Kathryn Armstrong
BBC News
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 88.
The Hollywood stuntman and actor died on 12 August at a care home in the US state of Missouri, according to an online obituary.
Rondell 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 Fair.
His first role as a stuntman was for the TV series Soldiers of Fortune, which ran from 1955 to 1957.
Between 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 Sun.
He 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 year.
Later 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 Rogers.
Aubrey Powell, who took the photograph for the album cover, told The Guardian in 2020 that Rondell had been reluctant to do the stunt and said it was more dangerous than an action scene.
Powell said Rondell had a suit and wig covered in flame retardant, and was covered in a gel to protect him.
This was successful 14 times but on the 15th attempt, the wind changed direction and blew the fire into his face, causing him to lose an eyebrow and part of his signature moustache.
“Ronnie was very gracious about it considering… but as far as he was concerned as a professional in the movie industry it was all in a day’s work,” said Powell.
Rondell was one of three founders of a 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.”
Rondell retired in 2001, but earned his final stunt credit for The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 – taking part in a complex car chase scene.
He was given a lifetime achievement honour at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2004.
Rondell 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 Days.
Both 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.
