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Sky News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Ronnie Rondell Jr: Veteran Hollywood stuntman set on fire for Pink Floyd album cover dies
Veteran stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr, who was set on fire for the front cover of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album, has died, his family has said. Rondell Jr, who performed in a host of Hollywood films, including How the West Was Won, Ice Station Zebra, Twister and The Matrix Reloaded, was 88. He died at a care home in Osage Beach, Missouri, earlier this week, his family said in a statement posted on the Hedges-Scott-Millard funeral homes website. Rondell Jr was pictured as a businessman on fire on the cover of the British rock band's multi-million-selling 1975 album. His moustache was singed off during the shoot on the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank, California, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rondell Jr also racked up numerous TV credits and was known for taking on daring stunts involving diving, gymnastics and hang-gliding skills. One of his best-known stunts was leaping from a pole that was on fire as it toppled over in the 1963 adventure film Kings of the Sun. Two years later, he could be seen in midair flying upside down above a cannon in the 1965 western Shenandoah. Among his other movie credits are the James Bond adventure, Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Mel Brooks's Blazing Saddles (1974), Lethal Weapon (1987), Thelma & Louise (1991), Speed (1994) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996). He later came out of retirement to take part in a spectacular car chase in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), on which his son R A Rondell was the supervising stunt coordinator. Rondell came from a family steeped in the movies, with his father, Ronald R Rondell, an extra who graduated to working as an assistant director on films like Around the World in 80 Days and various TV shows. One of his sons, R A Rondell, is a stunt performer and coordinator, while another son, Reid Rondell, 22, died in 1985 in a helicopter crash in California while performing a stunt on the TV series Airwolf. Born in Hollywood in 1937, Rondell excelled in gymnastics and diving at school before entering the US Navy, where he specialised in scuba diving and mine force demolition. He began as an extra before graduating to TV stunt work, eventually setting up Stunts Unlimited, which represented top motorcycle racers, car drivers, horsemen, pilots, aerial specialists and fight choreographers. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Rondell, his son, R A Rondell, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lethal Weapon, Star Trek and Matrix icon dies, aged 88
Hollywood stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr - who was photographed for the front cover of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album cover after being set alight - has died at the age of 88. Ronnie died at a care home in the US state of Missouri. The stuntman had been involved in some of the biggest films and TV series of the last 70 years - including Lethal Weapon, Thelma and Louise, Star Trek: First Contact, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, Baywatch, Spartacus, Diamonds are Forever, Blazing Saddles, Towering Inferno and The Karate Kid Ronnie was born in California in 1937 and started acting in the 1950s, he was a stuntman in the 50s TV show Soldiers of Fortune. He went on to become a stunt co-ordinator, working on films such as Batman and Robin. READ MORE: People are risking their lives at one of Wales' most famous beauty spots READ MORE: Three dead, eight hurt, after number of gunmen enter New York restaurant Many will recognise Ronnie as the stuntman who was set alight for the cover of Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. He worse a wuit and wig covered in flame-retardant gel but still suffered minor burns - losing some facial hair. Ronnie was one of the founders of stunts company Stunts Unlimited in California in 1970. In a post on social media, Stunts Unlimited wrote: "In a class all his own, Ronnie was a generous mentor whose talents set the bar for every aspiring stunt person. "He was deeply respected, admired and loved. Ronnie was not just a legend, he was legendary and will be deeply missed." Ronnie retired in 2001 but completed one final scene, a car chase in The Matric Reloaded in 2003 and was given a lifetime achievement award at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2004. Ronnie's son Reid died while performing a helicopter stunt for the TV series Airwolf in 1985.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hollywood stuntman set on fire for Pink Floyd cover dies aged 88
Ronnie Rondell Jr - who was famously set alight for the front cover of Pink Floyd's iconic Wish You Were Here album cover - has died at the age of Hollywood stuntman and actor died on 12 August at a care home in the US state of Missouri, according to an online was involved in the production of a number of 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, who is also called Ronald. Rondell was born in California in 1937 and got his first acting role as a teenager in the early 1950s in the film Ma and Pa Kettle at the first role as a stuntman was for the TV series Soldiers of Fortune, which ran from 1955 to the 1960s and 1990s 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 - a feat he performed for the 1963 adventure film Kings of the was also involved in fighting scenes in the 1965 film Shenandoah, which was set during the US Civil War, a bar brawl in the 1974 Western comedy Blazing Saddles and impressive fire scenes in The Towering Inferno, which was released the same in his career, he worked as a stunt co-ordinator for films including Batman and Robin, and The Mighty Ducks. While many might not recognise Rondell's name, they will have likely seen him set alight for the cover of Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here while shaking hands with fellow stuntman Danny 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. He retired in 2001, but earned his final stunt credit for The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 - taking part in a complex car chase scene. Rondell was given a lifetime achievement honour at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2004. He was not the only performer in the family. His father, Ronald R Rondell, was an actor and assistant director - known for his work on films including the 1956 adaptation of the Jules Verne novel Around the World in 80 of Rondell's sons have also worked in the industry, one of whom, Reid, died while performing a helicopter stunt for the TV series Airwolf in 1985.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dan Tana, Former Owner of Namesake Hollywood Restaurant, Dies at 90
Dan Tana, the sometime actor and former maitre d' who opened the namesake Dan Tana's Restaurant in West Hollywood in 1964, has died at the age of 90. The eatery, which became a Los Angeles institution, hosting actors and various industry figures, announced Tana's death in a Facebook post on Saturday, saying that he had 'passed on.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Michael Sloan, 'The Equalizer' Co-Creator, Dies at 78 Ronnie Rondell Jr., Hollywood Stuntman Set on Fire for a Pink Floyd Album, Dies at 88 Tristan Rogers, 'General Hospital' Star, Dies at 79 'We all know that he created a very magical place,' the statement, attributed to Dan Tana's staff, said of the restaurant's former owner. 'Our beloved little yellow house will forever feel his presence.' Tana took over the old Dominick's in West Hollywood in 1964, after working as a maitre d' at La Scala and Villa Capri, and saw a need for a place where stars could gather and dine late into the night (he kept the kitchen open until 12:30 a.m.). 'There was not a decent restaurant serving until 1 a.m. You had to go to a coffee shop,' Tana said of the L.A. dining scene at the time in a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter in which he looked back at his eponymous eatery as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. In the Saturday Facebook post, Dan Tana's staff said that working for La Scala and Villa Capri inspired Tana to open his own place. 'He was always proud of where he came from and what he accomplished,' the post continued, noting Tana's past as a former soccer star in Yugoslavia. The staff praised his 'wonderful stories' about Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis. 'This man is a legend, and as you know a legend never dies,' the Facebook post concluded. Tana sold the restaurant to current owner Sonja Perencevic in 2009 and moved to Belgrade, Serbia. Hollywood figures who frequented the restaurant include Cameron Diaz, Harry Dean Stanton, Rick Yorn, Nick Styne, Jerry West, Johnny Carson, Jack Nicholson and Dabney Coleman. More to come. Best of The Hollywood Reporter MTV VMAs: 27 of the Awards Show's Wildest Moments of All Time From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More
