One of the modern US cinema's greatest stuntmen and stunt innovators, Dar Robinson only appeared in a relatively small number of films compared to other stuntmen (before losing his life in an off-set motorcycle accident); however, he set new benchmarks in stunt performances.
Robinson first appeared onscreen doubling for Steve McQueen jumping into the sea off a clifftop in Papillon (1973), and the following year leapt into the sea again on a motorbike doubling for crooked cop David Soul in Magnum Force (1973). Robinson also doubled for Henry Silva in the dramatic conclusion to L'anti-gang (1981) where Silva's hitman character is blasted by cop Burt Reynolds through a plate glass window and falls to his death from an Atlanta, Georgia, skyscraper. In reality, Robinson took the dive out the window and landed an on an airbag many floors below to break his fall!
Dar was a high-fall specialist and one of his most amazing stunts was doubling for Christopher Plummer at the conclusion of Highpoint (1982) where the villain falls from the 1,170-foot-high CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. Once again, Dar took the plunge with a concealed parachute, which he opened at the absolute last moment, and he earned $150,000 for his work. Robinson also appeared in several minor acting roles onscreen; however, in 1987, Burt Reynolds backed his faith in Dar by casting him as the sadistic albino villain "Moke" in the crime thriller Stick, le justicier de Miami (1985). Not only did Dar act in front of the camera but he also designed and performed the incredible stunt where "Moke" falls to his death from a very high balcony, seemingly straight onto the pavement below. In actual fact, Dar was rigged to a complex wire rig that "deccelerated" his fall, and made the use of an airbag unnecessary.
Dar Robinson was much loved by many people in Hollywood and his tragic passing meant the movie business lost a stunt genius and many people lost a sincere friend. Director Richard Donner dedicated his high voltage action film L'arme fatale (1987) to Dar's memory!
