Art & HueCyd Child: The Avengers stunt queen & martial arts trailblazer
Cyd took part in an event last August to launch the new 4k UHD restoration of “The New Avengers” (she was the fight arranger on the series and doubled for Purdey on some stunts). As well as contributing commentaries to some of the episodes on the newly restored Blu-rays, Cyd was on hand to take part in the screening and Q&A held in London by the BFI‘s Dick Fiddy & Studiocanal.
Art & Hue couldn’t visit on that occasion but sent pop art prints in absentia for the participating Avengers family and audience quiz from “The New Avengers” collection, so when the opportunity came up to finally meet Cyd at the London Film Fair, naturally train tickets were booked immediately.
As it happens, this year marks 65 years of The Avengers & 50 years of The New Avengers – a serendipitous moment to meet up and celebrate her legacy.
Thankfully, we can all dive deeper into the compelling world of Cyd Child as she’s generously written a book all about her life and career, in sport and media, which is every bit as interesting as meeting the wonderful woman herself.
Called “Judo, The Avengers & Me”, the book is packed full of photographs from her personal collection, many of which have never been seen before.
Her autobiography is addictively page-turning as she takes us from her childhood into local judo clubs, the prestigious Budokwai martial arts club, Elstree studios, international championships, and beyond.
Cyd’s memoir is available from Amazon here, or you can purchase a signed copy of her book which comes with a signed Avengers photo direct from the publisher Fantom here.
“Judo, The Avengers & Me” by Cyd Child/Chris Gallie, available via Amazon
Pioneer & trailblazer Cyd Child
Born Christine Child, she was christened Cyd by The Avengers stunt arranger and stuntman Ray Austin one day when it was realised that there was already a Chris Child listed with Equity. Named after Cyd Charisse, who Ray had just finished working with on the film “Maroc 7”, Cyd Child’s name was to become legendary amongst Emma Peel, Tara & Purdey fans.
As Christine Child she was a world-famous judo champion, and as Cyd Child she was a foremost stunt performer. Christine helped change public perception of the sport, paving the way for future female judo competitors. “I think it will surprise people to find out that although judo is now a respected Olympic sport in which women compete on the same level as men… it was once considered so unacceptable that the general public were not allowed to watch it”.
Christine was the first woman in the United Kingdom to get 5th Dan in 1978 and then 6th Dan in 1983 (acknowledgements of excellence above black belt level) and has been 7th Dan since 1998, demonstrating a lifetime of mastery and contribution to the sport.
Rather than the ongoing practice of using stuntmen dressed as women, Cyd lobbied for productions to use stunt women to double for actresses, and campaigned for an official body to represent stunt workers and for proper on-set insurance (rather than the previous haphazard whip-round amongst the cast & crew when a stuntman’s career came to a sudden end).
A pioneering female stunt performer, Cyd was one of the UK’s first stuntwomen, entering a male-dominated profession and contributing to its development.
In the black-and-white series, Emma was clearly doubled by a stuntman, but with the colour episodes it was impossible to differentiate between the two performers, as Cyd & Diana took note of each other’s movements to continue them seamlessly into the next edit.
It’s interesting to read in Cyd’s book that there was consternation amongst the production team that her face was visible whilst spinning a henchman on her shoulders in the episode “The Living Dead”, something they worried would break the magic of the show.
When Diana Rigg left the show, Cyd’s hair underwent another transformation – not for the better – when Linda Thorson and Cyd were instructed to have their hair bleached.
Eventually the producers conceded that wigs were needed until their hair grew out and Cyd continued to work on the show doubling as Tara King.
After The Avengers came to an end in 1969, Cyd was known as one of the foremost stunt performers in the UK, and went on to work on film franchises including Bond, Superman and The Pink Panther, as well as television classics such as The Goodies, Space: 1999 with Martin Landau & Barbara Bain, and U.F.O. with Antonia Ellis.
Cyd Child was asked to be the show’s fight arranger by Ray Austin who was taking on more directorial duties, directing four episodes of the first series (House of Cards, Target!, The Three Handed Game, Gnaws) and three of the second (Trap, Medium Rare, The Lion & the Unicorn).
It’s interesting to learn that Joanna Lumley had to persuade the team for Cyd to be Purdey’s stunt-double, sneaking her into the costume department to hunt for matching outfits, then taking Cyd to Joanna’s hairdresser John Frieda to have a wig styled into the iconic trend-setting Purdey cut.
Once the producers saw them stood next to each other in matching costumes, it was conceded that, yes, the resemblance worked so Cyd could double for Joanna during trickier stunts.
The original thinking was that Joanna Lumley and Gareth Hunt would perform as many of their own stunts as possible, to make the action look real, but there were some moments which were clearly deemed too risky to ask the show’s leads to do – such as smashing a car windscreen with bare hands which Cyd did as Purdey in the classic episode “Sleeper”.
Secret Signposts
Cyd’s autobiography is full of fascinating behind-the-scenes details – for example, it’s interesting to learn from her book that the iconic Avengers symbol of a gun with a flower, a peace symbol used to open the American broadcasts of the show (“The Avengers in color”) was also used as a secret signpost when filming on location.
Rather than put up signs saying “The Avengers”, which would give the game away somewhat to any passerby, the Gun & Rose image was used as an arrow, pointing left or right along the roads, to direct the cast and crew to where the location filming was taking place that particular day.
Chrome
Originally Diana Rigg‘s, the macaw appeared in The Avengers episode “The Bird Who Knew Too Much”.
With a wide vocabulary (including some choice words), the blue & golden yellow bird went on to appear in more productions.
Cyd adopted the parrot from Diana Rigg (with little choice it seems – Diana could be very persuasive) and, without giving away the famous bird’s full filmography, it’s interesting to read that he appeared in Bond films with both Roger Moore & Timothy Dalton, as well as Pink Panther productions with Peter Sellers – as did Cyd.
The chapter about Chrome is particularly amusing – he comes across as a friendly and cheeky bird, with a passion for Barbra Streisand songs and water – and was clearly cherished.
JUDO TRAILBLAZER
Amongst Cyd’s many titles are European Women’s Champion twice (the first British woman to win the title), and six times British Open Champion.
Since joining the London Budokwai in 1963, she became first dan in 64, second dan in 65, third dan in 71, fourth dan in 74, and became the first woman in the UK to achieve fifth dan in May 78 and sixth dan in May 83, which saw her included in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest women’s grade.
Gold medals & trophies include Kata Championships in 1970, Team Championships in 71, as well as international events including the German, Italian, Swiss, & Dutch Opens, before retiring from competition in 76, after which she was given life membership of BJA and honorary membership of the Budokwai. Cyd attained Seventh Dan in 1998.
Her memoir is a celebration of a colourful life and her dual careers in judo and stunt performance, and contains hundreds of previously unseen photos from her personal collection.
“People had been saying to me for years ‘You should write a book…’ but I had never taken them seriously. It was only when I retired and had a little more time to think, that I started to consider the possibility. I am hoping that it will open the eyes of the reader to the fact that women had to work for their equality.”
Cyd’s autobiography is available from Amazon here, or you can purchase a signed copy of her book which comes with a signed Avengers photo direct from the publisher Fantom here.
“Judo, The Avengers & Me” by Cyd Child/Chris Gallie, available via Amazon
Partial Filmography
Cyd’s book includes a full filmography of productions she’s worked on, just some of which include:
The New Avengers
Hammerhead – double for Diana Dors
The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan – stunt performer
The Saint with Roger Moore
No Blade of Grass with Wendy Richard
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke – doubled for Anna Quayle
U.F.O. – with Wanda Ventham & Antonia Ellis
The Persuaders with Tony Curtis & Roger Moore
Our Miss Fred with Danny La Rue & Frank Thornton
Pope Joan (as Stunt Nun! which raises a smile) with Trevor Howard & Patrick Magee
The Protectors with Robert Vaughn
All Coppers Are with one of the original Avengers Ian Hendry & Eddie Byrne
The Mackintosh Man with Paul Newman, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Jenny Runacre & Noel Purcell
Alfie Darling with Joan Collins, Jenny Hanley and the theme song by Cilla Black
Brannigan with John Wayne, Richard Attenborough & Pauline Delaney
Royal Flash with Alan Bates, Alastair Sim & Britt Ekland
Side by Side with Barry Humphries & Terry-Thomas
Thriller, the Brian Clemens series with Barbara Feldon, Linda Thorson & T.P. McKenna
The Return of the Pink Panther with Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom & Victor Spinetti;
The Pink Panther Strikes Again with Leonard Rossiter, Colin Blakely & Michael Robbins;
Revenge of the Pink Panther with Dyan Cannon, Alfie Bass & Valerie Leon;
Trail of the Pink Panther with Joanna Lumley, David Niven & Capucine; and
The Curse of the Pink Panther with Roger Moore
Blake’s 7 written by Terry Nation
Superman and Superman II with Marlon Brando, Valerie Perrin, Terence Stamp, & Larry Hagman
Bond film For Your Eyes Only with Roger Moore
Hammer House of Horror
Minder with George Cole, Dennis Waterman & Pam St Clement
Pobol Y Cwm with Rachel Thomas
A Tale of Two Cities with George Innes
Venom with Susan George
Coronation Street
Robin of Sherwood with Cyril Cusack & Lewis Collins
Supergirl with Faye Dunaway
This year marks 65 years of The Avengers & 50 years of The New Avengers:
