Bob Simmons

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1922-03-31

Deathday 1987-10-21 (65 years old)

Place of Birth Fulham, London, England

Bob Simmons

Biography

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.

Known For

Actor

1981
For Your Eyes Only

as Henchman Lotus Explosion Victim (uncredited)

1979
Moonraker

as Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)

1977
The Spy Who Loved Me

as KGB Thug #2 (uncredited)

1971
Murphy's War

as German Submarine Crewman (uncredited)

1965
Thunderball

as Colonel Jacques Bouvar - SPECTRE #6 (uncredited)

1965
Thunderball

as Jacques Bouvar - SPECTRE #6 (uncredited)

1964
Goldfinger

as James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)

1963
From Russia with Love

as James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)

1962
Dr. No

as James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)

1962
The Road to Hong Kong

as Astronaut (uncredited)

1961
The Guns of Navarone

as German Soldier on Navarone (uncredited)

1961
Fury at Smugglers' Bay

as Carlos, a pirate

1959
1958
A Night to Remember

as Stoker (uncredited)

1958
Tank Force!

as Mustapha

1955
Billete para Tánger

as Peter Valentine

1953
The Sword and the Rose

as French Champion

1953
The Flanagan Boy

as Booth Man

Crew

1985
A View to a Kill

as Stunt Coordinator

1983
Octopussy

as Stunts

1982
Who Dares Wins

as Stunt Coordinator

1982
The Wall

as Stunt Coordinator

1981
1979
Moonraker

as Stunts

1978
The Wild Geese

as Stunts

1977
The Spy Who Loved Me

as Stunt Double

1974
1973
1971
1967
You Only Live Twice

as Stunt Double

1965
Thunderball

as Stunt Double

1964
Goldfinger

as Stunt Double

1962
Dr. No

as Stunt Double

1961
The Secret Ways

as Stunt Coordinator

1961
Fury at Smugglers' Bay

as Stunt Coordinator

1954
The Black Knight

as Stunt Double

1939
Jamaica Inn

as Stunts