Gerry Crampton (1930-2009)
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Alias:
Jerry Crampton
Robert Gerald Crampton
Birthplace:
Fulham, London, England
Born:
April 28, 1930
Died:
January 24, 2009
Gerry Crampton was a British stunt performer and stunt coordinator best known for his work in the James Bond film series. The eldest of five children, Robert Gerald Crampton, was born in Fulham on 28 April 1930. His father, a keen amateur boxer, taught Gerry and his brothers to box. He also became a keen swimmer and taught himself to dive. Gerry left school at the age of 14 to become a butcher's boy before returning to London in 1945, initially finding work at Ealing Studios as a sound assistant on David Lean's Great Expectations (1946). In 1948 Crampton was called up for his National Service and found himself working as a teletypist in the RAF. After Gerry began bodybuilding, winning Britain's Mr Body Beautiful in 1956. Crampton's big chance in films came when he met the James Bond stunt coordinator, Bob Simmons, in 1960, who took him under his wing. In 1967 he appeared in The Avengers episode entitled "Dead Man's Treasure" in the role of 1st Guest. Crampton had a special expertise working in India where he first worked on Tarzan Goes to India in 1962 with Jock Mahoney. He was to return to India 48 more times in his career, working on countless Indian as well as British productions