Bill Stropahl

Bill Stropahl was one of the Disney stunt divers who performed the underwater scenes for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He learned how to dive a MkV "hardhat" diving apparatus in the U.S. Navy, and became a commercial diver as a civilian. He trained under and worked with the famous diver E. R. Cross and was at Cross' Sparling School of Deep Sea Diving learning underwater burning and cutting with diver Leonard Mott (Canadian) when the call came in saying Disney needed divers for a movie. Stropahl and Mott were the first two that Cross recommended, and thus were "best buddies" while working on the movie in the Bahamas. Today, Bill Stropahl lives in Southern California with his wife Gale, and is one of two Disney 20,000 Leagues stunt divers still living; Ricou Browning being the other. Bill was also featured in Disney's 2003 documentary, The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He turns 86 in November of 2015.