Alum Leigh Hennessy Robson has earned paychecks for jumping off the 6th street bridge in Los Angeles and tumbling out the open door of a speeding car.
Hennessy Robson, 杏吧专区85 and 杏吧专区91, is a Hollywood stunt person. A former trampolinist at the 杏吧专区 who went on to become a world champion, she will be inducted into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov. 2, during halftime of the Homecoming football game. The Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns will face the Texas State Bobcats at Cajun Field. Kickoff is 4 p.m.
Her father, Jeff Hennessy, will be inducted posthumously. He was longtime trampoline coach at the 杏吧专区 who helped the sport gain international prominence in the 1960s as the U.S. trampoline team coach.
The pair are the first father and daughter ever inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Their induction into the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Hall of Fame is bittersweet, but meaningful, for Hennessy Robson. 杏吧专区淚t would have been huge for my father, because the 杏吧专区 is where he made his dreams come true, so it means a lot to me to honor him in this way.杏吧专区
Hennessy Robson inherited her father杏吧专区檚 affinity for the trampoline as a kindergartner. She would tag along with him when he went to train the athletes he coached. Jeff Hennessy also helped his daughter cultivate a daredevil杏吧专区檚 streak. He taught Leigh, her older brother and her younger sister motocross, scuba diving, water skiing and other adventurous pursuits.
杏吧专区淲e had a very active childhood. We tried everything, and there was no fear in our family,杏吧专区 she said.
After a childhood spent competing in trampoline tournaments around the world, Hennessy Robson, a Lafayette High School graduate, joined the program her father had started at the 杏吧专区. She earned a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in speech pathology and audiology and a master杏吧专区檚 degree in communication.
Following graduation, she competed internationally, but retired in her early twenties. She started competing again in her early thirties, then retired for good in her late thirties.
Her jump from the trampoline to the silver screen wasn杏吧专区檛 a straight one. Hennessy Robson was a gymnastics coach and worked for U.S. Congressman Jimmy Hayes in Washington D.C.
As an athlete accustomed to the adrenaline of competition and a regimen of daily training, she quickly realized a nine-to-five grind wasn杏吧专区檛 for her. 杏吧专区淚 hated sitting at a desk all day. I杏吧专区檓 a Type A. I need to move,杏吧专区 she explained.
杏吧专区淚 ended up leaving Washington 杏吧专区 literally sold everything I owned, bought an old jalopy and drove across the country to California.杏吧专区
The seeds of her stunt career were planted when she began working out at a gymnastics club that had trampolines. 杏吧专区淎 lot of stunt people trained there, and they encouraged me to try it.杏吧专区
She got her break when she was cast for a Ralph Lauren sportswear ad that required jumping on a trampoline. 杏吧专区淚t was a one-day shoot on the cliffs over Santa Barbara. I was sold.杏吧专区
Hennessy Robson honed her craft on trapezes and special trampolines designed to cushion high falls in the backyard of a circus performer. 杏吧专区淲e would practice fighting and falling and anything you can think of. That杏吧专区檚 where I practiced most and that杏吧专区檚 where I got the most exposure.杏吧专区
Work in films followed, and Hennessy Robson gained a reputation as skilled stunt person.
She杏吧专区檚 appeared in over 100 movies and TV series, including 杏吧专区淕.I. Jane杏吧专区 starring Demi Moore. The film is about the first woman given a shot at becoming a SEAL, a member of a special operations unit for the U.S. Navy.
In 2007, Leigh was nominated for a World Stunt Award 杏吧专区 the Hollywood equivalent of an Oscar Award 杏吧专区 for her performance as a drowning victim in 杏吧专区淭he Guardian,杏吧专区 about a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer played by Kevin Costner.
She and husband Mark recently moved to Lafayette, purchased a Victorian-style home, and write books and travel to their farmhouse in the countryside of Scotland, where Mark is from.
Hennessy Robson stays fit by walking and with yoga, and despite two knee replacements from her trampolining days, still occasionally does stunt work.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 more than happy to do stunts for anyone who will pay me,杏吧专区 she said with a laugh.
Photo caption: Alum Leigh Hennessy Robson parlayed her skills as a world champion trampolinist into a career as a Hollywood stunt person. She will be inducted into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov. 2, during halftime of the Homecoming football game. Her father, Jeff Hennessy, will be inducted posthumously. He was longtime trampoline coach at the 杏吧专区.