WONDERLAND • The Ultimate Wonder Woman Site

She whirls into action every Friday night. She jumps off 10-story buildings. She crashes through walls, doors, and windows. She fights off the strongest of bad guys. And she makes it all look like child's play.

Who is this wonder woman? Lynda Carter, you say? Guess again. Because the real "wonder woman" in this show is someone you have probably never heard of.

Her name is Jeannie Epper. She is the stunt woman for Lynda Carter. And today, she's one of the best in the business.

How did she get there? "I just sort of fell into it," Jeannie told us. "My father was a stunt man. I was always very proud of him. By the time I was 18, I knew that I wanted to be a stunt woman."

Jeannie does all kinds of stunts on Wonder Woman. But fight scenes are her favorite. "A good fight scene is like a good dance routine," she told us. "Everything is planned just right." But the "jumps" are probably the most exciting thing to see on the show. "Usually, they are 10 to 35 feet high," Jeannie said. "You land on an air bag. That breaks the fall. Then you do sort of a somersault."

Jeannie also told us that Lynda does some of her own jumps. And she does a lot of her own fight work, too. "But if something is a little too dangerous, that's where I step in," she said. "If Lynda gets hurt, the show ends. If I get hurt, they can bring in another stunt woman. I know it sounds kind of cold. But the show must go on."

Fortunately, Jeannie has never been hurt badly. "That's because I always double-check everything," she said. "If I don't think a stunt is well planned, I won't do it."

Today, there are a couple of stunt schools where a young person can learn the business. "They teach you how to 'roll' a car, fall off a horse, or crash a motorcycle," Jeannie said.

"But when I started out," she continued, "there were not any schools. I learned most of what I know on the job. But I also rode in horse shows and rodeos when I was younger. And I danced. Those things helped me."

But getting into the business is not easy. "A lot of young people think they can become a number one stunt person in a year. That's not the way it works. If you don't know anyone in the business, it can be very hard.

"But, looking back," she added, "I wouldn't change places with anyone. Not even Lynda Carter. I love my work. And I love stunt people. We're very special, you know."