One of France's leading stuntmen, Rémy Julienne, who worked on several James Bond films, has died from Covid-19 aged 90, friends and family said Friday, reports FRANCE 24.
A veteran of more than 1,400 films and TV commercials, Julienne had been in intensive care in a hospital in the central town of Montargis since early January.
"What was bound to happen has happened. He left us early in the evening [Thursday]. It was predictable, he was on an artificial respirator," a relative told AFP.
His death was confirmed by an MP from the Loiret region, Jean-Pierre Door, a friend of Julienne's.
Julienne was born in Cepoy near Montargis in 1930.
A French motocross champion, he began his film career in 1964 when he doubled for French actor Jean Marais in a film called Fantomas in which he was required to ride a motorbike.
"They needed someone who was very controlled," he said of this experience. "It ended up being me. It was the start of a huge adventure."
His 50-year career saw him fly over Venice hanging onto a rope-ladder attached to a helicopter, being hit in the face with a pumpkin while riding a motorbike, and countless car crashes.