James Gunn And More Share Tributes For The Suicide Squad And Mad Max Stuntman Richard Norton After His Death At 75

Many people are working on a movie set whose names most viewers will never know, but among the greatest unsung heroes has to be the stuntman. They perform some of the most important and impressive on-screen work that fans love, and yet most of us don’t know their names. There isn't even an Oscar for stunt work. However, Richard Norton is one stuntman who those people who make the movies knew well, and they are remembering the legendary performer following his passing.

Australian, stuntman, actor, and martial artist Richard Noton may not be a household name. Still, he’s worked on many movies, you know, from ‘80s action classics like Gymkata and American Ninja to modern blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Suicide Squad. Director James Gunn took to Twitter to sing his praises and say goodbye.

Norton worked alongside some of the martial arts greats, including Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris. Norris posted his own remembrance of his friend, whom he called his brother. The pair worked together on Norris' early action movies in the '80s before reuniting later on Walker, Texas Ranger.

If you are of a certain age and grew up consuming every action movie that you found at the video store or on cable, then you probably saw a lot more of Richard Norton than you realize. In addition to being a stuntman, Norton's martial arts abilities made him the perfect action movie hero or villain. He appeared opposite Robert Patrick in Patrick’s second film, the post-apocalyptic actioner Equalizer 2000. Patrick remembered his old co-star, including a video from a more recent meeting.

One actor who clearly knew Richard Norton is Diana Lee Inosanto. The actress is best known for playing the role of Morgan Elsbeth in the recent Star Wars series on Disney+, including The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. She’s the daughter of martial artist Dan Inosanto, who was a student of Bruce Lee. She celebrated Norton not simply for his skills but also for the man that he was.

Considering the career that Norton had, it’s not surprising that, despite never becoming a “movie star” he certainly built a fan base. One of those was apparently professional wrestler X-Pac, who posted a gif of the actor performing opposite ‘90s action movie queen Cynthia Rothrock.

Many of those remembering Norton mention his wife Judy. James Gunn spoke about how much Norton loved her, and it's clear from her post to his Instagram account that she felt the same way.

Richard Norton was a man of many talents, and somebody that a lot of people didn’t simply love to work with but loved to be around. His talents will certainly be missed by movie fans, even those who may not realize that they have seen so much of his work. Luckily, we still have all those great ‘90s Hong Kong action movies and direct-to-video classics that we can enjoy almost anytime.