Judo, The Avengers & Me
Christine Gallie was at the forefront of women’s competitive judo in the 60s and 70s, becoming British Open Champion six times, and European Champion twice, eventually achieving the grade of 7th Dan. Under her stage name of Cyd Child, she was also a very successful stunt girl, appearing in the James Bond, Superman, and The Pink Panther film franchises as well as TV classics such as The Avengers, The New Avengers and The Goodies. For years, people had been telling Chris to write her biography, so retirement seemed a good opportunity to piece her memories and photos together, resulting in ‘Judo, The Avengers & Me’.
While growing up, Chris always preferred playing outdoors and climbing trees. When she was 15, she went along to a judo club which had started in the neighbouring village. She was one of only two women. The club was very welcoming and she enjoyed her first experience of judo, so kept coming back for more. After Chris had gained her brown belt, her teacher recommended that she join The Budokwai, a well-established and influential Japanese martial arts club in London. There she worked towards her black belt grading, becoming a 1st and then 2nd Dan. At that point she hit an impasse, as she needed to compete against six people of the same level to progress to the next grade and there simply weren’t enough women available at that level.
Although men’s judo had already reached the Olympics by 1964, there weren’t any formal competitions for women until a 1966 national team competition. Initially, it was thought inappropriate for women to fight in public so the public were not allowed to watch; furthermore, there was even a different scoring system from the men’s competitions. Eventually, in 1971, the British Open Championships for Women was held. Other countries started holding championships for women and a European circuit gradually evolved, becoming more formal in 1974 with the Coppa Europa in Genoa, and the first official European Championships in 1975, when Chris won her European titles, establishing her reputation as a trailblazer for women’s judo.
Prior to this, Chris started working as an industrial photographer and studying photography at Ealing College. One day a college tutor brought in a photo of people doing judo on a film set. When Chris discovered they were stuntmen, she was astounded and resolved to become a stuntwoman, an ambition she pursued in tandem with her judo exploits. Her lucky break came when Diana Rigg’s stunt double on The Avengers was injured, and Ray Austin needed to recruit someone quickly. Diana’s stunts had been performed by a man, but at 5’10” Chris was a perfect match. Her hair was cut and coloured in Diana’s style and she was asked to lose some weight. A stuntman himself, Ray coached Chris, as well as helping her choose her stage name, Cyd Child (based on Cyd Charisse and her maiden name Child). She worked very closely with Diana watching her sections, then performing her stunt scenes while Diana watched, both aiming for a seamless changeover. Even Diana’s dog couldn’t tell them apart, once jumping on to Chris’s lap thinking she was Diana! It was a steep learning curve but Chris progressed quickly, although she did get into trouble for really throwing someone in a fight, rather than letting them throw themselves. Linda Thorsen joined the series when Diana Rigg left in 1968 - this time Chris needed her hair to be short, blonde and curly. Her dark hair was bleached nine times to achieve the desired effect, leaving it in terrible condition so that eventually she and Linda used wigs! She was later asked to join The New Avengers and very much enjoyed working with Joanna Lumley, who has written the foreword for Chris’s book.
In addition to judo, Chris could be asked to do almost anything as a stunt double - driving, swimming, horse-riding, being knocked over, falling off a balcony. She became part of a close network of stunt people whose mutual trust even allowed them to drive cars at each other! She was much in demand for films such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and possibly the most iconic of all - the James Bond series. When Chris worked on ‘For Your Eyes Only’, a chauffeur driven car took her to the airport for the M007 flight to Corfu and once on board the whole crew was served Bucks Fizz. The cast and crew worked every hour of daylight. It was an exciting time and very different from anything before. She also loved the atmosphere on The Pink Panther films - Peter Sellers was a giggler and delighted in playing to an audience which often tried the director’s patience.
Chris met her husband at The Budokwai, where they both practised judo and once they had started a family, her enthusiasm for stunt work and its risks waned. In 1988, they moved to Devon, initially living in a converted barn in Chillaton and for a while they ran the local shop. For several years Chris worked at Meadowlands as a swimming teacher, eventually becoming Swim School Principal for both Meadowlands and Parklands. Four years ago, the couple moved to Tavistock and during the move, Chris discovered a large box of her spare judo kit. She got in touch with Drake Judo Club to see if it could be of use - and ended up becoming the club’s Honorary Vice President.
By Rosemary Best