Sharon Schaffer

Sharon M. Schaffer  is a stuntwoman, actress and stunt coordinator who performed stunts in two Star Trek productions. She first performed stunts as a Mercy Hospital nurse along with Eddie Hice in , coordinated by R.A. Rondell. , Schaffer doubled guest actress Karole Selmon in the  first season episode  in a fight scene with fellow stuntwoman Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon, coordinated by Glenn R. Wilder.

Personal 
Schaffer was born in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, California and trained singing with the Johnson Gospel Ensemble and vocal coaches Marge Rivingston and Seth Riggs. She studied acting at the Playhouse West Acting Studio and with coaches such as Steve Nave, Carroll Day Kimble, Julie Ariola, Carolyne Barry, and Chance Pierce. In the late 1970s, Schaffer started to work in the stunt industry and trained at Paul Stader's Gym in Santa Monica and Precision Driving at the BMW Motorcycle Team and at Rick Seaman's Stunt Driving School.

Schaffer is also a professional surfer and a member of the Black Surfing Team where she is nicknamed "Black Mermaid". In 2010 she was featured at the "How We Roll" exhibit at the California African American Museum honoring her cultural influences in surfing, skateboarding and rollerskating as first African American female professional surfer. In 2012 she received the President's Award at the NAACP Image Awards.

Career

1980s 
Schaffer started to work in film and television in the early 1980s when she performed stunts in episodes of The Powers of Matthew Star (coordinated by Alan Oliney), V (coordinated by David Richard Ellis), Riptide (coordinated by Chris Doyle), Voyagers! (coordinated by Ron Stein), Spenser: For Hire, Palmerstown USA, The Fall Guy, Hill Street Blues, Matlock, Tucker's Withc (coordinated by Eddy Donno), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Cagney & Lacey (coordinated by Donna Garrett), Fantasy Island, Matt Houston, The Bad News Bears, Sheriff Lobo, Hunter (coordinated by Robert Bralver), The Dukes of Hazzard (coordinated by Paul Baxley), Moonlighting, Mike Hammer (coordinated by Dick Butler), CHiPs, and Knots Landing and Max Headroom (both coordinated by Buck McDancer).

She worked as stunt double for  on the television series Hotel, as double for  on Dynasty (coordinated by John Moio), performed an 85 ft. high fall for the television movie Rooster (1982, coordinated by Frank James Sparks), and doubled actress  on the television series Code Name: Foxfire (1985, coordinated by Erik Cord). Schaffer was the stunt double for actress  on the comedy Bustin' Loose (1981), doubled Penny Johnson in the horror sequel The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984, coordinated by Tony Cecere), Vanessa Williams in the action comedy Under the Gun (1988, coordinated by Harry Wowchuck),  in the crime comedy City Heat (1984), Lonette McKee in the comedy Brewster's Millions (1985), and Whoopi Goldberg in the drama The Color Purple (1985) and the action comedies Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) and The Burglar (1987).

Other films she worked on in the 1980s include the comedy The Blues Brothers (1980), the horror thriller Motel Hell (1980), the comedy Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981, working with Faith Minton, Tom Morga, Bob Minor, Diamond Farnsworth, Tony Brubaker, and Gary Baxley), the thriller The Star Chamber (1983, coordinated by Glenn R. Wilder), the crime drama Scarface (1983, coordinated by Jophery C. Brown), the science fiction comedy Weird Science (1985), the comedy sequel Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), the action sequel Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), the comedy Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (1988), the science fiction film Alien Nation (1988), the crime drama Colors (1988), the action film Captive Rage (1988, coordinated by B.J. Davis), the crime movie Pink Cadillac (1989), and the horror sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989, coordinated by Mike Cassidy).

1990s 
In 1991, Schaffer worked as stunt coordinator on the comedy Talkin' Dirty After Dark, featuring Renée Jones and Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr. She was one of the vampires in the fantasy film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), played the frightened token clerk in the action thriller Money Train (1995), and doubled actress  in 's drama series The Practice (1998, with stunts by Spike Silver, Noon Orsatti, and Alan Oliney).

Television work includes episodes of Alien Nation, Quantum Leap (coordinated by Diamond Farnsworth), Port Charles, Cop Rock, L.A. Law, Picket Fences, Dangerous Minds, and the television movies Miracle Landing (1990), Heat Wave (1990, coordinated by Dick Butler), and Prison Stories: Women on the Inside (1991, coordinated by Al Jones).

Schaffer performed stunts in the drama Lambada (1990, coordinated by Warren A. Stevens and Charles Croughwell and working with George Colucci, Maria Kelly, Dan Koko, Dennis Madalone, Michael J. Sarna, and Tim Trella), the fantasy comedy Ghsot Dad (1990, coordinated by Alan Oliney), the action comedy Kindergarten Cop (1990, coordinated by Joel Kramer), as a stunt banquet guest in the crime thriller In the Line of Fire (1993, with Gary Cole, Clyde Kusatsu, Carl Ciarfalio, Michael Zurich, Lena Banks, Robert Buckingham, Elizabeth Pengson, Robin Morselli, and Denise Lynne Roberts), the comedy sequel Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994, coordinated by Julius LeFlore), the horror comedy Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), the drama Showgirls (1995), the drama Amistad (1997), the action comedy Metro (1997), and the independent film The Set Effect (1999).

2000s 
In the 2000s, Schaffer performed stunts in the science fiction thriller Hollow Man (2000, coordinated by Gary Combs and working with Phil Culotta, Lincoln Simonds, and April Weeden), the science fiction thriller The One (2001), the comedy Rat Race (2001), 's crime drama Blood Work (2002) and Mystic River (2003), the comedy National Security (2003), the action thriller The Italian Job (2003), and doubled actress Dolores Sheen in the comedy sequel Friday After Next (2002, working with Austin Priester, Brian Bennett, Manny Perry, and Denney Pierce).

She was the Deli waitress in the comic sequel Spider-Man 2 (2004), performed stunts in the action thriller Deja Vu (2006, coordinated by Chuck Picerni, Jr.), the sport drama Gridiron Gang (2006, starring Dwayne Johnson and stunt coordination by Allan Graf), the drama Freedom Writers (2007, with Boni Yanagisawa, Chrissy Weathersby, and Lin Oeding), the action comedy Pineapple Express (2008, with Sonny Surowiec, Bridgett Riley, Chien Funan, Hiro Koda, and Ted Barba), and as stunt double in the superhero movie Hancock (2008).

Schaffer was a regular stunt performer on the reality game show Next Action Star (2004, with Brian Christensen and Shauna Duggins) as well as on the television series Entourage (coordinated by Spike Silver), Standoff (coordinated by Carrick O'Quinn), Big Time Rush and Unfabulous (both coordinated by Vince Deadrick, Jr.), Freaky Links, Shark (coordinated by Ron Stein), Everybody Hates Chris, as stunt double for  in That's So Raven (coordinated by Chris Doyle), Crossing Jordan, Snoops, Scrubs, Lincoln Heights, and Charmed (coordinated by Noon Orsatti). She also doubled  in her Revlon commercials, coordinated commercials for McDonals and Lincoln Mercury, and worked in spots for Chevy, Toyota, Bud Lite, and Suzuki as well as double for  in her music videos.

In 2006, Schaffer was part of the documentary Hollywood at Its Best which depicts the professional and personal life of Hollywood's five top African American stuntwomen. The documentary was written, produced, and directed by LaFaye Baker who worked on the final  episode . It also features  stuntwoman April Weeden, Nichelle Nichols' stunt double Kim Washington, and 's stunt double Kelsee King-Devoreaux.

More recent work includes doubling actress  in the drama series Southland (coordinated by Peewee Piemonte), stunt acting for Rick Avery in the drama Charlie Wilson's War (2007), working as stunt driver, stunt double and producer on Eric Chambers' thriller Lost in Plainview (2007, with Marjean Holden, Rich Minga, and Shawn McConnell), stunt acting on the horror thriller Insanitarium (2008, with Rosine "Ace" Hatem and stunt coordination by Bobby C. King), and working as stunt driving double for Zoe Saldana on the action thriller Colombiana (2011).

External links 
 
 Sharon Schaffer at iStunt.com
 Sharon Schaffer at StuntPhone.com
 Sharon Schaffer at ActorsAccess.com
 Sharon Schaffer at Missys.net
 Sharon Schaffer at CineMorgue.com
 Sharon Schaffer at BlackSurfing.com

Stunt performers
Performers
Film performers
TNG performers