‘I was 2cm from being paralysed’: UK stunt artists celebrated with donation to BFI

The stunt performer Jim Dowdall in a scene from Indiana Jones. Dowdall is among those named in the 1973 British Stunt Register. Photograph: Jim Dowdall

Gillian Aldam began her career as a stunt professional at the age of 22. It was the 1960s, and she had just spent a few years working for a private detective and modelling. But she always loved adventure, including stock car racing, climbing and acrobatics.

“I enjoyed anything that was sporty or tomboyish,” said Aldam, now 83. “I began doing action work after being introduced to a stunt man, and immediately made a name for myself – there were only two other girls doing stunt work at the time.”