David Holmes was a stuntman in the Harry Potter franchise, all the way from the beginning in 2001.
Doubling the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Tom Felton and Emma Watson, Holmes was tragically left paralysed after an accident on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.
The professional stuntman was working on a stunt in 2009 involving wires and a pulley system when he ‘knew straight away’ he’d broken his neck.
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Holmes was rushed to hospital and was soon told he’d been paralysed from the chest down with limited movement in his arms and hands.
The 42-year-old’s life both before and after the accident is being explored in the upcoming documentary, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, executive-produced by his best mate, Radcliffe.
And Harry Potter wasn’t the only stunt experience Holmes had, starting off on the big screen at just 14.
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The Essex man also worked on the likes of The Last Legion, The Golden Compass and Doomsday.
Holmes even loaned his incredible stunt talent to appearing in adverts and earlier today (15 November) shared a throwback to four years before his accident.
He wrote on Instagram: “This is a stunt I performed for the launch of the mini convertible back in 2005.
“Not easy, jumping from a small trampoline from behind a car, landing in the driver seat, and then driving it off.”
In the incredible video, Holmes practically flies through the air in slow motion, calm as ever.
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Then, rather remarkably, the lad lands seated in the open-top MINI Convertible - undeniably cool.
Users left applause emojis in the comments calling the clip ‘amazing’.
One put: “This is awesome!!”
Another praised: “Wow! This is incredible.”
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There are plenty of mind-blown emojis as users call the stunt ‘sick’ and one even wondered: “How the heck this is not CGI!?”
Another also called Holmes ‘one of the coolest people I know’.
Talking to LADbible, director of the new Sky and HBO documentary, Dan Hartley, said of Holmes on the Harry Potter set: “We all were in awe of David's ability. He was utterly stunning as a stunt performer; he really had no equal.”
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And the stunt pro has a challenge for Potterheads: “In the Harry Potter films, I'm like Where's Wally? I put it out to any of the fans to try and see if they can spot me throughout the whole franchise - I’ll give them a yay or nay.”
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is available on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW from 18 November.
Topics: Harry Potter, TV and Film, Documentaries