BRONCO

An Ordinary Man who lived an extraordinary Life

A Synopsis

The son of an army officer Bronco grew up on the Curragh, the equestrian Mecca of Ireland, where spawned his lifelong love of horses and a burning ambition to become a cowboy.

Aged 15, while a student in Rockwell College boarding school, he applied to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His application was rejected as he was below the entry age.

Undeterred, he moved on to plan B. He packed his belongings and under cover of night “escaped” Rockwell. His destination was to be the only remaining frontier for any self- respecting cowboy, Australia. After a brief spell working in the mines of Wales and with £10 in his pocket, he set off to embrace his destiny. For the next 10 years his life was filled with cattle drives and rodeos.

On hearing news of his father’s illness, Bronco returned to Ireland. In 1966 he was hired as a horse wrangler on the film ‘The Viking Queen’. This led to an offer of similar work on the film “Alfred the Great” where he first met Vic Armstrong, the international Stunt Coordinator and Action Director. This was to be a friendship that would last a lifetime. Vic and his brother Andy hired Bronco on countless major films. His credits include “Star Wars”, “Superman” , “Bond” ,”Krull”, “The Mission”, “Rambo”, “Indiana Jones” and “Total Recall” . Along the way he taught Harrison Ford how to use the bullwhip in “Indiana Jones”, trained actors how to ride for “Much Ado About Nothing” and attempted to assassinate Daniel Day Lewis in “Gangs of New York”. Bronco also worked on smaller productions such as “Father Ted”, “The Fast Show” and “Drop the Dead Donkey”.

We will follow the path of Bronco’s experiences and shoot in as many real locations as possible around the globe employing dramatic re-enactments, interludes and anecdotes from the industries iconic legends. Liam Neeson is on board already with other A Listers in talks plus contributions from long-time colleagues and friends such as Vic Armstrong and Rick McCallum (Lucasfilm) we will piece together his fascinating, hilarious and memorable life as he travelled the world meeting with and working alongside Kings, Queens and movie icons.

Bronco was one of only two Irish stuntmen to be inducted into The Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame.

From runaway schoolboy to international stunt performer, by way of cowboy and rodeo performer, the story of this warmhearted maverick will enthral and entertain in equal measure.

Bronco died in 2019. This film is his story.