Another worry of Hollywood stuntmen is that runaway production and the influx of stunt performers from other countries is making it harder to hustle up work.
"I started in 1977," said stunt coordinator Glenn Wilder, 49. "Back then, if you went on an interview for a show, maybe 15 other guys were there.... Now there are 150 or 200 guys there. And they're from all over the world."
The Screen Actors Guild said 6,595 of its members identify themselves as stunt performers, 75% of them men. But working stunt professionals say the figure is really closer to 2,500 -- and 200 to 300 of them are older than 60.
The bad old days
Donno is a throwback to an era when car stunts were performed without safety harnesses, roll cages or fireproof suits.
In his prime, before sending a car airborne, he would simply tie himself in with a rope, lean over on the front seat and roll the car. It was called a "tie down." If you walked away after the roof caved in, you did good.
Donno's specialty is stair falls. "I love a good stair fall if it's one that's real steep," he said. The trick to not breaking your neck? "You always want to put your chin on your chest because it stops your head from whipping."
While doubling for an actress in a wig and high heels in the 1972 film "Welcome Home, Soldier Boys," Donno was thrown out of a car doing 40 mph, launched himself into a handstand and kept on going.
"That was my first flip," he recalled, "and I didn't stop flipping until I was up the embankment on the other side of the freeway. The director said, 'I love it! I'll put a camera on the fender and we'll do it again.' " Donno said he turned to the driver and said, "OK, but next time make it 25 mph."
As filmmakers strive for bigger and more daring stunts, stunt professionals know they can be injured or even killed if something goes awry. "There's a lot of luck involved not to get hurt in this business," Donno said. Indeed, over the years a number of stunt people have lost their lives working on the set. One of the more sensational accidents occurred in 1994, when Sonja Davis, a rising stuntwoman, plunged 47 feet into an air bag and hit her head while filming "Vampire in Brooklyn" for Paramount Pictures. She died soon after.
But Donno still feels lucky. A gray-haired fireplug of a man, he has no plans to retire soon, despite the aches and pains that come with the job.
