STEFAN ZÜRCHER: BEYOND MYTH AND LEGEND
In 2010, Julia was shooting a hair-raising commercial for Adelholzener high in the Swiss Alps- with winged men jumping off the tall mountain peaks and adrenaline rushing through everyone involved. She had the pleasure of filming this commercial with Stefan Zürcher, a man no stranger to filming dangerous stunts in the mountains, and she was immediately taken by his precision, clarity, kindness, and professionalism- minus the ego, in an environment that had everyone on edge. As a network of high-ranking global professionals, GPN members often work with sensational people who inspire us to no end. Julia would like to introduce everyone to a man who has impressed the hell out of her, not only for his work in film, but for who he is as a person in the film business.
As we all know, the film business is full of “crazies”- people willing to go above and beyond to get the perfect shot, to do just about anything stunt-wise, create the bigger explosion, and make the most insane idea come to life. This is why everyone loves film, and this is what attracts so many to the business. Anything, truly, is possible in the world of film.
Enter Stefan Zürcher, from way atop the Jungfrau. A Swiss ski stuntman turned location manager, assistant director (“worst job in the business, they blame you for everything”), executive, commercial, and movie producer. Stefan’s life is one of envy for many on this planet. He grew up in Wengen, a small town in the middle of the Swiss Alps, skiing before he could walk, and took his love of skiing, combined with his daredevil attitude, to the big screen. He created a life on his own terms, doing exactly what he loved- being outdoors, connected to nature, in the snowy mountains- all while making a living being wild, bold, and pushing the edges of reality.
Stefan recently published a coffee table book titled “In the Secret Service of James Bond” because this is essentially what parts of his life have been, behind-the-scenes and onscreen in the closed inner circle with the infamous Bond movies. Stefan is nearing eighty and has a lifetime of experiences and stories that need to be shared with the world. Movies are so much more than the 90-120 minutes the audience sees, and we’d like to take this opportunity to dive into one man’s unique life, which helped make many beloved films become cultural staples. Where would the world be without the jaw-dropping stunts of a Bond movie?
Stefan landed his first role as a stunt skier in 1968 in James Bond’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He had been living in the States, making a living as a ski acrobat for commercials, so he wasn’t new to being on camera. What was new to him, though, was the sheer size of the team, budget, and amount of planning that had gone into the film.
So much of what nature had taught him- to watch carefully, listen attentively, and act on his intuition, brought him from stuntman to what he became best known for- being a snow specialist. While performing the stunts, he observed how the filming was done, how Willy Bogner and John Glen worked the shots, and using his knowledge of the mountains and snow, he helped them out during some tricky situations and soon became an indispensable part of the crew. Another major asset that Stefan brought to the set was that he was a homegrown Swiss man on a international set. Having lived in the States and learned English, he was able to act as both a language and cultural translator, which served him well throughout his career.
However, Stefan’s greatest gift, which comes naturally, is being able to negotiate with people- especially in the mountains. Nature, and specifically the mountains, are a part of Stefan’s bones, blood and soul, as it is with most people who grow up so intimately with nature. He realized early on in his film career the importance of being the person who could bridge the two worlds. “If you unleash a Londener on a Swiss farmer, you won’t get anything.”, says Stefan. Trust must be built, without it, the film would never work. By being one of the mountain people and being able to communicate fluently with the Swiss, as well as the English, he was the key for shooting many successful films in the Swiss Alps. Each and every time there was a Bond film to be made in the Alps, Stefan was called.
His next film with the Bond team was in 1978 on The Spy Who Loved Me- this time with the added title of production manager. He filmed eight more Bond films throughout the decades.
By 1984, he had made a name for himself and founded his own commercial production company in Wengen, called Alpine Films. His experience in the Bond movies had given him exactly what he needed to be able to safely create breathtaking commercials with mountain stunts. As an independent producer, he was hyper-aware of the importance of safety in these risky endeavors and strove to keep everyone safe, even if it meant tension with the director. His heart is, and always has been, with people.
Part of what makes Stefan such a solid producer and person is his desire to take the “I” out of anything he does and turn it into a “We”. When decisions needed to be made on set, he made certain that the team was involved in them. One of his many strengths, which comes again from spending so much solo time in nature, is his ability to listen. This is uncommon in the film world where everyone is talking over each other and knows best. He remembers many times just sitting in meetings and listening to everyone and taking his time to respond. He knows that for things to flow smoothly, there has to be excellent communication- especially with the perilous stunts. Communication starts with listening.
For as much of a risk-taker and adventurer as he is, Stefan has a quiet and grounded life philosophy that he has carried with him his entire life. Having spent most of his life outdoors and closely connected to nature, he’s learned to have a great trust in nature- it is living and breathing just as humans are. He trusted “that the right things would happen at the right moments.”, and he would send his wishes out to the universe, letting it take care of the details. He has been consistently rewarded with dreams that have come true, all while working hard and staying committed to his values, morals, and heart.
Stefan has passed his knowledge of film, life, and humanity on to his son, Flavio. At the age of 45 Stefan had Flavio, and was so delighted to have a son and to have time with him- which can be a rarity for many fathers. He took him to the film sets, showed him his amazing world, and formed a deep friendship with him. He’s thankful that he’s gotten the opportunity to be a parent, and after having so many other interesting and exciting roles in his life, this one tops them all.
Several years ago, Stefan had a stroke, and doctors found a tumor the size of a mandarin in his brain. He had brain surgery and had to learn to walk once again. With his steely will and the unwavering support of his dear partner Corinna, he got back on his feet and reclaimed his life. He is curious by nature and was curious about long-term memory and if he could still access it after the surgery. Once he realized it was there, the idea to write a book about the 40 films that he worked on throughout his life was born. He rewatched the films, remembering so much of what he had done, and put it all into print. This is the legacy of a man who has lived a full and rich life and is responsible for many important moments in film history. It is also the legacy of a man who knows that the world is made up of miracles that occur more often than not.
You can find the book here.