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Vale Grant Page
20 March 2024
The SAFC was saddened to hear of the recent passing of legendary Australian stuntman Grant Page.
Born in Adelaide in 1939, Grant began his career in film following a stint in the Royal NSW Commando Unit. He quickly established an international reputation for his apparently death-defying stunt work, amassing more than 100 stunt credits over a five-decade career, working on titles like Mad Dog Morgan, The Odd Angry Shot, and The Picture Show Man through to contemporary titles, such as Terminus, Gods of Egypt, and the upcoming Mad Max prequel Furiosa.
His prolific career as stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor included working on the SAFC’s iconic first film Sunday Too Far Away (1975) as well as SA made and SAFC supported productions All The Rivers Run (1985), The Lighthorsemen (1987), The Tracker (2002), Dr Plonk (2007) and Danger 5 (2012). Grant coordinated George Miller’s iconic Mad Max in the late 1970s, and collaborated with him again in the mid 1980s on SAFC supported Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).
Grant is also known for formulating the industry’s first Film Safety Code and initiating innovative stunt techniques now adopted internationally.
Director Rolf de Heer, who worked with Grant on The Tracker and Dr Plonk, fondly remembered the way that he “drove like the devil, as if testing the character and beliefs of the passenger.”
“You tested my character, I tell you, but some of the great cinematic adventures I’ve been on have been with you,” he said.
South Australian producer Julie Ryan said: “I was fairly new to the industry when I worked with Grant on The Tracker. Little did I know then he was such a legend. He was so welcoming to me and I remember many chats late at night where he tried to convince me to become a stunt performer because there weren’t enough stunt women back then!
“I’m currently watching a lot of Ozploitation films on Brollie and Grant is in just about all of them, either as a sexy stuntman or the villain. Grant is a true legend who will never be forgotten by an industry who loved him dearly.”
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “Grant Page will be remembered as an absolute legend of the Australian film industry. His dedication and commitment to performance and stunts was above and beyond. I had the privilege to work with Grant on Danger 5 and Dr Plonk. He was addicted to the thrill of our industry and lived that right to the last, so Rest in Thrills, Grant.”