He was rejected for service in the RAF in World War II due to a childhood eye injury.
His acting, dancing and horse-riding skills were used to good effect in the 1952 film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, and he then developed a career as a stunt performer.
His stunts for James Bond films included tobogganing down the Cresta Run in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, doubling for George Lazenby, and later for Roger Moore in a cable car fight scene 1,000 ft above ground on Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil, in Moonraker.
In the scene, he had to fall and then hold on to the roof of the cable car with his hands and did not have his safety harness on.
He became known for his ability to hang onto things high above the ground and was selected for stunts that required that skill.