(written from a Production point of view)
Ernest Robinson (3 April 1932 – 23 December 2008; age 76) [1] was a stuntman and stunt actor who performed stunts in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Robinson was one of the first black second-unit directors and stuntmen in Hollywood. In 1967 he co-founded and served as president of the Black Stuntmen's Association in 1967. [2]
A bit of a jack of all trades, his career included work as a camera operator on productions such as The Avengers (1968-1969), Treasure Island (1972), and Charley One-Eye (1973).
Among his stunt resume are films such as Dirty Harry (1971), Cleopatra Jones (1973), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974), for which he was personally hired by Sidney Poitier to be stunt coordinator. He later performed stunts in Swashbuckler (1976, with Genevieve Bujold), Thank God It's Friday (1978, with Michael Durrell and Howard Itzkowitz), The Dark (1979, with John Bloom), Zapped! (1982), Brainstorm (1983, with Louise Fletcher, Donald Hotton, Jim Burk, and Tom Huff), and Miami Supercops (1985).
He was also a regular stunt performer on the television series Miami Vice (1984-1986) and appeared in series such as Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974, with Paul Baxley).
Robinson's granddaughter is producer/director Nonie L. Robinson.