Swiss American Historical Society Review
Keywords
Hans Epper, Hollywood stuntman, Swiss immigration to America
Abstract
Hans Epper from eastern Switzerland conquered Hollywood as a stuntman in the 1930s. His descendants continue to perform death-defying stunts for Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg to this day. A family history like something out of a movie.
When Hans Epper arrived in New York on Whit Monday (the day after Pentecost) in 1926, he gave his name as “John” to the immigration authorities.
He discarded “Hans” just as he wanted to discard his origins: his past in the eastern Swiss municipality of Gossau. An official at the town hall of the industrial village in St. Gallen had scribbled “Off to America” next to Hans Epper’s name in the family register.
Recommended Citation
Schäfli, Roland
(2026)
"Hollywood’s Toughest Stunt Clan Comes From Gossau, Canton St. Gallen:,"
Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 62:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol62/iss1/5