Veteran Stunt Performer Taraja Ramsess, Known For Marvel And DC Films, Has Died At 41
The hardworking, immensely talented, and woefully underappreciated stunt community is mourning one of their own. Taraja Ramsess, a veteran stuntman of several superhero movies such as "Black Panther," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Black Adam" (among many other action-heavy productions) tragically passed away this past Halloween in a car accident that also claimed the lives of two daughters, Sundari and Fujibo, and his son Kisasi. Ramsess was only 41 years of age. The news was reported by local news outlet Fox-Atlanta and subsequently confirmed by Ramsess' mother Akili, who memorialized her late son and grandchildren in two heartbreaking Instagram posts.
Ramsess' career in film had stretched back to his time as a set dresser on 2009's "Halloween II," working on a number of high-profile productions such as "Fast Five," "The Walking Dead," and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" before truly coming into his own as a prolific stunt performer. Although his contributions were destined to go unnoticed by the vast majority of moviegoers, Ramsess undoubtedly put his stamp on several beloved pop culture events, from 2018's "Black Panther" to both "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" to "The Suicide Squad" and "Wakanda Forever." His most recent projects included "Black Adam," "Creed III," "They Cloned Tyrone," and BET's "Cruel Encounters."
In her social media post, Ramsess' mother celebrated her son's memory:
"All who knew and met him know how special Taraja was. He had a deep capacity for love and loved his children more than all. He loved his martial arts, motorcycles and all things related to filmmaking. He [had] a very droll yet wicked sense of humor & yet could be as cornball corny as can be."
The lasting legacy of stunt performer Taraja Ramsess
Sadly, it's become all too common for the yeomen work of stunt people to fall by the wayside and fly completely under the radar. Vocal calls by many to shine a light on this invaluable branch of filmmaking have resulted in the potential for the Oscars to finally recognize stunt work as a category and, most recently, the impending release of the HBO documentary "David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived," which focuses on actor Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double who experienced a life-changing accident while working on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1." So even as many fans learn the name of Taraja Ramsess for the first time, perhaps the rest of the industry is finally taking on the responsibility of directing attention and credit to those who deserve it the most.
Director Ava DuVernay is doing her part, at least, as the famous filmmaker took to Instagram to share her many memories and experiences with Ramsess with her followers. Having previously worked as a crew member on DuVernay's distribution company ARRAY, Ramsess left quite an impression through his tireless work ethic and eagerness to learn about all aspects of filmmaking. The director even shared a touching story from one particular production:
"I remember one day on set, we didn't have enough Black background actors for a key scene. I had to recruit my crew members to be on-camera. Taraja was the first to say yes. Yes, I'll do my real job and then jump into this wild scene playing a tough guy with a gun for you. From there – everyone else said yes too. He was that kind of person. A leader. A light. Taraja."
Ramsess is survived by his mother and two of his children. Rest in peace.