Get the latest gossip

Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman Helen Gibson ‘Loved Being in Charge,’ Author Mallory O’Meara Says

Author Mallory O’Meara exclusively tells Closer that Hollywood’s first stuntwoman, Helen Gibson, ‘loved being in charge’ of her own career.

Born Rose Wenger in Cleveland, Ohio, Helen developed an appetite for feats of daring in the rodeo and used those skills to become the silver screen’s first stuntwoman. “The two of them looked uncannily alike,” says O’Meara, who explains that after the star recovered, she and Helen Gibson agreed to share the role. Although Helen continued to work as a stunt double — her final role was in 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance — her popularity waned in the 1920s as Hollywood changed.

Get the Android app