Steve Truglia Biography

Steve Truglia is based in London in the UK and spends most of his spare time pursuing various outdoor sports and keeping his fitness and stunt skills up to date. He also writes and design TV shows with stunt and action themes and designs stunts for TV, Film and Commercials. He's a trained actor and television presenter. He has been on the Equity Stunt Register since 1996, and is a fully accredited Stunt Action Coordinator and Action Director. He has credits on two James Bond movies, Saving Private Ryan, Entrapment, and a whole host of mainstream television shows and commercials.

Steve has an extensive background in UK Special Forces, serving with both the SAS and SBS. Among the many military skills gathered, he is paramedic trained (Special Forces patrol medic), and is a qualified Army Physical Training Instructor and Royal Marine Commando (All Arms Commando Course 1989 CTCRM). He also passed the Parachute Regiment 'P' Company course.

He has completed hundreds of military parachute jumps from balloons, a variety of aircraft, daytime and at night, on land and sea. In 1991 Steve was awarded the coveted US Marine Corps 'Gold Parachute Wings' at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, whilst on an exchange attachment with the US Marines. Steve is HALO parachute trained with jumps up to 30,000ft. His many extreme sports such as Skydiving, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering, Long Distance Canoeing, Ultra Long Distance Fell Running and Triathlon have been pursued since his teens.

Sporting achievements include a parachute D Licence with 1,400+ jumps (military and civilian), Several Marathons, Bronze Medal Team Army Cross Country Champs 1984, Several Triathlons (3rd place team in Army National Triathlon Champs 1992), Rock Climbing to UK E3 standard, Mountaineering to Grade V, Mountain Leader Training Board Single Pitch Supervisors’ Award 1996, Fencing AFA Grade 6 in all three weapons, 5 years studying Kendo (Japanese Samurai martial art),  Motor Sport Formula Ford 1600 and Formula First (extensive experience), Trampolining Elementary Gold Certificate, Swimming ASA Water Skills Level 6, BSAC Dive Leader.

In 1998 Steve captained the Fastest Reserve Forces boat in the 126 mile Devizes-Westminster Canoe Race, (he has completed the DW race three times). This race is the longest continuous canoe race in the World, and is considered by many to be one of the World’s toughest physical events. Steve's best time was 20hours 40mins, gaining 21st place out of over 1000 boats.

In 2002 Steve become the first British freediver to reach 252 ft (76 m) on a single breath, establishing the first British No Limits Freediving Record and became the UK's deepest freediver. The record was performed in the dark, cold waters of Loche Linnhe, Fort William, Scotland. It was ratified by the British Freediving Association / AIDA UK as an official British Record. This record was made possible in part by sponsorship from Breitling, and to a great extent by the assistance of the late French freediver Loic Leferme. Steve's underwater breath hold maximum is 6mins 10sec. 

Steve is planning an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for a Full Body Burn. This category is only open to bona fide stunt professionals and is to be done without use of oxygen (i.e. breath holding). This record attempt will take place for a GWR Television Show. In October 2003 he performed a full test burn at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre and stopped, as planned at 2mins 5secs, which was deliberately one second short of the record.

On September 4th 2004 Steve was awarded a Guinness World Record for the fastest abseil over 100 metres. It took him just 8.9 secs to abseil down London landmark Centre Point. The record was screened on the Guinness World Records 50th Anniversary prime time TV show on ITV 1. Steve abseiled into the studio 'live' for a quick interview with presenter Jamie Theakston.

Steve has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles including The Sun, The Standard, Daily Mail, The Sunday Times, Metro, Nuts, Zoo, Loaded, FHM Magazine,  Diver and Sport Diver  Magazine. He was a consultant, contributor and featured stuntman in the 'Be a Stuntman' children's maths book. He has written car stunt articles for Top Gear Magazine, and he has appeared on dozens of TV shows as a stunt and extreme sports expert. His front of camera work also includes Richard and Judy,  multiple episodes of Fifth Gear (where he is the resident stunt driver), Guinness World Records Show, BBC, Sky, Ch4, Ch5 and ITV News, This Morning, Richard and Judy Show, That Antony Cotton Show, I Survived Freefall, Spend it like Tom Cruise, and many more. He is a regular guest Stunt Expert on Sky News.

Find out more about Steve's work as a Stunt Coordinator at his personal website here