Long Before "Drive," the Original Stunt Devils

Daredevil Balances Over New York City, 1900

Drive, a movie starring Ryan Gosling as a stuntman and getaway driver, hits theaters this weekend. Long before Gosling was born, however, stuntmen and -women were balancing on buildings and hanging off airplanes. LIFE.com brings us this look back at some of the original daredevils.

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In the Air With the Greatest of Ease

Aerial acrobat Schindler practices a trick, circa 1920.
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In a Time Before Stunt Doubles

Silent-film star Harold Lloyd, famous for his feats of physical comedy, goofs around on an awning while shooting a scene in 1930.
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No Ropes, No Net, No Problem

Circa 1935, a dapper daredevil balances on a handrail at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
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Don't Try This at Home

A father-and-daughter team ride along a tightrope strung across their garden in Maltby, England.
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Bears Ponder Their Lunch Options

A tightrope walker teeters above the bear pen at the London Zoo, 1972.
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What's More Daring: The Stunt or the Outfit?

Circa 1950, circus performer Sylvia Teron does her act on the roof of a skyscraper in Hamburg.
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Grin and Bear It

Danno Donovan, a lightweight wrestling champ and stuntman, holds on to a motorcycle with his teeth as the driver revs the engine.
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The "Wall of Death"

Indian stuntmen zip around a motordrome, also known as a Wall of Death, in New Delhi in 2008.
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Accelerate! Stuntman Jumps Waterfall, 1997

Related: See more amazing stunt feats on LIFE.com including a plane without wings in 1930 and a man biking through flames. There, you can see other weird tricks, like a woman eating a python.
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