The Apollo pilot was an unnamed assassin who attempted to kill James Bond aboard an Apollo Airways Turboprop Airliner. A minor antagonist portrayed by French actor, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, and doubled by American stuntman, BJ Worth,[1] he appeared in the pre-title sequence of the 1979 James Bond film, Moonraker.
Biography[]
As 007 returns from his African job aboard an Apollo Airways airliner, the pilot and the air hostess conspire together with Jaws to kill him. Holding Bond at gunpoint, the pilot shoots out the plane's controls and attempts to bail out using a parachute. 007 kicks the pistol from his hand and the two brawl until the assassin ends up being knocked out of the plane - shortly followed by a parachute-less Bond, shoved out of the aircraft by Jaws. Bond skydives after the pilot, and the pair struggle in mid-air, before the spy steals his parachute. The assassin is last seen hurtling towards the ground and is probably dead.
Behind the Scenes[]
The skydiving sequence in Moonraker's pre-title sequence was filmed by Second Unit Director John Glen, above Pope Valley, California over the course of six weeks. It took a total 88 jumps by aerial stuntmen BJ Worth and Jake Lombard (doubling for Roger Moore).[1]
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