Stuntman and record-setter Steve Truglia was a stunt coordinator, performer and action unit director in the UK.

Why you should listen

Steve Truglia became a professional stuntman in 1996, after two decades as a reservist in the UK Special Forces. Outside of his stunt work in TV and movies, Truglia developed a nice line in jaw-dropping records. In 2002, he became the UK's deepest freediver, performing a hold-your-breath dive to 76 meters. In 2004, he set the Guinness World Record for the fastest abseil over 100 meters, covering the distance in 8.9 seconds. And (ouch) he holds the unofficial UK Full Body Burn fire record of 2 mins and 5 secs. Truglia died in November 2016 while attempting an abseil race from a helicopter above Wolong National Nature Reserve in China.

What others say

“It takes a certain type of person to want to leap from the edge of space and plummet to the ground at more than 700mph, but Truglia -- who made his name doing stunts in the Bond movies -- believes he has what it takes.” — Joseph Dunn, Sunday Times

Steve Truglia’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Steve Truglia

Live from TEDGlobal

A leap from the edge of space: Steve Truglia on TED.com

September 4, 2009

At his day job, Steve Truglia flips cars, walks through fire and falls out of buildings — pushing technology to make stunts bigger, safer, more awesome. He talks us through his next stunt: the highest jump ever attempted, from the very edge of space. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009 in Oxford, England. Duration: 14:36) […]

Continue reading

Twitter Snapshot: Steve Truglia wants to jump from space

July 21, 2009

Stuntman Steve Truglia plans to jump to earth from the edge of space. His talk at TEDGlobal 2009 included the facts that he’ll be falling at the speed of sound while clad in a customized spacesuit. Be sure to follow Steve on Twitter and check out what viewers of the online feed had to say […]

Continue reading

Steve Truglia at TEDGlobal 2009: Running notes from Session 2

July 21, 2009

Before we even see Steve Truglia on stage, we’re treated to an action-packed video of his stunts for movie and television, as well as his personal record-breaking, daredevil stunts. There are explosions, car crashes and high falls out of buildings. Truglia is being set on fire, fencing, driving a car through a loop de loop, […]

Continue reading