Former Gloucester resident Paul Darnell received an Emmy award for his work as a stuntman in the Disney + TV series, The Mandalorian.

Darnell was born in Charlottesville, but he was raised in Gloucester County, where he had an interesting childhood.

“I spent a lot of time outside as a kid. My mother would cut me off from playing too many video games and make me go play outside. I would play in the woods, dig tunnels to nowhere and ride my bike all over Gloucester,” said Darnell.

Darnell graduated from Gloucester High School in 2000, where he was nominated for “Best Dressed” in his class. He pursued a degree in Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise from Virginia Tech and graduated in 2005. Although he went to college for HNFE, he always knew deep in his heart that he wanted to pursue a career as a stuntman.

“Before graduating high school, I spoke with a stuntman on the phone and he advised me to go to college, learn some skills such as martial arts or gymnastics and then pursu...