Leslie Hoffman(I)
- Stunts
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Leslie grew up in the beautiful Adirondack Hamlet of Saranac Lake
(population 5000) in Upstate New York. The Town is famous for being the
original site of the National Vaudeville Artists Lodge which later was renamed the Will Rogers
Memorial Hospital. As a child, she used to play at the
William Morris Playground. Little
wonder, she knew that someday she too would be an entertainer.
Leslie took gymnastic and ballet classes and was performing on stage by
the age of four. Later, she attended acting classes at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts and the
Herbert Berghof Studios in New York
City. This is when she discovered acting to be too slow for her, action
was what she desired and that meant becoming a stuntwoman.
In the mid 70s, she discovered Paul Stader's
gym in Santa Monica, California. There, Leslie practiced high falls,
fights, fencing, etc. Less than two years later, she was able to join
SAG on her first union job
Two-Minute Warning (1976) and
has supported herself ever since. She was the first "voted in" member
of the "Society of Professional Stuntwomen". During this time, she
worked on such shows as
The Love Boat (1977),
Fantasy Island (1977),
1941 (1979) and
M*A*S*H (1972).
The 80s, Leslie was the first Stuntwoman elected to the Board of
Directors of SAG, the AFTRA Local Board and AFTRA National Board. She
was the National Chairwoman of the Stunt & Safety Committee and the
Co-Chair of the Young Performers Committee. She was sent to Sacramento
to testify in possible changes to the Child Labor Laws after the
"Twilight Zone" incident. Leslie was the first Stuntwoman to join Women
In Film. She was Doris Roberts regular
stunt double on
Remington Steele (1982), as
well as working on shows like
CHiPs (1977),
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
and Airplane! (1980). During the 90s,
she continues to work as a stuntwoman and stunt coordinator. She has
coordinated projects such as the ABC Afterschool Special, "Me and My
Hormones". This was
Melissa Gilbert's directorial
debut and starred Robin Strasser and
Marion Ross with
Brianne Murphy as the AC.
In the 90s, she was a member of the Stuntwomen's Association. She
worked regularly on
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
and "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995). This also included being an assistant
stunt coordinator for Dennis Madalone,
the Stunt Coordinator of both "Star Trek" shows. She was also
Roxann Dawson's "Torres" regular double on
"Voyager".
Leslie gives back to the Industry by giving seminars on safety to
various unions, film organizations and film colleges. Along with
Brianne Murphy ASC, she did a seminar in cinematography at the Native
American Film Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the AFTRA-SAG Young
Performers Handbook, she wrote the chapter on safety. She has been
interviewed extensively on the radio and in published articles. In the
1996 book, "Burns, Falls and Crashes", written by David Jon Wiener, you
will find Chapter 13 is dedicated to her work.
Her stunts are widely recognized such as her doubling
Queen Elizabeth II going down the
banquet table in
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988).
Last year, she worked on Wes Craven's
Scream 2 (1997). Recently, she finished
working on Universal's feature
Mystery Men (1999).
Leslie has been invited to Special Events for these movies she appeared
in: "Nightmare on Elm Street" An event honoring Wendie Jo Sperber at
the screening of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "1941".
(population 5000) in Upstate New York. The Town is famous for being the
original site of the National Vaudeville Artists Lodge which later was renamed the Will Rogers
Memorial Hospital. As a child, she used to play at the
William Morris Playground. Little
wonder, she knew that someday she too would be an entertainer.
Leslie took gymnastic and ballet classes and was performing on stage by
the age of four. Later, she attended acting classes at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts and the
Herbert Berghof Studios in New York
City. This is when she discovered acting to be too slow for her, action
was what she desired and that meant becoming a stuntwoman.
In the mid 70s, she discovered Paul Stader's
gym in Santa Monica, California. There, Leslie practiced high falls,
fights, fencing, etc. Less than two years later, she was able to join
SAG on her first union job
Two-Minute Warning (1976) and
has supported herself ever since. She was the first "voted in" member
of the "Society of Professional Stuntwomen". During this time, she
worked on such shows as
The Love Boat (1977),
Fantasy Island (1977),
1941 (1979) and
M*A*S*H (1972).
The 80s, Leslie was the first Stuntwoman elected to the Board of
Directors of SAG, the AFTRA Local Board and AFTRA National Board. She
was the National Chairwoman of the Stunt & Safety Committee and the
Co-Chair of the Young Performers Committee. She was sent to Sacramento
to testify in possible changes to the Child Labor Laws after the
"Twilight Zone" incident. Leslie was the first Stuntwoman to join Women
In Film. She was Doris Roberts regular
stunt double on
Remington Steele (1982), as
well as working on shows like
CHiPs (1977),
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
and Airplane! (1980). During the 90s,
she continues to work as a stuntwoman and stunt coordinator. She has
coordinated projects such as the ABC Afterschool Special, "Me and My
Hormones". This was
Melissa Gilbert's directorial
debut and starred Robin Strasser and
Marion Ross with
Brianne Murphy as the AC.
In the 90s, she was a member of the Stuntwomen's Association. She
worked regularly on
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
and "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995). This also included being an assistant
stunt coordinator for Dennis Madalone,
the Stunt Coordinator of both "Star Trek" shows. She was also
Roxann Dawson's "Torres" regular double on
"Voyager".
Leslie gives back to the Industry by giving seminars on safety to
various unions, film organizations and film colleges. Along with
Brianne Murphy ASC, she did a seminar in cinematography at the Native
American Film Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the AFTRA-SAG Young
Performers Handbook, she wrote the chapter on safety. She has been
interviewed extensively on the radio and in published articles. In the
1996 book, "Burns, Falls and Crashes", written by David Jon Wiener, you
will find Chapter 13 is dedicated to her work.
Her stunts are widely recognized such as her doubling
Queen Elizabeth II going down the
banquet table in
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988).
Last year, she worked on Wes Craven's
Scream 2 (1997). Recently, she finished
working on Universal's feature
Mystery Men (1999).
Leslie has been invited to Special Events for these movies she appeared
in: "Nightmare on Elm Street" An event honoring Wendie Jo Sperber at
the screening of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "1941".