Simon Crane Explained

Simon Crane (born 1960) is a British stuntman, stunt coordinator, second unit director and film director.

Biography

Born in Twickenham, Middlesex, England. Crane was originally a law student, but not liking it, he dropped out after one year and worked as an acrobat in a circus for three years. To fulfill English requirements for stuntmen to achieve instructor level in six sports, Crane became an instructor in gymnastics, parachuting, scuba diving, high diving, karate, and fencing. When he could not obtain a union card as a stuntman fast enough, he became an instructor in three more sports, including hang gliding.[1] His father, Dr. John Crane, was the doctor for Arsenal F.C. and the England national football team.

Career

Crane's first major work came in the 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill. In 1987 he became Timothy Dalton's stunt double in The Living Daylights. He also played the character of Che Che in a reenactment of the "gatecrasher" fight scene from On Her Majesty's Secret Service traditionally used to test the fighting skills of actors up for the part of James Bond. Vic Armstrong coordinated the fight. Actors believed to have tested opposite Crane in the screen tests include Mark Greenstreet, Sam Neill and Pierce Brosnan.

After spending five years as the apprentice to an experienced stunt coordinator, Crane was allowed to act as second unit stunt coordinator on Licence to Kill. In 1993, Crane performed the dangerous-looking aerial transfer for the film Cliffhanger, for which he earned an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for being part of the most expensive stunt ever performed. It cost $1 million to have Simon Crane descending on a rope between two planes at an altitude of 4,572 m (15,000 ft).

In 1995 he became the overall stunt coordinator for GoldenEye – the opening bungee jump was voted the greatest film stunt ever in a poll for Sky Movies. After a four-year break from the Bond franchise, during which he coordinated stunts for the Academy Award-winning films Titanic (in which he happened to play fourth officer Joseph Boxhall, and had two lines) and Saving Private Ryan, Crane returned to handle the stunts for The World Is Not Enough, with Vic Armstrong as second unit director.

Crane also took the role of stunt coordinator in Will Smith's Hancock (2008).He was to make his directorial début directing a film adaptation of the popular video game, but departed from the project.[2] Crane directed the 3-D supernatural thriller The Peak,[3] which was based on a screenplay from Neal Marshall Stevens[4] and Crane worked with Will Smith again as second unit director and stunt coordinator on Men in Black 3.

Filmography

YearTitleStuntsSecond unit directorDirector
1990Kevin Reynolds
1994FrankensteinKenneth Branagh
1995BraveheartMel Gibson
GoldenEyeMartin Campbell
1996101 DalmatiansStephen Herek
1997TitanicJames Cameron
1998Saving Private RyanSteven Spielberg
1999The MummyStephen Sommers
The World Is Not EnoughMichael Apted
2000Vertical LimitMartin Campbell
2001Simon West
2002EnoughMichael Apted
2003Jonathan Mostow
Jan De Bont
Beyond BordersMartin Campbell
2004TroyWolfgang Petersen
2005Mr. & Mrs. SmithDoug Liman
2006Brett Ratner
2007StardustMatthew Vaughn
2008Quantum of SolaceMarc Forster
JumperDoug Liman
Bedtime StoriesAdam Shankman
HancockPeter Berg
2009SurrogatesJonathan Mostow
2011Your HighnessDavid Gordon Green
In the Land of Blood and HoneyAngelina Jolie
2012Men in Black 3Barry Sonnenfeld
2013World War ZMarc Forster
2014Maleficent
Edge of TomorrowDoug Liman
2016Jason BournePaul Greengrass
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Gareth Edwards
2018Robin HoodOtto Bathurst
2019David Leitch
Joachim Rønning
2020DolittleStephen Gaghan
2021Chaos WalkingDoug Liman
InfiniteAntoine Fuqua

Actor:

References

  1. Web site: Spence D. . Interview with Tomb Raider Stunt Coordinator Simon Crane . IGN . February 29, 2020 . June 6, 2001.
  2. Web site: Report: Kane & Lynch Movie Loses Director.
  3. Web site: Horror Vet Takes Us to 'The Peak' of Terror in 3D.
  4. Web site: Horror at Its Peak in 3D.