Imagine falling backwards 65 feet off of a mountain and landing on an air bag surrounded by massive boulders. Sandi Gross did just that in 1992 for the TV show MacGyver.
Gross was a gymnast from age eight through sophomore year of college. She attended Southern Illinois University where she was one of six women in the nation to receive a scholarship for gymnastics. She trained with Cathy Rigby and other talented gymnasts. After two years she gave up due to the intensity, so she returned home to Long Beach, California. In 1977, Rigby mentioned an opportunity to play a Russian gymnast in the movie The Six Million Dollar Man. On set, Bob Yerkes, an acrobatic stuntman, wanted to train Gross to be a stunt double in the original Wonder Woman TV show.
After Wonder Woman, Gross was given higher-paying aerial stunt opportunities. From doubling Carrie Fisher in Star Wars, to jumping off motorcycles, and catapulting herself on russian swings; she was ready to risk her life for her career.
While filming a scene at night in downtown LA for the show Tales from the Crypt, an inexperienced stunt driver hit her going 25 mph. She ended that night in the ER with 10 stitches, a black eye, and questioning her career. The industry was infiltrated with too many unreliable amateur people. Following this event, Gross left the business after 16 years due to a lack of trust. She then entered the medical field and spent 29 years as an ophthalmic assistant.
After retiring in 2022, Gross missed the adrenaline rush and confidence that stunts gave her. She says she “really loved [stunt work] because… somebody puts an obstacle in front of you and in my mind I think I can do it. I’m strong enough, I can handle it, and to actually do it and come out of it alive or unscathed or do it perfect, that was the thrill for me- to overcome the fear.” Gross currently receives small residual checks from the Screen Actors Guild Union whenever a show or film she was featured in is rerun.
Sandi Gross in the original Wonder Woman TV show (shown above)