Vale – Loren Janes

Hollywood stuntman Loren Janes, known for his work alongside Steve McQueen and in James Cameron’s True Lies, has passed away.

Most folks will never have heard of Loren Janes. You really should: Janes was a leading figure in modern stunt design, and co-founded the Stuntman’s Association Of Motion Pictures (in 1961), an organisation that legitimised the work of countless stunt-people within the film industry. During his career, he worked on films as diverse as Bullit (with Steve McQueen), The Towering Inferno (with Paul Newman) and How The West Was Won (doubling, of all people, Debbie Reynolds!), as well as multiple James Cameron films including The Abyss and True Lies. Notably, Janes appeared in a key action sequence in True Lies, alongside his wife Ginger, as the couple inside an elevator into which Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harry Tasker rode a horse. I’ve included a clip of the scene below (sans original audio), in case you have a foggy memory.

Loren Janes’ filmography includes countless uncredited and credited projects, including television, throughout his lengthy career, with his most recent being Wild Wild West (1999), and Spider-Man 2 (2002). Loren Janes passed away on June 24th, aged 85. His legacy for film stuntwork and contribution to the artistry of cinema will live on in the films he touched through his work.

Who wrote this?

Rodney Twelftree

“Some people say I like films. Those people are wrong. I *love* films.” – Me. I said this.

Rodney has been writing about films for well over two decades, appreciates a good wine, the love of his wife and kids, and the affection of his dog and cats. He has a fondness of cheesy 90’s action and classic Hollywood, hates that physical media is disappearing, and wishes somebody would make a high-budget series of The Neverending Story.

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