IMAGE: Star photo by Humberto Velez

Stuntman Manny Siverio says the best part of his job is the fighting.

Manny Siverio looks pretty good for a guy who's fallen 70 feet off a building, been set on fire and crashed more cars than most of us had birthdays. In fact, at 40, he is a light-footed mambo master who can also kick some martial arts butt and who doesn't look anywhere near his age.

That's because Siverio's "accidents" and "brawls" are part of his job. Siverio is considered one of the best stuntmen in the movie and television industry today. He is also one of the few Puerto Ricans - or Latinos for that matter - in the business.

And business is booming. Siverio is on his native island to coordinate stunts for "Under Suspicion" starring Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman. But he's also in the middle of four - or is that five? - other projects, including "Blue Moon" where he'll work with fellow Puerto Rican, Rita Moreno, for the first time; "Girl Fight" in which a woman aims to making boxing a co-ed sport; and something called "Happy Accident."

"I'm really proud to be one of the few Latinos who is in this business," he said as he waited for his call to the "Under Suspicion" set. "I'm the only Latino who belongs to the four major guilds: Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild of America and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. That itself is an accomplishment."

Born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents, he was raised in both New York and Puerto Rico. His late father, Efrain Siverio, was the House representative for Arecibo from 1968-72.

The younger Siverio studied junior high school, high school and college on the island, getting a degree in political science and psychology from the Arecibo Regional College of the University of Puerto Rico.

But an English professor turned him on to acting and writing and he was hooked.

He moved back to New York.

"In Puerto Rico I felt like a big fish in a little pond," he recalled. "When I moved to New York I became a minuscule fish in a huge ocean."

He used his lifelong martial art training to get along, teaching private lessons. He got his real break as a stuntman in 1982 through a friend. He then started to work for real.

The list of movies he has worked on is several pages long and includes "Analyze This," "The Deli," three years doubling Michael De Lorenzo on "NY Undercover" and a role as a Hindu cabdriver in "Men in Black."

He has also got into directing. As well as doing stunts, he choreographs and coordinates the action. You can see that kind of work in "Money Train" when he takes on Wesley Snipes in a bar. Siverio is the guy doing battle, but he's behind-the-scenes guy who helped design the action.

Now, in addition to his mambo performances, which have grown from hobby into a second career, Siverio wants to bring the stuntman art to Puerto Rico.

"There's not a lot of it here now, but there are some opportunities and there is no reason why people here shouldn't try it," he said. "I want to prepare more people here for the business.

It's not a bad place to be, as Latino roles are increasing in movies and television and a well-respected stuntman (or woman) can make more than $100,000 if they work full time.

There are some risks involved. Siverio has had his nose broken, has fractured his shin, and is currently sporting a brace on his wrist, an injury he sustained during the filming of a video for hip hop star Lauryn Hill.

The guy whose backwards fall of 70 feet is looked on with awe by his peers in the profession also has another challenge . He's afraid of heights.

"I deal with it," he says. "You have to meet whatever fear you have. In fact, I like for people to acknowledge their fears and respect it. I don't want to work with people who have no fear. I don't work with crazies."

And what is the best part of his job? "I like the fighting," he said, grinning like a little kid. "And I love breaking things. The first time I had to wreck a car it was a cop car. I was like, "Cool. This is great."

Stuntman-actor Manny Siverio

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