germans.
He spent most of the remainder of the war on patrol duties but was also involved in fighting the Nazi Werwolf troops, who were determined to continue the battle even after the German surrender, and guarding POW camps holding concentration camp personnel. He had reached the rank of sergeant and, in his spare time, had also learned to ride in Germany.
His stunt career began when a chance meeting at a bus stop with actor Dennis Price led to him being invited to Shepherd’s Bush studios. Price had indicated that the studios were looking for some strapping chaps for a film. Powell turned up, asked with some trepidation for Price, who unbeknown to him was already an established actor, and was then taken on as an extra. Bit parts in various films followed but he was paid more to ride a motorbike into a tree. He spotted a gap in the market and, along with former SAS hero Jock Easton, founded the country’s first professional stunt team.
Powell worked on scores of films including The Guns of Navarone, The Longest Day, Zulu, The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare. In the 1975 film The Man Who Would Be King he performed a death-defying stunt for Sean Connery, walking a rope bridge, launching himself 100ft down a cliff and landing on a tiny shelf. Michael Caine reportedly couldn’t watch it and director John Huston said it was “the darndest stunt” he’d ever seen. It was named one of the ten greatest stunts.
He performed other high falls for: A Night to Remember, filmed partly in Clydebank; The Guns of Navarone when he plunged 90ft into the sea; Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, when he plummeted 60ft. He was a double for Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins and Telly Savalas, among others.
Powell, who lived latterly in St Leonards-on-Sea, suffered various broken bones and was killed off spectacularly in numerous films. As he once said, after a particularly trying stunt, what a way to make a living.
Married twice, he was predeceased by his wives, Marguerite, known as Clem, and Juliet, and his daughter Shelley. He is survived by his sons John, Nick, Julian, Alex and daughter Penelope.
Stunts
Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine in Half Moon Street
(1986)
Half Moon Street
5.4
stunt arranger
1986
Roger Moore, Tanya Roberts, and Christopher Walken in A View
to a Kill (1985)
A View to a Kill
6.3
stunt arranger (uncredited)
1985
Top Secret! (1984)
Top Secret!
7.2
stunt arranger
stunt performer (uncredited)
1984
Murder: Ultimate Grounds for Divorce (1984)
Murder: Ultimate Grounds for Divorce
4.5
fight arranger
1984
The Final Option (1982)
The Final Option
6.4
stunts (uncredited)
1982
Brian Blessed, Max von Sydow, and Sam J. Jones in Flash
Gordon (1980)
Flash Gordon
6.5
stunts (uncredited)
1980
Lewis Collins, Gordon Jackson, and Martin Shaw in The
Professionals (1977)
The Professionals
8.0
TV Series
stunts
1980
1 episode
James Mason, Roger Moore, and Anthony Perkins in North Sea
Hijack (1980)
North Sea Hijack
6.3
stunts (uncredited)
1980
James Mason, Anthony Quinn, Kay Lenz, and Paul Clemens in
The Passage (1979)
The Passage
6.0
stunt arranger
1979
Caravans (1978)
Caravans
5.9
stunts (uncredited)
1978
Death on the Nile (1978)
Death on the Nile
7.3
stunts (uncredited)
1978
John Thaw and Dennis Waterman in The Sweeney (1975)
The Sweeney
8.1
TV Series
stunts
1975–1978
2 episodes
Golden Rendezvous (1977)
Golden Rendezvous
5.4
stunt arranger
1977
Barry Foster in Van der Valk (1972)
Van der Valk
7.0
TV Series
stunt arranger
1977
2 episodes
Rudolf Nureyev and Michelle Phillips in Valentino (1977)
Valentino
6.1
stunts (uncredited)
1977
The Squeeze (1977)
The Squeeze
6.3
stunts (uncredited)
1977
Peter Cushing, Doug McClure, and Caroline Munro in At the
Earth's Core (1976)
At the Earth's Core
5.0
stunt arranger (uncredited)
1976
Sean Connery and Michael Caine in The Man Who Would Be King
(1975)
The Man Who Would Be King
7.7
stunt double: Sean Connery
stunts (uncredited)
1975
The Land That Time Forgot (1974)
The Land That Time Forgot
5.6
stunts
1974
Jon Voight and Mary Tamm in The Odessa File (1974)
The Odessa File
7.0
stunts (uncredited)
1974
11 Harrowhouse (1974)
11 Harrowhouse
6.2
stunt adviser
stunt arranger
1974
The MacKintosh Man (1973)
The MacKintosh Man
6.3
stunts (uncredited)
1973
Sidney Poitier and Ester Anderson in A Warm December (1973)
A Warm December
6.1
stunts (uncredited)
1973
Fear Is the Key (1972)
Fear Is the Key
6.3
stunts (uncredited)
1972
Young Winston (1972)
Young Winston
6.7
stunts (uncredited)
1972
Michael Caine, Omar Sharif, and Florinda Bolkan in The Last
Valley (1971)
The Last Valley
7.0
stunts (uncredited)
1971
Peter O'Toole in Murphy's War (1971)
Murphy's War
6.7
stunts (uncredited)
1971
The Last Grenade (1970)
The Last Grenade
5.3
stunts (uncredited)
1970
Hell Boats (1970)
Hell Boats
5.5
stunt coordinator
stunts (uncredited)
1970
Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, and George Lazenby in On Her
Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6.7
stunt double: Blofeld (uncredited)
1969
Mosquito Squadron (1969)
Mosquito Squadron
5.7
stunts (uncredited)
1969
Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, and Mary Ure in Where Eagles
Dare (1968)
Where Eagles Dare
7.6
stunt arranger
stunts (uncredited)
1968
Great Catherine (1968)
Great Catherine
5.3
stunts (uncredited)
1968
Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)
Attack on the Iron Coast
5.5
stunts (uncredited)
1968
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Dirty Dozen
7.7
stunts
1967
Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice (1967)
You Only Live Twice
6.8
stunt rigger
stunts (uncredited)
1967
Africa: Texas Style (1967)
Africa: Texas Style
5.3
stunts (uncredited)
1967
Casino Royale (1967)
Casino Royale
5.0
stunts (uncredited)
1967
Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, and Roberta Tovey in
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
5.9
stunts
1966
Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier in Khartoum (1966)
Khartoum
6.8
stunts (uncredited)
1966
Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Senta Berger, and
Yul Brynner in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
Cast a Giant Shadow
6.3
stunts (uncredited)
1966
The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
The Heroes of Telemark
6.5
stunts (uncredited)
1965
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew
from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew
from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
7.0
stunts (uncredited)
1965
Anthony Quinn and James Coburn in A High Wind in Jamaica
(1965)
A High Wind in Jamaica
6.5
stunt double: Anthony Quinn (uncredited)
1965
Mister Moses (1965)
Mister Moses
6.1
stunts (uncredited)
1965
Vincent Price in The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Masque of the Red Death
6.9
stunts (uncredited)
1964
633 Squadron (1964)
633 Squadron
6.4
stunts (uncredited)
1964
Zulu (1964)
Zulu
7.7
stunt arranger
stunt double: Jack Hawkins
stunts (uncredited)
1964
Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rex Harrison in
Cleopatra (1963)
Cleopatra
7.0
stunts (uncredited)
1963
Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Peter O'Toole, José Ferrer,
and Jack Hawkins in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Lawrence of Arabia
8.3
stunts (uncredited)
1962
Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne,
Sean Connery, Sal Mineo, Eddie Albert, Richard Beymer, Red Buttons, Jeffrey
Hunter, Roddy McDowall, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner, Paul Anka, Arletty, Mel
Ferrer, Steve Forrest, Gert Fröbe, Fabian, Jean-Louis Barrault, Bourvil, Ray
Danton, Irina Demick, Leo Genn, Henry Grace, John Gregson, Paul Hartmann,
Werner Hinz, Curd Jürgens, Alexander Knox, Peter Lawford, Christian Marquand,
Kenneth More, Edmond O'Brien, Ron Randell, Madeleine Renaud, Robert Ryan, Tommy
Sands, Richard Todd, Tom Tryon, Peter van Eyck, and Stuart Whitman in The
Longest Day (1962)
The Longest Day
7.7
stunts (uncredited)
1962
Billy Budd (1962)
Billy Budd
7.8
stunts (uncredited)
1962
David Niven, Gregory Peck, and Anthony Quinn in The Guns of
Navarone (1961)
The Guns of Navarone
7.5
stunt coordinator
stunt double: Anthony Quinn
stunts (uncredited)
1961
"Exodus" (Saul Bass Poster) 1960 Columbia Pictures
Exodus
6.7
stunts (uncredited)
1960
A Night to Remember (1958)
A Night to Remember
7.9
stunts: High fall into water
1958
The Steel Bayonet (1957)
The Steel Bayonet
6.2
stunts (uncredited)
1957
Gordon Scott in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957)
Tarzan and the Lost Safari
5.7
stunt coordinator (uncredited)
1957
Anita Ekberg and Victor Mature in Zarak (1956)
Zarak
5.5
stunts (uncredited)
1956
Gregory Peck in Moby Dick (1956)
Moby Dick
7.3
stunts (uncredited)
1956
Alexander the Great (1956)
Alexander the Great
5.8
stunts (uncredited)
1956
Helen of Troy (1956)
Helen of Troy
6.1
stunts (uncredited)
1956
The Master of Ballantrae (1953)
The Master of Ballantrae
6.4
stunts (uncredited)
1953
The Crimson Pirate (1952)
The Crimson Pirate
7.1
stunts (uncredited)
1952
Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo in Captain Horatio Hornblower
(1951)
Captain Horatio Hornblower
7.3
stunts (uncredited)
1951
Robert Newton in Waterfront Women (1950)
Waterfront Women
6.4
stunts (uncredited)
1950
The Spider and the Fly (1949)
The Spider and the Fly
6.7
stunt performer (uncredited)
1949
The Hideout (1948)
The Hideout
6.3
stunts (uncredited)
1948
Actor
Top Secret! (1984)
Top Secret!
7.2
Underwater Cowboy (uncredited)
1984
Golden Rendezvous (1977)
Golden Rendezvous
5.4
Male Nurse
1977
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
7.1
Taxi Passenger
1976
Nigel Davenport, Maurice Roëves, and Michael Witney in Oil
Strike North (1975)
Oil Strike North
6.0
TV Series
Mate
1975
1 episode
11 Harrowhouse (1974)
11 Harrowhouse
6.2
Hickey
1974
Michael Caine, Omar Sharif, and Florinda Bolkan in The Last
Valley (1971)
The Last Valley
7.0
Kaas (uncredited)
1971
Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)
Attack on the Iron Coast
5.5
Commando Sergeant (uncredited)
1968
The Avengers (1961)
The Avengers
8.3
TV Series
Martin (uncredited)
1967
1 episode
The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
The Heroes of Telemark
6.5
Quisling (uncredited)
1965
The Brigand of Kandahar (1965)
The Brigand of Kandahar
5.4
Color Sergeant
1965
Zulu (1964)
Zulu
7.7
Sgt. Windridge
1964
Heidi Brühl and Guy Williams in Captain Sindbad (1963)
Captain Sindbad
5.5
1963
The World's Greatest Sinner (1962)
The World's Greatest Sinner
6.3
Follower
1962
Peter Cushing, Maureen Connell, and Forrest Tucker in The
Abominable Snowman (1957)
The Abominable Snowman
6.4
Yeti (uncredited)
1957
Wendell Corey, Margaret Lockwood, Ronald Shiner, and Forrest
Tucker in Laughing Anne (1953)
Laughing Anne
5.8
Pierre
1953
Cardboard Cavalier (1949)
Cardboard Cavalier
5.9
Rider (uncredited)
1949
Casting Department
Genghis Khan (1965)
Genghis Khan
5.8
extras casting (uncredited)
1965
55 Days at Peking (1963)
55 Days at Peking
6.7
extras casting (uncredited)
1963
William Holden and Nancy Kwan in The World of Suzie Wong (1960)
The World of Suzie Wong
6.9
extras casting (uncredited)
1960
Ingrid Bergman, Robert Donat, and Curd Jürgens in The Inn of
the Sixth Happiness (1958)
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
7.2
extras casting (uncredited)
1958
