Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/87061
just basically a passenger. "I was once buried alive in a cave-in sequence. And that was terrifying to me, because no matter how much confidence I had in myself, I had no idea what it was going to be (like) to be buried alive. And even had I been an Olympian athlete, it wouldn't have helped me. All you had to do was to have the guts to go down there and let them do what they had to do to you," Palmisano said. Relying on others isn't always easy, but it has helped bring stunt performers together into a tight-knit community. "You rely on each other; you have to have a heck of a lot of trust in the person that's rigging you," Gallin said. "When I was lit on fire, the people that rigged me, the people that were standing there with the fire extinguishers — I'm putting my health in their hands. You don't want somebody texting at that time or on the phone. You want people who are focused and understand what's going on." SAG-AFTRA members Julie Michaels and Peewee Piemonte, Tony Epper Remembered member of the legendary Epper clan of stunt professionals, died July 20 at age 73 at his home in Salmon, Idaho. Beyond Epper's immediate family, Epper's death affected many people within and outside of the stunt community. For SAG-AFTRA's Co- T ony Epper, a SAG-AFTRA actor, stunt performer and who operate JMP Productions Inc., said stunt performers are always there for each other, both on and off the set — and oſten that kindness has a way of coming back. "I can't tell you how many times we've lent help or support to someone thinking, 'Wow, we're doing something for them,' but they end up saving us in the end," Michaels said. A medic who oſten worked with Piemonte called Michaels, saying he was experiencing a dry spell and needed money, hoping she had some work for him. Even though they didn't need him, the couple agreed to bring him in for her next job — a high fall — just to help him out. The decision proved fortuitous. "That man saved my life on that Monday. If he had not been there, I probably would be paralyzed," Michaels said. As a medic, "he knew what to do when I got hurt, and he took care of me. It's so funny, because here I think I'm helping him, and he ended up making all the difference for me." The Safety Net Through the falls and fires and high-speed chases, contracts guarantee minimum rates of pay, provisions for transportation and meals, rest periods and other protections. With the spotty nature of stunt work, and the ever-present risk of injury, residuals are the vital safety net that can keep performers paying their bills through the lean times. Being a member of SAG-AFTRA is what makes it all possible. "It's been invaluable. I don't think we would be treated the SAG-AFTRA has stunt performers' backs. The union's same way if we weren't members of a union," Gallin said. "If there wasn't a residuals base, I know I couldn't stay in the business." Piemonte, who won the 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Stunt continues on page 30 28 SAG-AFTRA | Fall 2012 | SAGAFTRA.org Epper family. That's underscored by the fact that Epper's sister Jeannie — an accomplished stunt professional in her own right — donated one of her kidneys to Howard. Howard met Tony Epper while filming Manhunter in the early President Ken Howard and his wife Linda, who was also a stunt performer, the loss was deeply felt. Both are close friends of the 1970s, by which time Epper was already a legend. "That summer I was talking with Sunshine Parker, who was a well-known wrangler," Howard said. "We were talking about how the cowboys and the stuntmen could really handle themselves; they were a rough and ready bunch. And he said, 'Well, you know, son, there's tough, there's really tough and then there's Tony Epper.'" Throughout his colorful career, Epper Lancaster, Howard, anything that Tony couldn't do. stuntman; I don't think there was He was a great he worked on numerous film and television shows, including The Streets of San Francisco, Beverly Hills Cop, Thelma & Louise and Waterworld. He chalked up many credits for acting, as well, including roles in Daniel Boone, Batman, The A-Team, Airwolf and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Epper had a reputation as a consummate professional; you among many others. As a stunt performer, Chuck Connors, Slim Pickens and doubled for Burt knew you were in good hands when you worked with him. Howard said he always had two feelings when he was involved in a fight scene with Epper. "One was that I was completely safe and that he was going to protect me. And the other is that he could just snap me in two if he wanted to," Howard said. Stunt & Safety Committee member Manny Perry recalled how Coordination for his work on Southland and has been nominated again this year, agreed. the seasoned Epper was generous with his time and knowledge, assisting him by offering tips on the finer points of the stunt game. "He was a gentlemen, he was polite, but a real tough guy," Perry said. "He was a great stuntman; I don't think there was anything that Tony couldn't do."