Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman stunt double Jeannie Epper passes away at 83, actress pays tribute

Jeannie Epper, who was the stunt double for Lynda Carter on Wonder Woman, passed away at the age of 83. The news was confirmed by her family, who told the Hollywood Reporter she died of natural causes at her home in Simi Valley, California, on Sunday, May 5, 2024.

Epper was the main stunt double for Carter, who played the titular superhero on the TV show Wonder Woman, throughout its run (1975–1988). As news of Epper's death spread, the actress took to Twitter to pay tribute to the stuntwoman and express her loss, writing:

"Jeannie was a vanguard who paved the way for all other stuntwomen who came after. Just as Diana was Wonder Woman, Jeannie Epper was also a Wonder Woman. She is so beautiful to me. Jeannie, I will miss you."

Lynda Carter's tribute to Jeannie Epper (Image via X/ @RealLyndaCarter)

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Jeannie Epper was the first woman to win a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Taurus World Stunt Awards

Epper was born into a family of stuntmen. She was the daughter of stunt performers John and Frances Epper and the sister of stunt double siblings. According to the Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, director Steven Speilberg famously dubbed the family the "Flying Wallendas of Film."

Interestingly, her children Eurlyne and Richard (her son Kurtis was also a stuntman before his death) and one grandson, Christopher, have careers in the stunt industry (making it the four generations of Eppers in the stunt business).

She was also one of the first professional child doubles, beginning her career at the age of 9 in Elopement (1951). The stunt woman has worked as a double on over 160 films and TV shows through her 70-year-long career. Her final stunt credit was in 2021, at the age of 80.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, in Scott McGee’s book Danger on the Silver Screen (2022), Jeannie Epper explained she felt performing stunts "empowers her and gives her a sense of great accomplishment and control," adding:

"As a woman, when you pull off something that only men do, it raises respect for all women. It opens the door for women to do all kinds of things."

McGee, in his tribute X post, called Jeannie Epper a "wonder of a woman," stating that she "solidified the idea that when a female star needed a stunt double, its gotta be a stuntwoman and not a stuntman wigged to look like a woman."

She has worked on hit films like Foxy Brown (1974), Charlie's Angels (1976), Catch Me if You Can (2002), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), and Quarantine (2008). She won the 1985 Annual Stuntman Award for Most Spectacular Stunt (Feature Film) for her work on Romancing the Stone (1984).

In May 2007, she received a lifetime achievement award at the Taurus World Stunt Awards, making her the first woman to receive the honor. She was also one of the subjects (in addition to Zoe Bell) in the 2004 documentary about stuntwomen, Double Dare.

According to a 2007 article by Entertainment Weekly, Jeannie Epper's career was not without injuries, as she once even got trapped when beams of fire crashed around her. The same article would describe her as "the greatest stuntwoman who ever lived."

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Jeannie Epper is survived by her husband Tim, her children Eurlyne and Richard, her five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.