Calvin Brown is the first African American stuntman recognized in
Hollywood. A pioneering Hollywood stunt performer, he doubled for Bill
Cosby in the network series "I Spy." He is also one of the original
founders of the Black Stuntmen's Association and the Sober Living
House. Brown was born in Farmersville, LA, on April 23, 1936 to
Sylvester Brown and Ida Mae Washington Brown, who married at the age of
18 and16 respectively. Brown and his twin brother Galvin are the second
born to a family with eight children; five boys and three girls. At the
age of two years old his family moved to Grambling, LA. Brown states
that he was "community raised", meaning that everyone in the community
was responsible for raising the children, he continues, "you could do
no wrong, somebody was going to get you". This was also the community
where he, at the age of nine, started working for the United States
Postal Service as a 2nd Class Special Delivery Mail Messenger. He
earned nine cents per letter and earned up to thirty or forty dollars
per month. Brown says, that was a lot of money during that time for
someone his age.
Calvin continued to work as a 2nd Class Special Delivery messenger as
he completed his undergraduate work at Grambling State University where
his salary increased to $1.92 per letter. He played numerous sports and
was a member of the marching band in the horn section. He graduated
from Grambling in 1957. After graduation he moved to California, worked
for the US Postal Service there and became and extra in Hollywood
movies.
Brown's first movie was Drums Over Africa where he started out as an
extra and then moved to stunt work. He played the chief, a runaway
slave and performed all of the Black stunt work for the movie. His
first stunt was falling out of a tree. He performed this stunt six
times and was paid six hundred dollars cash all in one hundred dollar
bills. Brown, said "that was a lot of money and I have been falling out
of trees ever since." Hollywood took notice and Browns role as the
first Black Hollywood stuntman was solidified when Brown became the
stunt double for Bill Cosby. Brown did all of the stunt work for Cosby
in I Spy the first television series to feature a Black actor, which
aired from 1965 to 1968. Brown also did Black stunt work for other TV
series such as, Mission Impossible, The Wild Wild West, and movies like
The Split; I Spy Returns, Blank Check and others. Brown was the stunt
double for actors such as Jim Brown, and Greg Morris and has also
performed small character roles.
While working on The Split Calvin shattered his leg and was in a
straight leg cast for two years. During this period Brown founded the
Black Stuntmen's Association, and helped train current and entering
African Americans including members of the 10th Calvary Buffalo
Soldiers, about the business of stunting. This included how to do high
falls, throws, and safety techniques. Brown says he taught them how to
"dance in front of the camera". He kept plaster of paris in the trunk
of his car to re-cast his leg after teaching stunts at Athens Park in
Los Angeles.
Over the years his leg injury prevented Brown from earning a steady
living as a stuntman; this loss caused him to turn to drugs and alcohol
for solace. He spent 5 years in the wilderness and found the strength
to enter the Salvation Army's Harbor Lights Rehabilitation center for
one year, he reached sobriety in 9 months and vowed never to use drugs
or alcohol again. In his commitment to sobriety he vowed to help others
and started the Sober Living House in 1990.
Calvin "Cal" Brown is currently working as a stunt coordinator, while
residing in California with his wife Ruth Ann.
