10 Movie Stars Crazy Enough to Do Their Own Stunt Driving

Many actors claim to do their own stunts. Sometimes this merely means that they take a punch here or a light fall there. But, there are some Hollywood actors who take their stunt work very seriously. It takes a special breed of actor to take part in a film's craziest action scenes. Some of your favorite actors were stunt people and competitive drivers in a former life, so the transition to handling their own stunts is a natural move. Other actors are just tough and/or crazy enough to insist that they be allowed to do their own stunt work. Here’s a list of actors you’ll have a new appreciation for when you re-watch the high-octane chase scenes from their films and realize that they're in the driver’s seat. Here are 10 Movie Stars Crazy Enough to Do Their Own Stunt Driving.

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Movie: Death Proof
Cars Driven: 1970 Dodge Challenger

Zoë Bell was Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill. When it came time to make his grindhouse flick, Quentin Tarantino wanted a leading lady who could handle any stunts that he threw at her. This led him to tap Bell to play herself in the film. Not only did she do her own stunt driving, but she was also asked to cling to the hood of a Dodge Charger in one of the film's most memorable stunts. She also does her own roller skating in Whip It! which was reportedly a little less dangerous.

Notable Movies: The Bourne Series
Cars: Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg

Early on in his career, there weren't many stunts for Damon to do. Though the world was definitely impressed by his work in Good Will Hunting, it wasn't his writing out his own chalkboard theorems or pushing his own mop that got him attention. Now that he's graduated to the Bourne films, his stunt work is turning heads. Not only did he handle some of the driving in the Bourne trilogy on his own, he performed a number of scenes under water.

Notable Movies: Skyfall, Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale
Cars: Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin DBS V12

Though he can't exactly touch Connery in terms of rakish charm, Craig might be the toughest Bond of all time. As Bond, Daniel Craig has jumped off of rooftops and handled sports cars at top speeds. Though he has attempted some impressive feats, Craig downplays his stunt work; he's quick to point out that the toughest stunts are still handled by professionals. Craig, a car buff himself, recently told Jimmy Kimmel, "On the movie I get taught to drive by these really great drivers. Every time we do one I drive a bit, spin it around a bit but the biggest thrill is having a really good driver take you on a course."

Notable Movie: The Great Escape
Motorcycle: Triumph TR-6 Trophy 650

The Great Escape is one of the most beloved motorcycle stunt films of all time, and McQueen did every automotive stunt in the film except for one. Only the climactic jump over a six foot high barbed wire fence was handled by a stunt double (Bud Ekins). Word spread that McQueen had done that stunt, and McQueen was compelled to credit Ekins publicly when he was a guest on The Johnny Carson Show. McQueen was no slouch though. He was such a good stunt driver that he consistently outran the drivers playing Nazis who pursued him. As a result, in the final cut, McQueen actually plays one of the Nazis, so you are watching McQueen chase down McQueen.

Notable Movie: Knight and Day
Cars: 1966 Pontiac GTO

Romcom darling Cameron Diaz may not have been your first guess to appear on a list like this, but she is as much a fan of doing her own stunts as her macho counterparts. When she was paired with stunt lover Tom Cruise in Knight and Day, Diaz did her own stunt driving. When you see her character spinning cars and straddling speeding motorcycles in the film, that is all Diaz.

Notable Movies: The Transporter, Death Race, Expendables
Cars: Audis, BMWs, too many to name

Not only does Jason Statham ooze masculinity, but the more you learn about him the less comfortable you feel in your own manhood. As if he wasn't cool enough already, prior to becoming an actor, Statham was a driver for the British National Team. When it came time for him to step into films like The Transporter, he easily handled many of his own automotive stunts.

Notable Movies: Jack Reacher, Mission: Impossible 4
Cars: 1970 Chevelle SS, BMW i8, BMW M6

Ageless leading man Tom Cruise is legendary for doing his own stunts. Throughout his career, he has made it a policy to do as much of his own stunt work as possible. Though he often works with stunt drivers, he has done a fair amount of stunt driving on his own. Cruise's stunt driver for Jack Reacher, Joey Box said, "He's done so much and he's trained for so many movies and so many different types of stunt work, fighting, fire, explosions, car chases, motorcycles. He has such a good solid foundation of skills that you're not really putting him in that much danger like you would with another actor when you're working out the stunts. He's more like one of the stunt guys."

Notable Recent Movie: The Last Stand
Cars: Chevrolet Camaro SS

Even though he is edging into his AARP card-carrying years, Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to do as many of his own stunts as possible. In 2011, when Schwarzeneggar was 64, he was still driving Camaros with bad guys hanging off the back on The Last Stand. Johnny Knoxville, Arnold's co-star in the film, reported that he drove the aging action star crazy with how bad he was at his stunts. We would make fun of Knoxville, as he is more than twenty years Arnold's junior, but we have a feeling that Schwarzeneggar would out stunt us too.

Notable Movies: Cobra
Cars: 1950 Mercury Coupe

Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone has continued to do his own stunts well into his sixties. Though Stallone has had stunt men and stunt drivers at different points in his career, he has taken pride in doing as many of his own stunts as he can, and he has the scars to prove it. Some of his most interesting injuries include a punch from Dolph Lundgren that sent him into intensive care on the set of Rocky IV, a broken neck courtesy of wrestler Steve Austin on The Expendables, and a broken finger courtesy of soccer legend Pele in Escape to Victory.

Notable Movies: Mr. Nice Guy, Police Story
Cars: 120-Ton Dump Truck, Early '90s Honda Hatch

Few actors will ever touch Jackie Chan's contribution to the world of stunt work. Of course, Chan does his own stunts, and many of those stunts remain among the most impressive ever attempted. Additionally, he has also contributed a great deal to the stunt world during his career. He formed the legendary Jackie Chan Stunt Team which has had dozens of highly skilled members since it was founded in the early 80s.

Chan is one of few actors to act as a stunt man, stunt double, and stunt director himself; in some of his films he plays a role and stunt doubles for fellow actors. He also produced the 1999 documentary Jackie Chan: My Stunts in which he walks the audience through a variety of stunts and provides tips on how to stage stunt work on a budget. Chan's name will be synonymous with stunt work for years to come, and with good reason.