"When I was a poor kid on the streets of London, I never lost a fight. In Hollywood, I’ve never won one." So says Dave Lea, the modern film industry’s premier martial artist, stuntman and superhero stand-in. As the genial narrator of From Camden Town to Tinseltown, he guides us through his days as an young ‘Kung Fu King’ into his professional career as the movies’ number one fall guy – the man who teaches the stars their onscreen fighting skills, so that they can look good by knocking seven bells out of him! After training with martial arts masters in the jungles of Malaysia, Dave made his name in the 1980’s via a personal exhibition where darts were fired into his back and concrete blocks smashed across his abdominal six-pack. Some onlookers believed he had mastered pain via the spirituality of martial arts – but, as he confesses in this book, it all hurt like hell: "I was just sucking up the pain when the spears were being bent into my chest because I needed the money."

Lea’s obvious flair as self-promoter and performer led to a job as a celebrity bodyguard and a supporting role on EastEnders. But bigger things were in the pipeline, and before the aspiring stuntman could make it to Hollywood, Hollywood came to him ...

In 1988, director Tim Burton filmed his Batman in a Gotham City built at Pinewood Studios, Bucks. The first of an epic ongoing franchise, its producers safeguarded their star, Michael Keaton, by doubling up Dave as the man behind the mask. It was the stuntman’s first taste of big-screen fantasy, and when the production team dispersed back across the Atlantic he would follow them to pursue his dream.

In From Camden Town to Tinseltown, Dave Lea recounts events from an extraordinary life lived at the edge of physical danger and the heart of the Hollywood dream machine. Sparring with Sly Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme; beaten and kicked by Michelle Pfeiffer in her kinky Catwoman costume; driving a convoy of squad cars through crime-ridden downtown LA on the shoot for Heat; training Ben Affleck to become a superhero for Daredevil – all are illustrated by the author’s own unique photographic collection.

Dave Lea is a key insider in the modern Hollywood dream factory. His undiminished boyish enthusiasm for his profession is reflected in the action-packed anecdotes recounted in this book. All of Dave’s major stunt and action roles are illustrated here by his personal photographic archive. As a martial artist, the author also offers words and images on the arts of self-defence and physical fitness. Co-author De-Ann Black has over 35 books to her name – ranging from the folklore study Celtic Kisses to a successful children’s series.

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