Chris Pratt "devastated" by death of former stunt double Tony McFarr
McFarr doubled for Pratt on Jurassic World, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, Passengers, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Earlier today, news broke of the death of Tony McFarr, a veteran stunt performer who appeared in more than 50 Hollywood projects across a decade-long Hollywood career—many of them as a stunt double for actor Chris Pratt, who McFarr doubled for on four different big-budget films. Today, Pratt issued a note of condolence about McFarr’s death via Instagram, writing that he was “Devastated to hear about the loss of my friend and former stunt double.” Per Variety, McFarr died earlier this week at his home in Orlando, Florida. He was 47.
McFarr got his formal start in stunts on the Fox series Bones, and had been working in the industry for several years, in both TV and film, when he became Pratt’s stunt double for the first time during the filming of 2015's Jurassic World. (In interviews, he noted that he was actually the second choice for the job, after Pratt’s previous double on the first Guardians Of The Galaxy was unable to take the gig.) He would continue to double for Pratt on sci-fi film Passengers, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; on Pratt’s social media, he frequently highlighted the similarities between himself and McFarr, showing the two of them in costume together.
Writing on his Instagram Story today, Pratt wrote of their friendship, saying, “We golfed, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, and spent endless hours on set. I’ll never forget his toughness.” Pratt went on to describe a well-known incident from the filming of the opening sequence of Guardians Vol. 2, in which McFarr received a head injury that required multiple staples. “He came right back to work ready to go again. He was an absolute stud.” Pratt also praised McFarr’s professionalism, writing, “He was always a gentleman and a professional. He’ll be missed. My prayers go out to his friends and family, especially his daughter.”
Outside of his work with Pratt, McFarr worked on dozens of other Hollywood projects, including Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, Captain America: Civil War, and Fox series The Gifted. His last major role was in 2021, when he performed stunts on The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
No cause of death has been revealed as of yet; per TMZ, McFarr’s mother reported that her son was “active and healthy” and that his death was “unexpected and shocking.”