Leslie Hoffman (born 21 January) is a former American stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actress.
Career
Hoffman's early education and training included gymnastics, ballet camps, the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...
and Herbert Berkoff Studios in New York.
She was inspired to pursue stunt acting on seeing a
Universal Studios Tour
The Studio Tour (also known as The Backlot Tour) is a ride attraction at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Universal City, California near Los Angeles. Studio Tour is the theme park's signature attraction. It travels through a worki ...
stunt show. She traveled to California to study at stuntman
Paul Stader
Paul Stader (February 13, 1911 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor, assistant director and stuntman.
Life and career
Stader was born in Neosho, Missouri. He attended at the University of Kansas, where he played football and practiced sw ...
's stunt gym.
She began stunt work in the 1970s with the film ''
Two-Minute Warning
In most levels of professional American football, the two-minute warning is a suspension of play that occurs when two minutes remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i.e., near the end of the second and fourth quarters, and overtime. It ...
'' (1976),
and several television series, including ''
Police Story'' and ''
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
The ...
''. She performed a 78-foot high fall into water for ''
The Love Boat
''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...
'', and did some work on ''
Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...
'' and ''
Charlie's Angels
''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...
.'' She was the double for the six-foot tall
Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for '' St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...
in a circular stair fall for ''
Columbo
''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...
''.
She also stunt doubled for
Doris Roberts
Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...
in the TV series ''
Remington Steele
''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from Oc ...
''. Film acting work included ''
Avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
'' (1978), ''
Deadly Friend
''Deadly Friend'' is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed by Wes Craven, and starring Matthew Laborteaux, Kristy Swanson, Michael Sharrett, Anne Twomey, Richard Marcus, and Anne Ramsey. Its plot follows a teenage computer prodi ...
'' (1986), ''
Trust Me'' (1989) and ''
Naked Gun
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing.
The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...
'' (1988).
Hoffman played the Hall Guard (Krueger) in ''
Nightmare on Elm Street
''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp ...
'' (1984),
and performed stunt work in ''
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment.
With advance orders ...
'' (1978), ''
Motel Hell
''Motel Hell'' is a 1980 American comedy horror film directed by Kevin Connor and starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, and Nina Axelrod. The plot follows farmer, butcher, motel manager, and meat entrepreneur Vincent Smith, who traps travele ...
'' (1980), ''
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
'' (1980), ''
Clue
Clue may refer to:
People with the name
* DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ
* Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer
* Ivan Clues
* Tim Cluess
Arts, entertainment, and media ''Clue'' entertainment franchise
* ''Cluedo'' ...
'' (1985), ''
Alien Nation
''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with the ...
'' (1988), ''Mars'' (1997) and ''
Mystery Men
''Mystery Men'' is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher (in his feature-length directorial debut) and written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's ''Flaming Carrot Comics'', and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azari ...
'' (1999). She served as stunt coordinator for, and acted in, the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
After School Special
The American Broadcasting Company coined the term Afterschool Special in 1972 with a series of television films, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be ...
''Me and My Hormones'' (1996).
She performed as the stunt-double for
Laurie Metcalf
Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...
in ''
Scream 2
''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, Timot ...
'' (1997).
Union Involvement
Hoffman was the first stuntwoman elected to the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
Board of Directors, where she served from 1981 to 1984. As a director, she advocated for stuntwomen and stuntpersons of color, advocating for equal work and representation in the union. She served as the Co-Chair and the Chair on the National Stunt and Safety Committee. She was the Chair of the Stuntwomen Committee under the Stunt National Stunt and Safety Committee. Being interested in the safety of young Actors, she was the Co-Chair of the Young Performers Committee. The Screen Actors Guild, along with Barrie Howard the Chair of the Committee, sent them up to Sacramento told talk about the Twilight Zone accident.
She lost her bid for re-election in 1985.
Hoffman was also the first stuntperson elected to the AFTRA Los Angeles Local Board and the AFTRA National Board. With the help of Frank Maxwell, AFTRA President and Howard Caine, AFTRA Board Member, the category of Stunts was created.
From the 1990s onward, she worked as a stunt coordinator and rigger on several films, as well as continuing to double for several actresses in feature films and television. Her work includes stunt acting roles in multiple episodes of the ''
Star Trek: Voyager'' and ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' television series. Hoffman provided stunt coordination for student film productions for
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
,
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
.
Leslie became disabled in 2002, ending her career as a stuntwoman and stunt coordinator. Now on
Social Security Disability
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD or SSDI) is a payroll tax-funded federal insurance program of the United States government. It is managed by the Social Security Administration and designed to provide monthly benefits to people who ha ...
due to trauma to her body doing stunt work, Hoffman advocates for fair treatment for disabled stunt performers.
In 2021 Hoffman is running for the Los Angeles Local Board and also to be a Delegate at the SAG-AFTRA Convention
SAG Pension & Health lawsuit
Hoffman has been involved with a lawsuit against the Screen Actor Guild Pension and Health Plan for over 8 years.
Her most recent victory came against the Plan, January 4, 2019, when the 9th District Court overturned a Lower Court ruling against her for the second time.
November 2019, two Lower Court Judges either ruled against her or did a Summary Judgement. Then two 9th District Court Hearings have overturned the Lower Court decision, stating that the Judge "erred" Now the third Lower Court Judge appointed to the case has chastised the Screen Actors Guild Pension for all the violations they did, but unfortunately wants the Trustees to review the case.
On January 4, 2019 the 9th District Court of Southern California overturned Judge Manuel's Summary Judgement and sent it back down to the Lower Court
It was then ignored by Judge Real until Hoffman's Attorney sent a motion to Real. Real then decided that the case should go to arbitration. Real died before the Arbitration Judge could hear i
and the arbitration date was removed from the schedule.
Judge Gary Klausner was then appointed to the case and the SAG Pension and Health Lawyers asked that the arbitration happen, which was approve. No settlement was reached so Judge Klausner had to make a decision on a case that had already been overturn twice by the 9th District Court. He ruled in favor of Leslie Hoffman by remanded it back to the SAG P&H Trustees for a decision.
January 15, 2020 Judge Klausner was replaced by Judge Cormac Carney (no explanation given). Judge Carney has issued a statement that the SAG P&H must pay Ms. Hoffman all back Pension Payments and future ones. Though this seems as a victory the SAG P&H could always appeal this
March 19, 2021, for the third time the 9th District Court has overturned a Los Angeles Lower Court Judges ruling against Hoffman
Hoffman was won both her Pension Lawsuit by a Judge in 2019. In 2021, a settlement was reached out of court for her Health Plan. She is the only SAG-AFTRA Member that has sued the Producer-SAG Pension and Health Plans and won in both cases
Saranac Lake Walk Hall of Fame
On March 31, 2022, Leslie's Hometown honored her by including her in the Walk of Fame. The Plaque is displayed at Hotel Saranac 100 Main Street
![Leslie Hoffman Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Leslie_Hoffman_Plaque.jpg)
Joy Cranker, a friend of Leslie's took the picture. There is no copyright on this photo. Saranac Lake has its own "Walk of Fame" throughout the town. It honors "Celebrities" from all Professions who have contributed to Society. They either lived in Saranac Lake for awhile or was born there.
References
Further reading
*(Google books)
External links
*
stuntrek- Hoffman's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Leslie
Living people
American television actresses
American stunt performers
Actresses from California
1955 births
People from Saranac Lake, New York
Women stunt performers
21st-century American women