Ronnie Rondell Jr, a Hollywood stuntman and actor, has died at the age of 88. He died on 12 August at a care home in the US state of Missouri. Rondell was involved in the production of many films and TV shows during his long career, including Lethal Weapon, Thelma and Louise, and Star Trek: First Contact. He is survived by his wife Mary and his son Ronald. Rondell was born in California in 1937 and got his first acting role as a teenager in the early 1950s. He worked on several US TV series, including Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, and Baywatch, as well as movies such as Spartacus, Diamonds are Forever, and The Karate Kid. One of his best-known stunts was leaping from a pole that was on fire as it toppled over. He was also involved in fighting scenes in the 1965 film Shenandoah and impressive fire scenes in The Towering Inferno. Rondell was famously set alight for the front cover of Pink Floyd’s iconic Wish You Were Here album cover. During the shoot, the wind changed direction and blew the fire into his face, causing him to lose an eyebrow and part of his signature moustache. Rondell started his own stunts company, Stunts Unlimited, in California in 1970 and retired in 2001. He earned his final stunt credit for The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 and was given a lifetime achievement honour at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2004.
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