Grant Page obit

Grant Page, Legendary Stunt Performer in Australian Films, Dies at 85

He did the seemingly impossible in such movies as ‘Mad Max,’ ‘The Man From Hong Kong,’ ‘Mad Dog Morgan’ and ‘Stunt Rock.’ 

He was not on the list.

Grant Page, the larger-than-life Australian stunt performer famous for his jaw-dropping work in films including Mad Max, The Man From Hong Kong and Mad Dog Morgan, has died. He was 85.

Page died Thursday when the car he was driving near his home in Kendall on the coast of New South Wales hit a tree, his son Leroy Page told Daily Mail Australia.

Page worked with director Brian Trenchard-Smith on more than a dozen projects, including The Stuntmen (1973), King Fu Killers (1974), The Man From Hong Kong (1973) — where Page fights martial arts expert Jimmy Wang Yu in scenes using knives, cleavers and meat hooks — Deathcheaters (1976), Stunt Rock (1978) and Hospitals Don’t Burn Down! (1978).

And for the documentary Dangerfreaks (1987), Trenchard-Smith filmed Page standing on a ledge outside the perimeter fence on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York.

Page “successfully tampered with the laws of physics and probability,” Trenchard-Smith wrote Thursday in a blog post. “The ‘have a go’ spirit, the ‘think it through, take good aim and go for it’ quality that has distinguished Australian achievers in all fields of endeavor was clearly present in Grant.

“He had courage and daring, tempered by a realistic attitude about the risks of his profession in the era before computer-generated stunts.”

For George Miller’s Mad Max (1979), Page famously smashed a car through a caravan and emerged with just a limp (after all, he did begin the stunt with a broken leg). He then returned for Miller in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

After attending the University of Adelaide, Page spent years training with the Commandos, the special forces unit in Australia. He developed skills like rappelling and parachuting that he would use in the movies, and Trenchard-Smith served as his manager early on.

Page jumped backward off an 80-foot cliff while on fire in Mad Dog Morgan (1976), starring Dennis Hopper. And in the mockumentary Stunt Rock, Page, playing a version of himself, did reckless stunts for a TV show during a visit to Los Angeles to visit the heavy metal band Sorcery.

Page was featured in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008), about forgotten Aussie genre cinema, and before the premiere, he did director Mark Hartley a favor and set himself on fire as a publicity stunt. (Page often eschewed the traditional fire suit.)

George Lazenby (for whom Page doubled in The Man From Hong Kong), Stacy Keach (the nemesis of Page’s character in 1981’s Road Games) and Quentin Tarantino speak glowingly of him in the documentary.

“Everyone agreed that he was the single most fearless man they had ever met — and quite possibly the luckiest,” Hartley wrote in a foreword for Page’s 2009 memoirs, Man on Fire: A Stunt of a Life.

Page worked constantly since the mid-1970s, serving most recently as a stunt coordinator on films including Hartley’s Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013), Gods of Egypt (2016), Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), The Defector (2018) and The Legend of the Five (2020).

Survivors include his sons, Gulliver, also a stunt performer (X-Men: Origins, Suicide Squad); Leroy, a grip and stunt performer, too; Adrian; and Jeremy.

Page also receives high praise in Scott McGee’s 2022 book Danger on the Silver Screen, which celebrates the greatest stunts in films.

“He was the kind of stuntman that harkened to those of the silent era, when men and women often approached a stunt by just winging it,” McGee wrote. “He said in an interview, ‘If I worried about coming out of stunts alive, I’d have a gut full of ulcers.’”

 

Stunts

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

stunt performer

Post-production

2024

 

Nicholas Andrianakos, Gabi Sproule, Leigh Joel Scott, Lauren Esposito, Lola Bennett, and Deborah An in The Legend of the Five (2020)

The Legend of the Five

3.7

stunt coordinator

2020

 

The Defector (2018)

The Defector

7.2

Short

stunt coordinator

2018

 

Jason Statham in Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)

Mechanic: Resurrection

5.7

stunt coordinator: Sydney Unit

2016

 

Geoffrey Rush, Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Elodie Yung, Chadwick Boseman, Goran D. Kleut, Abbey Lee, Brenton Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, and Yaya Deng in Gods of Egypt (2016)

Gods of Egypt

5.4

stunt performer

2016

 

Ataraxia

Short

stunt coordinator

2015

 

Terminus (2015)

Terminus

5.3

stunt coordinator

2015

 

Danger 5 (2011)

Danger 5

8.3

TV Series

action coordinator

safety supervisor

2011–2015

8 episodes

 

The Blind Passenger (2013)

The Blind Passenger

Short

stunt coordinator

stunt driver

2013

 

Charles Dance, Martin Crewes, Rachel Griffiths, Eliza Taylor, and Sharni Vinson in Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013)

Patrick: Evil Awakens

4.9

stunt coordinator

2013

 

Edmund and Grace are going to have to run fast if they have any hope of passing their examination.

Spirit-ED

9.0

Short

stunt coordinator

2012

 

Airlie Dodds in The One Who Broke Your Heart (2012)

The One Who Broke Your Heart

8.4

Short

stunt coordinator

2012

 

Nicole Nabout in Treading Water (2012)

Treading Water

Short

stunt coordinator

2012

 

BloodRush

Short

stunt coordinator

2011

 

The Unjudged (2011)

The Unjudged

stunt coordinator

2011

 

Dealing with Destiny

Dealing with Destiny

5.9

stunts

2011

 

X (2011)

X

5.5

stunt coordinator

2011

 

Hobby Farm (2011)

Hobby Farm

3.3

Video

stunts

2011

 

Zoë Gameau in Primal (2010)

Primal

4.9

safety supervisor

2010

 

Guy Pearce, Claudia Karvan, Lincoln Lewis, Lin Zhu, and Angie Tricker in 33 Postcards (2010)

33 Postcards

6.1

stunts

2010

 

Make Me

Short

stunt coordinator

stunts safety supervisor

2010

 

Bad Bush (2009)

Bad Bush

5.5

stunt coordinator

2009

 

Kate Bell in Street Angel (2009)

Street Angel

7.9

Short

stunt coordinator

2009

 

Matthew Newton, Toby Schmitz, and Ewen Leslie in Three Blind Mice (2008)

Three Blind Mice

6.1

stunt coordinator

2008

 

Eleven

Short

stunt coordinator

2008

 

Tatterson

6.6

Short

stunt coordinator

2007

 

Fallers (2007)

Fallers

8.2

Short

stunt coordinator

2007

 

Dr. Plonk (2007)

Dr. Plonk

6.6

stunt coordinator

2007

 

Martin Lynes, Judith McGrath, Georgie Parker, Ling Cooper Tang, Ben Tari, Paul Tassone, Erik Thomson, Brian Vriends, and Jenni Baird in All Saints (1998)

All Saints

7.1

TV Series

stunt coordinator

safety officer

1998–2007

6 episodes

 

The Bet (2006)

The Bet

5.5

fight coordinator

2006

 

The Alice (2005)

The Alice

6.5

TV Mini Series

safety supervisor

stunt coordinator

2005

1 episode

 

Sa Black Thing

7.4

Short

stunt coordinator

2005

 

Alan Cumming, Bob Hoskins, Traylor Howard, Jamie Kennedy, Bear, Liam Falconer, and Ryan Falconer in Son of the Mask (2005)

Son of the Mask

2.3

stunts

2005

 

Splintered

7.5

Short

stunt coordinator

2005

 

Matthew Newton in Right Here Right Now (2004)

Right Here Right Now

4.5

stunt coordinator

2004

 

Ring of Fire (2000)

We Have Decided Not to Die

6.1

Short

stunt coordinator

2004

 

Ross Perrelli, Duncan, and Indiana Evans in Snobs (2003)

Snobs

7.1

TV Mini Series

safety supervisor

2003

6 episodes

 

Liquid Bridge (2003)

Liquid Bridge

3.4

stunt coordinator

2003

 

Two White Lines (2003)

Two White Lines

Short

stunt coordinator

2003

 

Zoe Carides, John Clayton, Rhondda Findleton, Chris Haywood, Tammy Macintosh, Geoff Morrell, and Rhys Muldoon in Grass Roots (2000)

Grass Roots

8.4

TV Series

stunts

2003

1 episode

 

BlackJack (2003)

BlackJack

6.8

TV Movie

stunts

2003

 

The Pact (2002)

The Pact

3.6

stunt coordinator

2002

 

The Tracker (2002)

The Tracker

7.3

stunt coordinator

2002

 

One Born Every Minute (2001)

One Born Every Minute

Short

stunt coordinator

2001

 

The Finder (2001)

The Finder

5.4

TV Movie

stunt choreographer

2001

 

Doing Time for Patsy Cline (1997)

Doing Time for Patsy Cline

6.2

stunt coordinator

1997

 

Jackie Chan in Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

Mr. Nice Guy

6.2

stunts (uncredited)

1997

 

Tushka Bergen and Aaron Blabey in Turning April (1996)

Turning April

7.0

stunt coordinator

1996

 

Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1994)

Snowy River: The McGregor Saga

7.3

TV Series

stunt co-ordinator

1994

1 episode

 

Ray Liotta, Kevin Dillon, Ernie Hudson, and Stuart Wilson in No Escape (1994)

No Escape

6.1

stunts

1994

 

The Gap (1994)

The Gap

3.8

Short

stunts

1994

 

Voyage Into Fear (1993)

Voyage Into Fear

4.8

stunt coordinator

1993

 

Christopher Atkins in Wet and Wild Summer! (1993)

Wet and Wild Summer!

4.1

stunts

1993

 

Shotgun Wedding (1993)

Shotgun Wedding

5.6

stunt coordinator

1993

 

Resistance (1992)

Resistance

5.4

stunt coordinator

1992

 

Daniel D'Amico in Gotcha (1991)

Gotcha

6.6

Short

stunts

1991

 

Deborah Kara Unger and Mark Harmon in Till There Was You (1991)

Till There Was You

4.9

stunt coordinator

1991

 

Driving Force (1989)

Driving Force

4.3

stunt supervisor

1989

 

Police Rescue (1989)

Police Rescue

7.3

TV Series

stunt coordinator

stunts

1989

 

Tender Hooks (1988)

Tender Hooks

5.4

stunt coordinator

1988

 

Stones of Death (1988)

Stones of Death

4.8

fight coordinator

1988

 

The 13th Floor (1988)

The 13th Floor

4.6

fight coordinator

1988

 

Australians (1988)

Australians

TV Mini Series

fight coordinator

stunt coordinator

1988

2 episodes

 

Pandemonium (1987)

Pandemonium

4.1

stunt coordinator

1987

 

Angel in Green (1987)

Angel in Green

6.7

TV Movie

stunt coordinator

1987

 

The Lighthorsemen (1987)

The Lighthorsemen

6.8

stunt coordinator

1987

 

Dangerfreaks (1987)

Dangerfreaks

7.1

stunt coordinator (uncredited)

1987

 

Short Changed (1986)

Short Changed

6.0

fight co-ordinator

1986

 

The Last Frontier (1986)

The Last Frontier

6.4

TV Movie

stunt coordinator

1986

 

John Hurt, Wayne Crawford, and Karen Kopins in Jake Speed (1986)

Jake Speed

4.9

stunt coordinator

1986

 

Shout! - The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (1985)

Shout! - The Story of Johnny O'Keefe

7.4

TV Mini Series

fight coordinator

1985

2 episodes

 

Warming Up (1985)

Warming Up

7.6

stunt coordinator

1985

 

Mel Gibson and Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

6.2

stunt coordinator

1985

 

Amanda Muggleton and Joanne Samuel in Queen of the Road (1984)

Queen of the Road

6.0

TV Movie

stunt coordinator

stunt performer

1984

 

Runaway Island (1984)

Runaway Island

7.8

TV Series

stunt coordinator

1984

1 episode

 

Stanley: Every Home Should Have One (1984)

Stanley: Every Home Should Have One

6.4

stunt coordinator

1984

 

Kenneth Branagh in The Boy in the Bush (1984)

The Boy in the Bush

7.2

TV Mini Series

stunt coordinator

1984

4 episodes

 

Angry Anderson, Robert Baxter, Adrian Bernotti, Alyson Best, David Bracks, Norman Coburn, David Eggby, Iain Gardiner, Deni Gordon, Tim Grogan, James Heyward, Mark Hembrow, David Joseph, Susie Lindeman, John Stone, Frank Thring, Terry Stanton, Greg Bepper, Naomi Lisner, and Christopher Greaves in At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture (1983)

At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture

3.3

stunt coordinator

1983

 

All the Rivers Run (1983)

All the Rivers Run

7.6

TV Mini Series

stunt coordinator

1983

1 episode

 

The City's Edge (1983)

The City's Edge

4.8

stunt coordinator

1983

 

Island Trader (1982)

Island Trader

4.2

TV Movie

stunts

1982

 

Rod Taylor in On the Run (1982)

On the Run

5.5

stunt coordinator (as Grant Paige)

1982

 

Christopher Atkins, Kristy McNichol, Ted Hamilton, Bill Kerr, Garry McDonald, and Chuck McKinney in The Pirate Movie (1982)

The Pirate Movie

5.3

stunt coordinator

1982

 

Brothers (1982)

Brothers

5.0

stunts

1982

 

Lady, Stay Dead (1981)

Lady, Stay Dead

5.2

stunts

1981

 

Road Games (1981)

Road Games

6.6

stunt coordinator

1981

 

The Island (1980)

The Island

5.3

stunts

1980

 

Death Ship (1980)

Death Ship

4.8

stunt coordinator

1980

 

Chantal Contouri and David Hemmings in Thirst (1979)

Thirst

5.8

stunt coordinator

1979

 

The Day After Halloween (1979)

The Day After Halloween

5.2

fire stunts

1979

 

City on Fire (1979)

City on Fire

4.4

stunt coordinator

1979

 

Mad Max (1979)

Mad Max

6.8

stunt coordinator

stunts

1979

 

The Odd Angry Shot (1979)

The Odd Angry Shot

6.7

stunts performed by

1979

 

A Good Thing Going (1978)

A Good Thing Going

5.4

TV Movie

stunt coordinator

1978

 

Robert Thompson in Patrick (1978)

Patrick

6.2

stunts (uncredited)

1978

 

Stunt Rock (1978)

Stunt Rock

5.5

stunt coordinator (uncredited)

1978

 

Hospitals Don't Burn Down! (1978)

Hospitals Don't Burn Down!

7.4

Short

stunt coordinator

1978

 

Say You Want Me

7.1

TV Movie

stunt coordinator

1977

 

All at Sea (1977)

All at Sea

4.8

TV Movie

stunts

1977

 

The Mango Tree (1977)

The Mango Tree

6.9

stunt coordinator

1977

 

Christine Amor and Joseph Bottoms in High Rolling in a Hot Corvette (1977)

High Rolling in a Hot Corvette

5.4

special stunts

1977

 

Rod Taylor, Sally Conabere, John Ewart, Harold Hopkins, Garry McDonald, John Meillon, and Judy Morris in The Picture Show Man (1977)

The Picture Show Man

6.7

stunts

1977

 

Mad Dog Morgan: To Shoot a Mad Dog (1976)

Mad Dog Morgan: To Shoot a Mad Dog

7.8

Short

stunts

1976

 

Robert Bettles in Let the Balloon Go (1976)

Let the Balloon Go

7.2

stunt coordinator

1976

 

Eliza Fraser (1976)

Eliza Fraser

5.7

stunt performer

1976

 

John Hargreaves and Grant Page in Deathcheaters (1976)

Deathcheaters

5.4

stunt coordinator

stunts (uncredited)

1976

 

Mad Dog Morgan (1976)

Mad Dog Morgan

6.1

stunts

1976

 

Dangerfreaks

TV Series

stunt coordinator (1975)

1975

 

The Man from Hong Kong (1975)

The Man from Hong Kong

6.6

hang gliding stunts

stunt coordinator

stunt double: Andre Morgan (uncredited) ...

1975

 

Sunday Too Far Away (1975)

Sunday Too Far Away

6.9

stunt driver (uncredited)

1975

 

The Love Epidemic (1975)

The Love Epidemic

4.9

stunts

1975

 

Actor

Rough Stuff (2017)

Rough Stuff

4.7

Guard

2017

 

Charles Dance, Martin Crewes, Rachel Griffiths, Eliza Taylor, and Sharni Vinson in Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013)

Patrick: Evil Awakens

4.9

Man with beard at pub (uncredited)

2013

 

Brolga

Short

2012

 

Richard Roxburgh in Rake (2010)

Rake

8.5

TV Series

Old Relative

2012

1 episode

 

Danger 5 (2011)

Danger 5

8.3

TV Series

2011–2012

6 episodes

 

Frank's Dream (2011)

Frank's Dream

Short

Jack

2011

 

Chas Licciardello, Craig Reucassel, Chris Taylor, Julian Morrow, and Andrew Hansen in The Hamster Wheel (2011)

The Hamster Wheel

7.8

TV Series

Additional Cast

2011

1 episode

 

Dr. Plonk (2007)

Dr. Plonk

6.6

Painter

2007

 

Sweetie

Short

Frank

2006

 

Blue Water High (2005)

Blue Water High

6.9

TV Series

Skipper

2006

1 episode

 

The Wallet

Short

Drunken Laugher

2004

 

The 13th House (2003)

The 13th House

6.5

Violent Lawn Bowler

2003

 

Alexandra Davies and Alex Dimitriades in Young Lions (2002)

Young Lions

6.6

TV Mini Series

Frank Wallace

2002

1 episode

 

Richard Carter, Don Hany, Peter O'Brien, Brooke Satchwell, and Freya Stafford in White Collar Blue (2002)

White Collar Blue

6.0

TV Series

Jimmy O'Sullivan

2002

1 episode

 

The Tracker (2002)

The Tracker

7.3

The Veteran

2002

 

Lucy Bell and Peter Mochrie in Murder Call (1997)

Murder Call

7.1

TV Series

Lindsay Frampton

2000

1 episode

 

Blur: M.O.R. (1997)

Blur: M.O.R.

6.3

Music Video

Cameo Appearance

1997

 

Water Rats (1996)

Water Rats

6.9

TV Series

Trawler Captain

1997

1 episode

 

Jackie Chan in Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

Mr. Nice Guy

6.2

Giancarlo's Man

1997

 

Tushka Bergen and Aaron Blabey in Turning April (1996)

Turning April

7.0

Tramp

1996

 

Kevin Rampenbacker and the Electric Kettle (1994)

Kevin Rampenbacker and the Electric Kettle

6.1

Pig Farmer

1994

 

Tender Hooks (1988)

Tender Hooks

5.4

One of the Yahoos

1988

 

Runaway Island (1984)

Runaway Island

7.8

TV Series

1984

2 episodes

 

Road Games (1981)

Road Games

6.6

Smith or Jones

1981

 

Chopper Squad (1977)

Chopper Squad

7.2

TV Series

The Bank Robber

1979

1 episode

 

Stunt Rock (1978)

Stunt Rock

5.5

Grant Page

1978

 

Richard Benjamin in No Room to Run (1977)

No Room to Run

4.1

TV Movie

Bearded Assassin at airport (uncredited)

1977

 

Robert Bettles in Let the Balloon Go (1976)

Let the Balloon Go

7.2

Balloon Pilot (uncredited)

1976

 

John Hargreaves and Grant Page in Deathcheaters (1976)

Deathcheaters

5.4

Rodney Cann

1976

 

Mad Dog Morgan (1976)

Mad Dog Morgan

6.1

Sgt. Maginnity

1976

 

The Man from Hong Kong (1975)

The Man from Hong Kong

6.6

Assassin

1975