Stuart St. Paul is a distinguished British stunt coordinator, actor, and award-winning director, known for his work on major films like Aliens (playing the Queen Alien) and three Bond movies. A former member of the British Equity Stunt Register, he is also an award-winning director (Freight) and now best selling author of the CSCI crime series.
One of the roles he is most asked about is that of the Queen Alien in James Cameron’s award-winning movie Aliens. Stuart is now a regular guest on podcasts, radio, TV and at Literary Festivals as he has become a Best Selling Author. His movie career stands out from his time as a stuntman to becoming an award-winning director and jury member on behalf of the UK. Details of Stuart follow the Alien article.
Stan Winston created the Queen Alien around Stuart St Paul‘s body, and after months of design, testing, and building, Stuart worked under Cameron’s direct communication to him and Malcolm as Aliens was made. Strapped back to back to Malcom Weaver for three months to make the four arms of the films’ most scarey monster, the two recently got together for a joint picture for ComicCon, something they had never done before. Inside neither of them could see or hear anything other than Cameron, and he could hear them.
Stuart was the Queen Alien, the most frightening movie character of all time and working with Cameron so closely was a masterclass. He went on to join Cameron as one of the few directors to win ‘Best Director’ himself and he has continued to win awards around the globe. Recently when on a lecture tour, he was presented with a picture draw especially for him by Lynsey Hutchinson.
Originally six of the smallest stuntmen were auditioned. Stuart Fell, Tip Tipping, Malcolm Weaver, and Stuart St Paul were the final four. Whilst the idea was to have teams, Cameron liked the performance to St Paul and Weaver and insisted that they only would be the two sides of the monster and they went to work with him and the animatronics team which included Steve Norrington, later to work with St Paul at Fugitive and go on to direct Blade. St Paul was against Norrington many years later when they were both finalists at the Porto Film Festival Fantasporto. St Paul can’t remember what film it was of his that was, but he remembers winning the Jury Prize and Steve won Best Director.
The movie was shot at Pinewood Studios, and most of the Queen Alien work was in D-stage which was where he had shot his iconic Carling Black Label Surfer Commercial some years earlier. For months he was the left side of the Queen, and Malcolm was the right side, the two strapped back to back, morning until late into the night. Luckily neither of them lived far from the studio. With the months they spent together, encased in the body waiting for things to happen, they talk about opening a stunt workshop and eventually rented shed 4 on the back lot of the studios. In those days it still resembled a post WWII camp of sheds. They started the company STUNT PRO which also included Bob Harman and Steve Crawley and between them they did many of the great movies of the eighties and nineties – Batman to Superman and beyond.
Many people claim to have been in legendary movies, but I have a folder of contracts for being the Queen Alien the test period and the movie. If you have never seen an Aliens contract, there is one in the title of this post.
Key Career Highlights
Stunt Work & Coordination: Worked on Batman, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and choreographed for Jean-Claude Van Damme. The Emmerdale Plane Crash and looked after Ms Brown and her Boys for three series and a movie. He appeared in many award-winning commercial such as the infamous Carling Black Label Surfer. As a producer he made The Krays, as a Director he represented the UK as their jury member at the the millennial European Film Awards.
Background:
Built a career in stunts starting in the 1980s, working on large-scale music videos like Duran Duran’s Wild Boys.
Accolades:
Won Best Director at the Breckenridge Festival and received nominations for the Taurus World Stunt Awards. Nominated for an NTA and winner of over ten Soap Awards. Winner of a Silver Palm in Mexico, Audience Award at Port, and nominated as Best Director at both Carbourg and Verona. The list goes on from Canada to India.
Transition to Author:
Following a serious injury from a special effects explosion on a film set in Hungary that required brain surgery, St. Paul transitioned into writing the Cruise Ship Crime Investigators series.
Stunts:
Stuart changed the face of the British Stunt Register most importantly by having come up with the idea of the Stunt Ball and the charity work that followed. He was a member of the British Actors Equity Council, the Stunt Register Committee, and the London Committee. He also served as a JISC Council member, a body that graded and promoted stunt performers and shaped the industry.
Family:
He is married to Actress Jean Heard (Grass Arena, Grange Hill) and is father to Luke Aikman (Fever Pitch) and Laura Aikman (This City Is Ours, Line Of Duty)
Worldwide Web:
Stuart is easily searchable, from IMDB to his own website www.Stuartstpaul.co.uk
Previous Podcasts Include:
Enquire of Stuart’s availability…
[email protected] Please be patient – we will get back to you.
Explore our list of potential podcast guests
Director credits include:
Scarlet Tunic: Norminated Best Director Carbourg (France) and Verona (Italy)
Freight: Winner of Best Director Breckenridge USA, Silver Palm at MIFF
Devil’s Gate: Nominated Best Director at Fantasporto (Porto, Portugal)
Stunt credits includes:
Multi-award-winning Carling Black Label, Surfer.
Enquire of Stuart’s availability…
[email protected] Please be patient – we will get back to you.
Explore our list of potential podcast guests
