ACTRA Toronto is thrilled to honour veteran Stunt Performer and Coordinator Paul Rutledge with the 2023 Stunt Award.
Over his 40-year career in the film industry, Paul Rutledge has amassed credits ranging from stunt performer to stunt coordinator and actor to animal wrangler.
He has come a long way since his first job opportunity in the industry, which involved jumping from running horse to running horse through a creek while wearing a three-piece suit with a briefcase in hand. With only three days to complete the stunt, he said “let me pick my horses and I’ll be ready.” And ready he was. He worked his horses for those three days and got the job done.
Since that first job, Paul has gained a reputation for being the horse stunt guy in Ontario. He has also branched out in stunts and has completed a huge variety of other stunts, including driving, high falls, car hits, fire burns, fights and air rams.
With over 175 credits, Paul has also doubled for Canadian and Hollywood actors including Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro, Rob Lowe, Willem Dafoe, Eugene Levy, Paul Gross and many more.
Fifteen years ago, Paul started taking on animal coordinating jobs, specializing in difficult and high-impact horse stunts. While Paul’s career has and still involves many different types of stunts, his passion has always centred on horse stunts.
The Stunt Award recipient is chosen by a committee comprised of past recipients in recognition of the lifetime achievement of an ACTRA Toronto stunt performer.
