The man who made death-defying comedy cool was one Harold Lloyd, who most famously hung from a clock tower in Never Weaken, a darkly comic film about a sweet young man. Watching Lloyd’s films is like being at the carnival – you never know what to expect next, but it’s sure to take your breath away.
Whether it’s dangling several stories above bustling city streets or trying to win a woman, Keaton did everything with a moxie that may seem lacking in today’s ultra-serious stars. With over two hundred acting credits to his name, Lloyd was another trailblazer when it came to stunts – they couldn’t edit out a wire harness later on. If he slipped, he fell.
Daniel Craig
If you're suiting up as James Bond, you'd better be ready to prove you have what it takes. And Daniel Craig has done more than his fair share, with the movies giving him plenty of opportunities to wow without the help of a stuntman.
If Daniel Craig had only done half of the stunts in his stable of Bond films, it would still be impressive, but no, he did them all. Perhaps you remember the incredible parkour chase scene from the beginning of Casino Royale? He's paid the price, too – during one scene, he got his teeth smashed in.
Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds has been a big name in the movie industry, and especially the action film industry, for some time now, and while he doesn't do his own stunts anymore, he used to love doing them. You may wonder: why the switch? It turns out that he seriously injured himself on the set of the 2013 blockbuster Safe House.
Since then his doctor has barred him from doing anything that might result in further injury. Up until then, he had been doing all his own fights, falls, and scenes, and sadly had to pass the reigns off to stuntmen who are still able to help the movie finish filming.
Gina Carano
A pretty common track for people to take is to move from sports into acting. Being in action movies requires good fitness, but it's nothing compared to being an athlete, so it allows aging athletes to keep working with the skills and performance they already have.
Gina Carano was a professional MMA fighter who decided to make the move and show her stuff on the big screen, first appearing in Haywire, a 2011 film that had created the character with Carano in mind. She also did her own stunts in the Marvel blockbuster Deadpool, playing a mutant named Angel Dust.
Tom Holland
Another actor from Spider-Man films, Tom Holland is the most recent web-slinger, and thus never worked with Willem Defoe. Holland was only twenty-one when cast as Spider-Man – making his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War – and he continues to impress as this classic Marvel character.
He trained hard and is known for his excellent gymnastics skills, which allowed him to perform as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. This character is known for flipping, diving, and swinging everywhere, so it's no surprise that the actor who plays him nowadays is ready to accumulate bruises in order to make the movies look authentic.