Bob Simmons

Bob Simmons

Bob Simmons (Fulham, London, England, 31 March 1923 – 21 October 1987) was an English actor and stunt man who worked in many British-made films, most notably the James Bond series.

Simmons was a former Army Physical Training Instructor at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst who had initially planned to be an actor but thought a career in performing stunts would be more lucrative and interesting. Simmons first worked for Albert R. Broccoli and Irving Allen's Warwick Films on the film The Red Beret, which included future Bond film regulars director Terence Young, screenwriter Richard Maibaum and cameraman, later director of photography Ted Moore. Simmons later worked in many other Warwick Films and worked for Allen in his The Long Ships and Genghis Khan, where he had his eye injured when kicked by a horse. When Albert R. Broccoli began to produce the James Bond films, Simmons tested as an actor for the Bond role, but until his death in 1987, he became the stunt coordinator for every Bond film except From Russia with Love, which he joined later in the production, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Man with the Golden Gun. He appeared in the gun barrel sequence for Sean Connery in three James Bond films: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger. Simmons is the only person to officially perform the scene, while not starring in the main role of James Bond. Simmons was also Connery's stunt double. Simmons also had a role as SPECTRE agent Jacques Bouvar in the pre-title sequence of the fourth film, Thunderball. Simmons developed a stunt technique involving trampolines, first used in You Only Live Twice, whereby stuntmen would bounce off a trampoline in concert with a triggered explosion so as to simulate being blown into the air. This was used in many other films, including by Simmons again in The Wild Geese, where Simmons also doubled for Richard Burton. Upon retirement, Simmons wrote an autobiography entitled Nobody Does It Better titled after the theme song for the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. He died on 21 October 1987.

Crew

1985

A View to a Kill
Movie

Stunt Coordinator

1983

1982

Who Dares Wins
Movie

Stunt Coordinator

1982

The Wall
Movie

Stunt Coordinator

1979

1971

Murphy's War
Movie

Stunt Coordinator

1967

1965

Thunderball
Movie

Stunt Double

1964

Goldfinger
Movie

Stunt Double

1962

Dr. No
Movie

Stunt Double

1961

The Guns of Navarone
Movie

Stunt Coordinator

1961

The Secret Ways
Movie

Stunt Coordinator

1961

1954

Acting

1983

James Bond: The First 21 Years
Movie

Col. Jacques Bouvar (archive footage)

1981

For Your Eyes Only
Movie

Henchman Lotus Explosion Victim (uncredited)

1979

Moonraker
Movie

Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)

1977

The Spy Who Loved Me
Movie

KGB Thug #2 (uncredited)

1976

The Next Man
Movie

London Assassin

1971

Murphy's War
Movie

German Submarine Crewman (uncredited)

1965

Thunderball
Movie

Jacques Bouvar - SPECTRE #6 (uncredited)

1965

Thunderball
Movie

Colonel Jacques Bouvar - SPECTRE #6

1964

Goldfinger
Movie

James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)

1963

From Russia with Love
Movie

James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)

1962

Dr. No
Movie

James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)

1962

The Road to Hong Kong
Movie

Astronaut (uncredited)

1961

The Guns of Navarone
Movie

German Soldier on Navarone (uncredited)

1961

1958

A Night to Remember
Movie

Stoker (uncredited)

1958

1955

1953

Infos

Full Name
Bob Simmons
Gender
Male
Date of Birth
3/31/1922
Date of Death
10/21/1987