Wonder Woman Star Lynda Carter Pays Tribute to Late Stuntwoman Jeannie Epper

The entertainment world continues to mourn the loss of Jeannie Epper, after the stuntwoman passed away due to natural causes on Sunday, May 5th. Epper was a prolific stuntwoman across movies and television with more than 100 credits to her name, including doubling for Lynda Carter's Diana Prince / Wonder Woman in the Wonder Woman television show. In a social media post on Monday, Carter paid tribute to her onscreen double, championing Epper for being "a vanguard" of her field. The post also included a behind-the-scenes photo of Carter and Epper together. 

"I have a lot to say about Jeannie Epper," Carter's post reads. "Most of all, I loved her. I always felt that we understood and appreciated one another. After all, it was the 70s. We were united in the way that women had to be in order to thrive in a man's world, through mutual respect, intellect and collaboration. Jeannie was a vanguard who paved the way for all other stuntwomen who came after. Just as Diana was Wonder Woman, Jeannie Epper was also a Wonder Woman. She is so beautiful to me. Jeannie, I will miss you."

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A post shared by Lynda Carter (@reallyndacarter)

Born on January 27, 1941 in Simi Valley, California, Epper was the second generation of her family to go into the stunt field. 

"I knew down deep inside I wanted to do something sporty or athletic," Epper told Wonderland. "I wasn't quite sure where I was going, so the stunt business seemed to be right up my alley. It was what I wanted to do. I stood in a lot, worked as an extra, in those days you did all that, and I ended up doubling this person and that person, and my career was on its' way. I have a lot of my fathers integrity, which is, if I can do it, I can do it, and if I can't, I'll tell you I can't."

Beginning her career as one of the first child stunt performers, she eventually broke through as Carter's double on Wonder Woman, as well as Kate Jackson's double on Charlie's Angels.

"It wasn't until sexy ladies like Linda Evans and Lynda Carter said we didn't want hairy-legged boys doubling for us anymore," Epper previously told The Television Academy. "They said, 'These girls are just as good as the guys, only they have shaved legs and don't have hairy armpits.'"

Epper's filmography went on to include Romancing the Stone, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1941, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and The Amazing Spider-Man. Her final onscreen credit was in 2015's Hot Pursuit.

Our thoughts are with Epper's family, friends, and fans at this time.