SU members Steve Picerni, Scott Wilder, President Pat Romano and Manny Perry pointing to the latest additions to the Honorary section of our member board.
We are proud to announce that Kitty ONeil and Billy Burton Sr. have been voted in as Honorary members of Stunts Unlimited!
For their commitment to Stunts Unlimited and their outstanding contributions to the stunt community and entertainment industry at large, we would like to thank Kitty O’Neil and William F. Burton Sr. by naming them both as Honorary members of Stunts Unlimited. Your name and accomplishments will be honored for future generations to come and for as long as Stunts Unlimited lives.
KITTY O’NEIL
Stunts Unlimited member Kitty O’Neil established a new high-fall record by taking a 127-foot plunge for Wonder Woman (1979). Kitty O’Neil’s headshot in her racing gear, complete with the SU meatball. The Kitty O’Neil Barbie by Mattel (1978)
Kitty O’Neil was the first female member of Stunts Unlimited and belonged to the group from 1976 – 1980. Kitty was a well respected stunt woman, athlete and racer noted for exceptional accomplishments, despite being born deaf.
In 1970 she set the official women’s water ski speed record, 104.85 miles per hour
In the mid seventies Kitty was part of Hal Needham’s racing team. 1976 in southeastern Oregon’s Alford Desert, she set the land-speed record for female drivers. She piloted a hydrogen peroxide powered three-wheeled rocket car built by Bill Fredrick called the “SMI Motivator”. It reached an average speed of 512.710 mph
In 1977 in the Mojave Desert, she piloted a hydrogen peroxide powered rocket dragster built by Ky Michelson’s Space Age Racing Team with an average speed of 279.5 mph.
In 1979 her experiences served as the base for a biographical movie: Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, starring Stockard Channing.
In 1980 Kitty resigned honorably from the group and retired in 1982. She has held 22 speed records on land and water.
WILLIAM F. BURTON SR.
Billy Burton Sr. is a top 2nd unit director and stunt coordinator and was an original member of Stunts Unlimited (he’s in the yellow jacket, 6th from the left). Billy was a Stunts Unlimited member in good standing for over twenty years and has contributed greatly to the world of film and television.
Stunts Unlimited (1972)
William F. Burton Sr.
Click here to read about the history of Stunts Unlimited and to view all of our Honorary members.
Get your own!!