Interview with Dennis "Danger" Madalone

Stunt Coordinator for Deep Space 9 and Voyager

Stuntrev: How did you get the nick name "Danger"?

Dennis: I worked on Ba Ba Blacksheep [a television series about a WW2 fighter sqadren] with Robert Conrad for three years. Then in 1979 the opportunuty came to jump a motorcycle 126 feet through a billboard while I was on fire, from the beach to the ocean on the Dina Shore Show. The National Enquirer just happened to be there. They gave me a two page write-up and in the same issue gave Robert Conrad only a 1 inch by 1 inch blurb. After that Robert Conrad started teasing me--calling me "Danger Madalone," and the name has stuck ever since.

Stuntrev: What is your goal for the action on Deep Space 9 and Voyager?

Dennis: My goal is to take the script and make the stunt as big as possible, even if it is written to be small. Let's say the script reads "Alien gets shot...," I take that and try to make it the biggest it can be, usually I would say "how about a ratchet?" However big any stunt gets the most important thing is that it is always safe.

Stuntrev: Can you tell us about your charity work?

Dennis: The most satisfying work I do is for charity. My two favorites are New Horizons (school for mentally retarded adults) and Penny Lane (a home for abused children). For many years now we have been doing stunt shows performing high falls, airramps, fights, etc. I would rather jump 150 ft for charity than for pay.

Below: Dennis jumping from one of the Leavittation airramps for Stuntmasters