Rémy Julienne

Rémy Julienne (; 17 April 1930 – 21 January 2021) was a French driving stunt performer and coordinator, assistant director and occasional actor. He was also a rallycross champion and 1956 French motocross champion.

Early life Julienne was born in 1930, the son of café owners in the town of Cepoy, 110 km south-east of Paris. During World War II, he was dared by children evacuated from Paris to ride a bicycle across the local canal, which inspired him to start riding motocross.

Very often people ask, ‘what was my favourite stunt?’ I’d say the jump between the two Fiat factory roofs must be the one, because it was emotional, because it was difficult. We worked on the ground, we prepared the ramps, calculated distances, speeds etc. [Originally] it was decided I had to do three separate jumps in each Mini. I explained that, as the roof was very wide, we could make the three Minis jump all together… it looked much better as a shot. It was more complicated, but really amazing. His choreographed stunt sequences were usually destructive, with high-speed chases and highly realistic vehicle behaviour. French car manufacturers, notably Renault and Citroën, frequently called on his services for their TV and film commercials, and he had a noted partnership with Italian manufacturer Fiat in the 1980s. and the serious injury of the cameraman's assistant. Clearing Besson's firm EuropaCorp of all charges, the Prosecutor held Julienne solely responsible accusing him of "not taking all the necessary measures for the security of the stunt in question" and notably to have "neglected the speed calculations of the car and the length of the jump", handing Julienne an 18-month suspended jail sentence and a €13,000 fine. Julienne appealed, accusing Besson's production company EuropaCorp of taking short cuts in safety equipment, and rejecting Julienne's offers to trial the car scene in question due to cost. The Paris Court of Appeal reversed the ruling in June 2009, and ordered EuropaCorp pay €100,000. Julienne's jail sentence was reduced to six months, and his fine reduced to €2,000, but he was required to pay the Dutartre family €50,000 in court costs.

Julienne began a school in France to provide drivers and mechanics with the specialized skills needed for stunt work. He also coordinated the attraction Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris.

His sons Michel and Dominique are also highly skilled stunt drivers/coordinators, and now run the family business.

Death Hospitalised in Amilly near Montargis in early January 2021, Julienne died from COVID-19 on the evening of 21 January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in France.