Charles F. Stahelski (born September 20, 1968) is an American stuntman and filmmaker. He is considered a highly-influential figure in the action film genre.[1] He first achieved prominence as a stunt performer and coordinator, notably as the key stunt double for Keanu Reeves on The Matrix (1999), and as the martial arts stunt coordinator on its first two sequels. He subsequently directed the 2014 film John Wick, starring Reeves, and its three sequels.
Biography
Martial arts training
Stahelski was born in Palmer, Massachusetts to Gary and Kathleen Stahelski (née Diamond) in 1968. He began training in martial arts from a young age.[2] He studied Jeet Kune Do under Dan Inosanto, and for a time was an instructor at Inosanto's school in Los Angeles.[3]
Stahelski and fellow stuntman Jeff Cadiente served as stunt doubles for the actor Brandon Lee on the 1994 film The Crow. Accidentally wounded on set on March 31, 1993 by defective blank ammunition, Lee later died in hospital during surgery.[6] Stahelski completed the remaining filming in place of Lee and special effects were used to superimpose Lee's face onto Stahelski.[7]
In 1997, Stahelski co-founded action design company 87Eleven with David Leitch.[3][8] The company has since split between an action design company and a production company, 87North Productions.
He worked as a stunt double for his future John Wick star Keanu Reeves in The Matrix franchise, and later served as a stunt co-ordinator for the films.[9] Stahelski states that his experience working with martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping heavily influenced his own approach to stunts.[1]
In 2009, Stahelski was second-unit director and stunt co-ordinator on Ninja Assassin along with David Leitch, produced by Matrix directors The Wachowskis.[10]
In 2012, on the set of the film The Expendables 2 for which Stahelski served as stunt coordinator, stuntman Kun Liu was killed by an explosion on set. Liu's family sued Stahelski following the accident.[11]
In February 2024, Lionsgate appointed Stahelski to oversee the John Wick and Highlander franchises. Stahelski will have creative oversight across film, TV and all multimedia platforms.[29]
Personal life
Stahelski was married to fellow stunt performer Heidi Moneymaker, but they divorced in 2018.[30]
Stahelski was a friend of Brandon Lee and worked as his double.[10] They trained together at the Inosanto Academy.
