Sometimes you don’t always start out doing what you should in the place that you need to be. This can be seen with actor and Hollywood stuntman Chris Durand. Chris was born in Connecticut, raised in California, and spent summers living in Colorado. He was also an architect graduate from UCLA…before he discovered his passion for working in Hollywood. Through a series of events, he found himself working stunts on a little horror movie called Cameron’s Closet in 1988. This would be the starting point for his amazing journey in entertainment.
Five years later Mr. Durand started booking very small acting roles in titles including Demolition Man (1993), Class of 1999 II: The Substitute (1994), and Uncle Sam (1996). Not to forget his passion for stunt-work, he received stunt-jobs on film sets including Maniac Cop II (1990), The Last Boyscout (1991), 976-Evil II (1991), The Crow (1994), The Mask (1994), Lawnmower Man II (1996), Jurassic Park (1997), and Scream II (1997). In 1998, he landed the role of Michael Myers in Halloween: H20. In the film, Michael Myers attacks his sister, Laurie Strode, on the twentieth anniversary of his first attempt on her life, the year she has a 17-year-old son. The two eventually meet in a dramatic, lengthy battle at the end of the feature. Also in 1998, Chris did stunts for the mega-hit Armageddon.
So, where is Chris Durand now?
He’s still doing both careers, actually. His minor acting roles include two episodes of “Angel” in 2000, a guest spot on “Power Rangers: Time Force” in 2001, and a bit part in comedy Miss March (2009). His stunt-work is the really noteworthy part of his continued success. He handled the field on films including Miss Congeniality (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
If you ever need a stunt coordinator, there is simply no better!
