Person
Polly Burson
Ontario, Oregon, USA
Trick rider and stunt woman Polly Burson was born Pauline Shelton on December 24, 1919 in Ontario, Oregon. Born into a rodeo family, Polly spent her early years on her grandfather…
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Trick rider and stunt woman Polly Burson was born Pauline Shelton on December 24, 1919 in Ontario, Oregon. Born into a rodeo family, Polly spent her early years on her grandfather's ranch and started riding at the age of seven. Following an outstanding career on the rodeo circuit, Polly moved to California to break into the film business. Although it took Burson three years to break into said business, her career as a stunt woman was off and running from the mid-1940's and onward. Among the notable actresses that Polly doubled for throughout her five decade career as a stunt woman are Betty Hutton, Julie Adams, Sophia Loren, Shelley Winters, Yvonne De Carlo, Barbara Stanwyck, Dorothy Malone, Betty Grable, Lucille Ball, and Kim Darby. Burson was the recipient of a Golden Boot Award for her substantial and impressive contributions to the Western genre in 1991; said award was present to her by longtime friend and fellow stuntman Henry Wills. In addition, Polly was also inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame, and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas in November, 2002. Burson was married and divorced three times. She died at age 86 on April 4, 2006 in Ventura, California.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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1987
Who's That Girl
Movie Stunts
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1986
Black Moon Rising
Movie Stunts
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1984
Last of the Great Survivors
Movie Resident
-
1974
Earthquake
Movie Earthquake Survivor (uncredited)
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1969
True Grit
Movie Stunts
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1968
The Shakiest Gun in the West
Movie Stunt Double
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1966
El Dorado
Movie Stunts
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1963
McLintock!
Movie Stunts
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1962
How the West Was Won
Movie Stock Player (uncredited)
-
1960
Spartacus
Movie Slave (uncredited)
-
1960
Heller in Pink Tights
Movie Stunt Double
-
1960
Hell Bent for Leather
Movie Stunts
-
1959
The Jayhawkers!
Movie Stunts
-
1959
Last Train from Gun Hill
Movie Stunt Double
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1959
Some Like It Hot
Movie Stunts
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1958
The Buccaneer
Movie Stunts
More credits
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1957
Night Passage
Movie Rosa
-
1956
The Ten Commandments
Movie Slave (uncredited)
-
1956
Pillars of the Sky
Movie Stunt Double
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1955
Guys and Dolls
Movie Stunts
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1955
The Rains of Ranchipur
Movie Stunts
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1955
The Second Greatest Sex
Movie Stunts
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1955
Escape to Burma
Movie
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1954
Destry
Movie Stunts
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1954
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Movie Stunt Double
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1953
The Man from the Alamo
Movie
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1953
Gunsmoke
Movie Stunt Double
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1953
Niagara
Movie Stunts
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1952
The Story of Will Rogers
Movie Stunts
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1952
Scarlet Angel
Movie Stunts
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1952
Rodeo
Movie Stunts
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1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
Movie Stunts
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1952
Rose of Cimarron
Movie Stunt Double
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1952
Bend of the River
Movie Stunts
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1951
Westward the Women
Movie Preacher (uncredited)
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1951
A Place in the Sun
Movie Stunt Double
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1951
The Redhead and the Cowboy
Movie Saloon Girl (uncredited)
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1951
The Sword of Monte Cristo
Movie Stunts
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1950
My Blue Heaven
Movie Stunt Double
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1950
The Desert Hawk
Movie Stunt Double
