Shimon Volpert

Soviet, Israeli stuntman and actor. In 1968-1973 – soloist of the folk dance ensemble “Palace of the Sailors” (Odessa). In 1975, he graduated from a choreographic school, receiving the education of a ballet dancer. In 1981 he graduated from the Kiev School of Variety and Circus Art. In 1977-1989 he worked at the Estrada Theater as a ballet dancer, stuntman, actor, teacher of plastic, stage movement and stage combat, then he worked at the Grotesque Theater at the Odessa Philharmonic. In 1987, he graduated from continuing education courses for senior cinema workers at VGIK (director of stunt and battle scenes). Stunt Semyon Grigoriev, one of the ten most sought-after specialists in the Soviet Union, emigrated to Israel (after repatriation – Shimon Volpert), created in this country in the early 1990s one of the most extraordinary stunt teams of the time. At the time of the creation of the stunt team established itself, working as a stunt performer in Hollywood and European films, including Women’s Prison, Deltofors, American Ninja and so on. Since 1992, Shimon Volpert (Semyon Grigoriev) has students, like him, immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Mostly athletes involved in different styles of martial arts. The formation of the brigade as a professional team can be attributed to the time of the creation of the “Gladiators’ Show” (project by Menachem Golan and Israel Sharque) in the arena of the ancient Roman amphitheater in Caesarea. In Israel, completed the creation of a unique system of training for actors and stuntmen based on softness, which guaranteed invulnerability to falls and bumps. Thanks to this unique technique, Western stuntmen gave Shimon the nickname “Crazy Russian” for doing tricks with a minimum of special insurance tools and not getting injured. He heads his own martial art school in Lod.