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Honorary Stunts Unlimited member Debbie Evans Stunts putting the pedal to the metal, bringing the women of stunts with her!

Behind The Wheel With Legendary Stunt Driver Debbie Evans

Eve Pickman Writer David Hakim Writer May 16, 2017

Bullitt,The French Connection,The Blues Brothers, and theFast and Furiousfranchise who hasn't walked out of a theater and wondered what it would be like to be a stunt driver in one of those blockbuster films? Debbie Evans does just that. She is the professional stunt driver chosen to wheel a Jaguar F-Typefor the Castrol Edge Titanium Trials, part of theYouTube video promotion. As one of the top stunt drivers in the business, we got Debbie's take on movie cars, her career, and working with the top talent in Hollywood.

PODCAST 116: “STUNTS OF STEELE WITH LIVING LEGEND DEBBIE EVANS”

80s TV Ladies™

Could you be a stuntwoman? Find out what it takes.
Susan and Sharon are honored to talk with legendary award-winning stuntwoman Debbie Evans Leavitt. In a career spanning six decades, Debbie has risked life and limb in classic television shows and massive blockbuster movies. She talks doubling Stephanie Zimbalist on Remington Steele and what that moment between take-off and crash-landing feels like. Debbie has flipped and fallen and raced in Charlie’s Angels, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Vega$, ChiPs, The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, Magnum, PI, Cagney & Lacey, CSI, NCIS: Los Angeles, Fear the Walking Dead, Major Crimes, and Criminal Minds.

Her many feature films include The Jerk, 1941, Jagged Edge, Heaven’s Gate, Witches of Eastwick, The Ring, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Fight Club and Pineapple Express as well as Matrix: Reloaded and Matrix: Resurrection, this year’s The Batman -- and eight of the ten Fast & the Furious movies including the upcoming “Fast X”.

As one of the few women to survive and flourish in one of Hollywood’s most notorious boys' clubs – the world of stunts – Debbie Evans has navigated a treacherous career filled with challenges not limited to high-falls, fist fights and car chases. She takes Susan and Sharon over the hurdles and around the curves of a life that has been fast, furious, deeply rewarding – and never less than thrilling.

So buckle-up and grab your crash strap – here we go!

THE CONVERSATION

• Remembering 37 episodes of “Remington Steele” including

  • Learning to run “like Laura Holt”

  • Falling from a burning building!

  • Jumping Laura’s VW Rabbit into a pond!

  • Stunting for the guys! Using a fat suit and bald cap to double as Remington and Laura’s nemesis Norman Keyes – and getting punched by Pierce Brosnan!

• Riding motorcycles with her dad and her first time on a bike (she crashed)

• Building a Honda 55 step thru piece-by-piece at age 8 (took a year)

• Having fun on the set of “The Fast and the Furious” films with Michelle Rodriquez

• Getting her first movie gig with Roger Corman on the aptly named “DeathSport”

• Being mentored by “stunt mom” and veteran stuntwoman Jeannie Epper

• Doing her first car flip on “ChiPs”

• Doubling Stepfanie Kramer on Hunter.

• Taking the wheel of the Cody Coyote on Hardcastle & McCormick.

• Playing cowboys and guitar with Kris Kristofferson on the set of Heaven's Gate.

• Being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003 – a dream come true.

Susan, Sharon and Debbie talk about crashing, flipping, speeding and Gosling! (Ryan, of course…) as Debbie explains the subtle art of giving people “the respect they don’t deserve”…

‘Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story’: Watch The Exclusive Trailer For Docu Narrated By Michelle Rodriguez

The onscreen exploits of stuntwomen, and their off-screen battles for fair and equal treatment, is explored in Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story, a new documentary from director April Wright for Shout! Studios that debuts September 22 on digital platforms.

Narrated by Fast & Furious franchise star Michelle Rodriquez and based on Mollie Gregory’s 2015 best-seller, the film chronicles the lives of women who perform the stunts in some of Hollywood’s biggest action sequences — from the early days of silent movies to today’s blockbusters. The producers are Stephanie Austin, Michael Gruskoff and Marion Rosenberg.

Debbie Evans, left, and Michelle Rodriguez in ‘Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story’Shout! Studios

“These unheralded heroines are the generations of stuntwomen who risked their lives in front of the camera, while behind it they fought for equal rights with male stunt performers, battled sexism and harassment, sustained life-threatening injuries and returned to the fray after each battle,” the producing team said in a joint statement.

ABC’s The View: Stunt Sisters Debbie & Donna Evans

Award winning Stuntwomen, Debbie & Donna Evans interviewed by Meredith Vieira and Joy Behar. Watch as they teach Joy and Meredith how to punch, slap and take it.

Her Need For Speed: The Secrets of The World’s Top Female Stunt Driver

In the driver’s seat with top female stunt driver Debbie Evans.

by Sara Mohazzebi/Daily Beast

She was in the driver’s seat for actress Angelina Jolie in Wanted. She immaculately executed the award-winning driving sequences for Michelle Rodriguez and multiple stunt roles in the Fast and the Furious franchise. She was the ultimate speed demon for Carrie Ann Moss in the Matrix Reloaded. When it comes to speed and stunts, there is one award-winning woman behind it all: female stunt driver Debbie Evans.

Clocking in at just around 5’4”, you wouldn’t assume that this lithe, petite woman is the muscle and artistry behind some of the most challenging stunt driving sequences in history. With her calm and down to earth energy, Debbie is a unique blend of athlete, mathematician, and adrenaline junkie. This is a woman who simply lives to be in the driver’s seat. Her face breaks into a smile and her eyes light up when she admits that, “There’s nothing like that moment where you’re in the car and the police officers are holding traffic and you come flying around the corner, speeding, chasing cars.” She is so respected and admired as a Hollywood stunt driver that regardless of gender, she’s never stopped being in demand. Joel Kramer, stunt coordinator of the box office franchise smash Fast and the Furious, reflects this view of Evan’s incredible stunt driving skills when he says that “I wouldn’t bet any man, woman, or beast against Debbie. She is simply the best of the best.”

7 of History’s Most Fearless Female Daredevils

BY: SARAH PRUITT

UPDATED: JULY 7, 2019 | ORIGINAL: MAY 30, 2019

From the first-ever Hollywood stuntwoman to the first lady of drag racing, these seven intrepid women stunned audiences with their death-defying feats. With their gutsy performances in traditionally male-dominated fields, they’re known for breaking barriers, setting records—and getting our adrenaline pumping.

Born and raised in California, Evans began riding motorcycles at the age of six. As a teenager in the late 1970s, she was the best female motorcycle trials rider in the country. Her fearless skill on her bike earned Evans her first stunt role at 19, jumping a motorcycle over a 30-foot ravine in the movie Deathsport (1978). She would go on to do stunt work in more than 200 movies and TV shows, including The Fast and the Furious franchise, in which Evans (doubling for star Michelle Rodriguez) drove a Honda Civic under a moving semi-truck, among many other thrilling feats. In 1998, after 18 years away from competitive motorcycling, Evans returned to compete at the first Women’s Trials World Championship, finishing eighth. She was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003. 

Born and raised in California, Evans began riding motorcycles at the age of six. As a teenager in the late 1970s, she was the best female motorcycle trials rider in the country. Her fearless skill on her bike earned Evans her first stunt role at 19, jumping a motorcycle over a 30-foot ravine in the movie Deathsport (1978). She would go on to do stunt work in more than 200 movies and TV shows, including The Fast and the Furious franchise, in which Evans (doubling for star Michelle Rodriguez) drove a Honda Civic under a moving semi-truck, among many other thrilling feats. In 1998, after 18 years away from competitive motorcycling, Evans returned to compete at the first Women’s Trials World Championship, finishing eighth. She was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003. 

Award-winning stuntwoman Debbie Evans flips cars with Jay Leno

Motorcycle Hall of Famer Debbie Evans has done stunts in “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Fast and the Furious.”

Debbie Evans has starred in all of your favourite blockbuster action movies. Yet, you've never seen her face.

Mamamia / Mamamia.com.au

Debbie Evans has starred in all the blockbuster action movies – over 200 films and TV shows to be exact, ranging from The Matrix to The Fast and The Furious franchise.

But you’ve likely never seen her face.

The 59 year old is a stunt woman, responsible for bringing to life the fast-paced scenes that take your breath away.

And while her moves may look impossible, she's been working on them for a while.

"I started riding motorcycles when I was six years old. My family used to go camping and riding every weekend and I got my first motorcyle when I was nine years old," she tells Mamamia.

She then started riding in competitions and was hooked after taking home the third place trophy - entirely against boys.

"I was the first female to obtain expert classification in trials and always competed against guys as there were no other women at my level so I got a lot of press," she explains.

She started performing in exhibitions where she became known for a trick in which she would balance her motorcycle with the kickstand up whilst doing a headstand on the seat.

When a stunt coordinator in Hollywood needed a girl who could jump over a 30 metre ravine, he gave Evans a call and so started her stunt career.

Thankfully things have changed since she started.

"There are now more and more women. When I started I got ridiculed for doing that kind of thing but now it's more accepted that women can do things and have more opportunities than I used to which I am really really happy about," she says.

Debbie Evans' journey from kid racer to Fast & Furious stunt rider

by Brittany Thomas/ Revzilla

Whether you know it or not, you have probably seen Debbie Evans do some badass stuff. If you’ve seen Terminator 2, The Matrix Reloaded, Batman & Robin, or any of the hundreds of films she’s been a part of, then you’ve seen parts of the epic career this 59-year-old stunt woman still leads.

Most recently, she traveled the world filming car stunts as Michelle Rodriquez's double in the just-released Fast & Furious 8, but Debbie has been stunt riding since 1978, when the then-19-year-old Factory Pro Yamaha trials rider was recruited for her first Hollywood film: Deathsport.

She credits all of her riding skills and success in the film industry to the experience she gained riding dirt bikes since age six. She entered her first major race by age nine and by 15 she became the first woman ever to become a pro trials racer. She raced pro for several years and made it all the way to the world-renowned Scottish Six Day Trials, where she shut down the bets of many an old curmudgeon when she was the only woman to compete and finished 109th overall out of 280 entries on a 175 cc Yamaha. It was around then that she began to grab the attention of the press, not only for her trials competitions, but also for the bike shows she did.

“I always did this thing where I could stand on my head on the seat of the motorcycle while it was balancing, so Yamaha would send me around when I was in high school to the Houston Astrodome for the Camel Pro Series and the Supercross races at the Pontiac Silverdome and Anaheim Stadium,” she says.

Behind The Wheel With Legendary Stunt Driver Debbie Evans

Written by David Hakim on May 16, 2017/ HOTROD Magazine

Bullitt, The French Connection, The Blues Brothers, and the Fast and Furious franchise–– who hasn’t walked out of a theater and wondered what it would be like to be a stunt driver in one of those blockbuster films? Debbie Evans does just that. She is the professional stunt driver chosen to wheel a Jaguar F-Type for the Castrol Edge Titanium Trials, part of the Fast & Furious 8 YouTube video promotion. As one of the top stunt drivers in the business, we got Debbie’s take on movie cars, her career, and working with the top talent in Hollywood.

In the Beginning

Ridiculed as a kid for her love of motorcycles, playing sports, and being a tomboy, Debbie listened to her heart and didn’t let the naysayers stop her. In 1977 at the age of 18, she decided to explore a non-traditional career path, and has been performing stunt work ever since.

The love of bikes and fast cars runs deep in the her family. Debbie’s father, David Evans, got her on a motorcycle at the tender age of 6 and she’s been riding ever since. She met her husband, Lane Evans, at a motorcycle race, and today, stunt driving is a family affair. Their 23-year-old son, Daniel Evans-Leavitt is also a stunt driver.

Instead of enrolling in her second year of junior college, Debbie discovered that her self-determination and motorcycle skills were the keys to opening doors––doors that would eventually have her inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the 2004 Taurus World Stunt Awards’ Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Woman for her amazing work in The Matrix Reloaded. She had previously won Taurus awards for her work in the first The Fast and the Furious movie. Remember the stunt scene featuring the black Honda Civic that drives under a moving semi-truck? That was Debbie.

Behind the scenes: Early Footage Of Young Debbie Evans.

Take It To The Limit | Classic Motorcycle Race Documentary

A peek into the life of motorcycle riders and racers of the era. The film covers speedway, desert racing, road racing, hill climb, grass track, drag racing, trials, sidecars, dirt track and motocross in the 1970s.

Director: Peter Starr

Writers: Charles Michael Lorre, Peter Starr

Vice TV Orders Third Season Of Nacelle Company’s ‘Icons Unearthed’ Docuseries With Focus On ‘Fast & The Furious’ Films

By Denise Petski October 7, 2022 9:45am

Vice TV has picked up a third season of The Nacelle Company’s anthology docuseries Icons Unearthed, which will spotlight The Fast and the Furious film franchise.

Directed by Brian Volk-Weiss (The Toys That Made Us, The Movies That Made Us, The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek), the third installment features interviews with Tyrese Gibson, T.I., Lucas Black, Roger Corman, Chad Lindberg, Thom Barry, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Gary Scott Thompson, JJ Perry, Spiro Razatos, Tanner Foust, Samuel Hubinette, Debbie Evans and Fred Raskin.

“The Fast & Furious franchise is one of the biggest movie series of all-time and Vice TV is proud once again to partner with Nacelle on another installment of Icons Unearthed,” said Vice TV’s SVP of Content Strategy and Programming, Peter Gafney.   “Our audience is definitely responding to this series, so we’re thrilled to be making more with Brian and his team.”

by Bryan Reesman Sept. 22, 2020

Just as Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backward and in high heels, so it is for the Hollywood stuntwoman. She needs to be just as daring and toned and agile as the stuntmen, but perform her death-defying feats in high heels — and evening gowns and miniskirts and hair extensions and other contraindicated accoutrements that rarely if ever encumber her male counterparts.

It’s just one of the many extra challenges that stuntwomen face in a male-dominated industry that itself is often relegated to the shadows of the bright Hollywood spotlight. A new documentary out Tuesday tries to set this record straight.

“Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story,” based on the book by Mollie Gregory of the same name, details the risky, arduous, adrenaline-filled life of the female stunt performer. But it also chronicles how the women who pursue this career have had to cope with the extra challenges of sexism, pay disparities and, of course, uncomfortable costumes.

For starters, they often have to compete with men to land the job of a stunt double, even when it’s for a female role. In the documentary, Alyma Dorsey remarks that if she sees a stuntman being wigged for a female role, “that means to me that I’m not working hard enough. I need to be training harder so that they don’t feel like they still need to do that.”

In this episode of American Voices with Bill Bradley: Veteran stuntwoman Debbie Evans

'Fate Of The Furious Michelle Rodriguez Reveals Stunt Details

BY EITAN LEVINE/ Elite Daily

Debbie Evans is the most badass person in Hollywood you've probably never heard of.

As tough as "Fast And Furious" star Michelle Rodriguez is, she can't do every stunt she wants. She's the star of a major movie franchise, which means her well-being is worth more to certain studios than your entire life is to your parents.

So when stunts get too crazy she calls in Hollywood stunt legend Debbie Evans.

By BILLIE SCHWAB DUNN / DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

'I got a lot of attitude from a lot of men': Female motorcycle enthusiast who became one of Hollywood's top stunt women on the barriers she faced in the male-dominated industry

• Debbie Evans, 59, was the best female trials rider in the US when she was only 15

• She went on to find success as one of Hollywood's top stunt women

• She was Michelle Rodriguez's stunt double in three Fast and the Furious movies

• She has been in Australia to promote The Fate of the Furious on DVD

• Said she has faced prejudice from being a woman in the business

One of Hollywood's first female stunt women has opened up about the barriers facing women in a male-dominated industry.

American woman Debbie Evans, 59, who has been in Australia promoting The Fate of the Furious DVD, said she first rode a motorcycle at six years old but has faced prejudice during her career.

'I got a lot of attitude from a lot of the men and I would just bite my lip when they would be condescending and [when they] acted like I didn't know what I was doing,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I would prove them wrong and in doing that instead of telling them "I have every right to be here just like you" I would just not say anything and prove them wrong with my actions and then they would become my best buddies.'

Ms Evans ended up in stunt work thanks to her career in motorcycle riding, which she started competing in when she was nine. 

In the 1970s she was considered the best female trials rider in the United States and earned factory-backed sponsorship from Yamaha when she was only 15.

'I just had such a love and a drive for all of the stunts and the motorcycles and the sports that I tried not to let it bother me,' she explained.