AEW Revolution Preview, and Whats Going on With Brock, Bray, Bobby, and Omos? Craig Frosty Silva, Gene LeBell What can anybody tell you about Gene LeBell? Muhammad Ali. Gene LeBell, a renowned stuntman who trained Bruce Lee and inspired the likes of Quentin Tarantino, died in his sleep Tuesday morning at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Stunts Unlimited Member Gene LeBell was presented with the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, May 13th, 2017 for his outstanding contribution to the world of action feature films. He was acquitted and continued performing stunts for the big and small screen, alike. The boxer blocked the move, which aggravated an old shoulder injury of LeBell. The judoka and his team showed their sportsmanship by helping to revive Savage using kappo, as neither the referee nor the ring doctor knew how to resuscitate him. !Thanks for the memories!! [27] He also did interviews for magazines, newspapers, and radio. Genes feature film appearances include Blue Hawaii (1965), Planet of the Apes (1968), Raging Bull (1980), Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), Bad Guys (1986), Hard to Kill (1990), Die Hard 2 (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Ed Wood (1994), L.A. Steven Seagal was a highly trained aikido expert and because of this, he would proclaim to the world that he was immune to choking. Instead of being hit first, it was LeBell who would put Bruce Lee in a headlock and carry him around the set. LeBell established himself as a martial artist long before he moved to Hollywood. It goes to a great man of strength, integrity and honor. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), AnnMaria De Mars (L), with her daughter former UFC Champion and WWE star Ronda Rousey and Rouseys daughter Po, pose for a photo with Midge LeBell, wife of Judo Gene LeBell, during a celebration of his life on what would have been Genes 90th birthday at Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood Sunday, October 9, 2022. Two hundred of his friends, students, and family gathered at Hayastan MMA Academy in North. Love ya Gene. Congratulations Gene LeBell! Will Bowman, Well deserved! Meet the real life Cliff Booth from 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', "Gene LeBell vs Milo Savage: Gene LeBell Saved Martial Arts", "Matches Gene LeBell Wrestlers Database CAGEMATCH - the Internet Wrestling Database", "TOUGH GUYS WEAR PINK IN ANY COLOR, JUDO MASTER AND FILM STUNTMAN GENE LEBELL IS ONE HARD HOMBRE", Gene LeBell talks Steven Seagal s-ing himself, https://www.mmafighting.com/strikeforce/2012/3/11/2858055/judo-gene-lebell-ronda-rousey-mma-judging-choking-out-steven-segal, Steven Seagal denies Gene LeBell made him poop his pants, "Ronda Rousey: 'If Steven Seagal says anything about Gene LeBell to my face, I'll make him crap his pants', "Truth Finally Revealed on Seagal and LeBell According to Actual Eyewitness Steven Lambert Testimony! He subsequently dominated auditions for the role of Mr. Kryptonite in the Superman TV series, which ran from 1952 to 1958; actor George Reeves, who played the Man of Steel, hired him on the spot after seeing his high-flying judo rolls and flips. Erik Stabenau, Congratulations Gene. Judo Gene LeBell was famous for his catch wrestling technique that later became an influence in both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. As wellback in the day..i drove out to ride motos with Gene & some friends at his area in Frazier Park. [23] LeBell's trainee Ronda Rousey, assured Seagal was the one lying and said: "If [Seagal] says anything bad about Gene to my face, I'd have to make him crap his pants a second time. "I learned the [LeBell Lock] from a guy named Neil Melanson," Danielson told the WWE website in 2010. He is the greatest!! Youre not only a legend to me but a great, great friend. LeBell is also a writer and has penned a dozen books on martial arts. I have ridden on the back of his bike for one of his marathon wheelies.Pine Mtn Club so much fun. Congratulations, Connie P Conrad Palmisano, Congratulations Uncle Gene for receiving the lifetime award. LeBells years of stunt work and fight choreography also introduced grappling to the world of action movies, where it is now commonplace to see fighters turned actors such as Randy Couture and Gina Carano using submission holds in their action sequences. Gene LeBell was born on October 9, 1932. Here's an attempt to share some of those posts and tweets from the cross . The fun motorcycle rides we used to go on out at the Pig Farm and at your mountain house. Proud to know you, much love Brent Fletcher, Very proud to have been your student for so many years There is no one prettier than you Sensai You are truly a legend and I can not think of anyone more deserving for this award!!! LeBells wrestling fortunes variedhis brother Mike told Sports Illustrated in 1995 that he had fired Gene on several occasions, noting that sometimes even I thought he was crazybut his career continued its upward trajectory as he moved into the Hollywood stunt work that would see him participating in thousands of projects over the years. Ya big goofball!!! [7][8], Following his combat sports career, LeBell, along with his brother Mike, ran the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 to 1982. If you saw Quentin Tarantino's . Is MJF the Second Coming of CM Punk? In June of 1976, LeBell served as the referee during the infamous boxing versus wrestling match between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in Japan. It will be donated to St. Jude Childrens Hospital, Southern California, in honor of LeBell. So to be a martial artist of his degree in the art of Judo is incredible; to be a pro wrestler of that level, incredible; but then to go into stunts and the motorcycle riding and the acting and everything else. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Bas Rutten, Gokor Chivichyan, Paul Lazenby and Josh Barnett during a celebration of life for Judo Gene LeBell on what would have been his 90th birthday at Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood Sunday, October 9, 2022. With only one uniform in his luggage, he wore the pink gi in Japan, and beat the competition. Instructed through brutal tutorials by professional wrestlers and old-school masters, he developed adult skills by 13. Still, he continued to get regular stunt work on TV. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Former UFC Champion and WWE star Ronda Rousey talks about her friend and mentor Judo Gene LeBell during a celebration of his life on what would have been his 90th birthday at Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood Sunday, October 9, 2022. Heavyweight and Overall Judo Championships in 1954, and again in 1955 - long before Judo became an Olympic sport and was broadly appreciated in the western world. However, in his excitement Gene swung the title belt around his head, which accidentally hit one of the wrestling commissioners on the head, causing a nasty gash. [28], LeBell was friends with world champion judoka AnnMaria De Mars, and had known her daughter, Olympic judoka, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler Ronda Rousey since her birth. Seventeen years before the UFC debuted, though, LeBell refereed arguably the most notable mixed martial arts clash of the era, serving as the third man in the ring for the Muhammad AliAntonio Inoki superfight in Tokyo. [7][10] Savage even attempted to sweep the judoka in one instance. Working with Gene on many television and films, I learned how to take judo and marital art punches and kicks and fly through the air, crazing through various objects to the ground . In December 1939, his parents went to Chinatown, San Francisco in California for an international opera tour. Answer (1 of 12): Well It seems to be a bit of a controversy about this. In his book Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling, long-time MMA journalist Jonathan Snowden described LeBell as a horrible professional wrestler from a technical perspective, a tough guy who looked soft in the ring and remained stuck on the undercard of his brother Mike LeBells wrestling events, wrestling under his own name or beneath a mask as the Hangman. He did claim to have won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1960 from Pat OConnor in a match in Dory Funks Amarillo, Texas, territory, repeating this assertion to both Black Belt and Sports Illustrated, but the victory was almost certainly part of a wrestling story line, with LeBell accidentally striking the Texas wrestling commissioner with the belt and forcing its immediate return to OConnor. Gene LeBell Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More. Cheers! Other recordings discovered had ties to the presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. After his competitive career, Gene LeBell and his brother Mike would run the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles region between 1968 and 1982. His notable students include Rousey, WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper, and Chuck Norris, among others. Scott Wilder, Thank you Sensei for paving the way for martial artists in this biz! Is Golden State a sleeping giant? Neil Melanson He was also a Nevada and California Athletic Commission judge, including judging UFC 74 (Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga) and his website judogene.com is visited by martial arts and film fans all over the globe. Ron DeSantis presidential prospects, Taft football coach Jeff Kearin steps down in support of school faculty member, Baram and Tioumentsev win World Junior title hours after their coach, Todd Sand, suffers heart attack, Snow collapses roof of Goodwin and Sons, Crestlines only grocery store, Gracie Abrams behind Good Riddance message in Los Angeles sky, Tax filing deadline moves to mid-October for most Californians, Alpine Village shopkeepers get confirmation: theyre being evicted, Ex-sheriffs deputy gets 100 hours of community service for shooting hoax, $31 million goes to San Fernando Valley light-rail line and to engage community, Who will replace ex-LA councilmember Nury Martinez? LeBell would win the match osaekomi where the practitioner pins the opponent for a specified amount of time earning the victory. Bruce Lee's father Lee Hoi-chuen was a famous Cantonese opera singer based in Hong Kong. Thank you, Mr. LeBell! Gene was an actor and stuntman in Hollywood productions for over fifty years with more than 150 acting credits and 250 stunt credits. [citation needed] In addition he also worked on the set of the Green Hornet TV show, in which he developed a friendship with Bruce Lee. LeBell later mentored world-class athletes and silver screen legends. Mary Karcz, Hi Gene, Id just like to Congratulate you on your receiving the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award. Billy Robinson. Some have pointed out that LeBell making easy work of Lee on set may have inspired the scene in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in which Brad Pitt, playing veteran stuntman Cliff Booth, has his way with Bruce Lee (played by actor and martial artist Mike Moh) in an on-set sparring match. So, congratulation Gene LeBell from the Winburn families for receiving the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award. Bryan Danielson's LeBell Lock was named after the legendary grappler. He began training catch wrestling at age 7 with Ed "The Strangler" Lewis. Karl Gotch. "My name is Gene LeBell. LeBells career wasnt without controversy of its own, thoughnot long after refereeing the Ali-Inoki fight in 1976, he was arrested for his role in the murder of private investigator Robert Duke Hall, whose residence contained hours of phone recordings connected to powerful local figures and even the 1972 presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. In June 1976, LeBell refereed the infamous boxing-versus-wrestling contest between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. Theres way too much to say to even begin to scratch the surface of the career and life Gene lived, wrote the Stuntmans Association of Motion Pictures in a statement to Variety. He was seen in Rousey's corner during matches and celebrated her victories with her. . Gene LeBell was born on October 9, 1932. Lewis, Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What! [9], Encouraged by Ed Parker,[8] LeBell accepted the challenge and travelled to Salt Lake City to meet Beck. 'The Godfather of Grappling' evolved to be a popular figure in the martial arts world after he extended to various other forms of sports, including judo and mixed martial arts. Gene LeBell, the colorful judo champion, wrestler and stuntman who trained Bruce Lee, fought Elvis Presley and John Wayne in the movies and was an inspiration for Brad Pitt's character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has died.He was 89. You have definitely earned it for all your contributions to the industry. To his surprise, he learned his opponent would not be Beck but a higher regarded boxer, Milo Savage, who also had a background in amateur wrestling. [10] Also, according to LeBell and other sources, Savage's gloves contained brass knuckles[9][10] and he had greased up his gi with vaseline to make gripping it more difficult. His very first match was against John Osako, one of the highest ranked judokas at the national level. Gene LeBell Did It All Over a legendary career as a judoka, pro wrestler, and Hollywood stuntman, LeBell was a pioneer in mixed martial arts and choreographed violenceand one of the toughest. LeBell also worked on over 1,000 movies and TV shows [1] and authored 12 books. Christian Fletcher, Congratulations Gene! Interview with Gene LeBell. Ivan Judo Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 August 9, 2022) was an American martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and professional wrestler. You used to practice on your son David and I used to say to him I want to try that too, to be choked out by your dad. The toughest man alive by Gene LeBell . The Toughest Man Alive. So happy for you. Gene LeBell talks about Bruce Lee. LeBell accompanied Ronda Rousey to the cage for some of her MMA matches in recent years, and served as a MMA judge through 2018. He has trained with or taught grappling skills to many well-known wrestlers and martial artists, such as Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Bob Wall, Chuck Norris, Ed Parker, Gokor Chivichyan, Karo Parisyan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Mando Guerrero, Manny Gamburyan. Chuck Norris. He taught fighters like Rowdy Roddy Piper, Chuck Norris, and Ronda Rousey how to grapple and regularly trained Bruce Lee. LeBells top student, Gokor Chivichyan, hosted the event at his martial arts academy to celebrate the life of his mentor and close friend. Along with many others, speakers included Ronda Rousey, former UFC champion, WWE professional wrestler, actress and Olympic Judo medalist; Bas Rutten, former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a three-time King of Pancrase world champion; catch wrestler, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, former Openweight King of Pancrase world champion, and Bellator fighter; and AnnMaria De Mars, first American to win a gold medal at the World Judo Championships. [18], LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films, TV shows and commercials as a stuntman or as an actor (including multiple appearances as himself). Along the way, his list of big-name collaborators, students, and opponents became as packed as his CV; in addition to Lee, . Beck engaged in a great deal of pre-fight trash talk, but it was clear that he had very little knowledge of Japanese martial arts even going as far as confusing traditional judo for karate. Lance Gilbert, Gene , you are surely deserving of this achievement even though your humility wont allow you to agree with us. However, Gene LeBell was a 10th degree judo black belt and one of the toughest men on the planet, so the director knew this wouldn't happen to him. Hollywood stuntman and martial artist Gene LeBell has died. A pair of red shorts were mixed into the laundry that contained his Gi and turned the uniform a shade of pink. Ill never forget that moment, congratulations brother. Joseph Davis, Gene is truly a genuine Good person and a great friend. His mother, Aileen Eaton, was a promoter at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, where she promoted boxing and wrestling events and raised Gene and his brother Mike all by her lonesome. A true legend with a legacy of amazing stunt history. Ill be there to shake your hand tomorrow. Ivan Gene LeBell was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 1932. The Ploys and Tactics Behind Oscar Campaigning, A Secret Laundromat Meetup, New Jersey Episode 4, and Potomac Reunion Part 2. Gene LeBell had three children including stuntman son David LeBell and FBI . I feel honored to say Ive never been choked out by the legend Gene LaBellI consider you a true friend. [10][11] Nevertheless, LeBell got mount and found the opportunity to execute an armbar, but he opted instead to seek a choke, concluding that Savage would not surrender to a broken arm. [12] Finally, he performed a left harai goshi in the fourth round and followed by locking a rear naked choke. Each speaker spoke fondly of the larger-than-life LeBell, recounting stories and memories of how he inspired them and the love they felt for him. Blessed if you know him, crazy fun guy. The program featured several other martial artists including Graciela Casilas, Karen Sheperd, Victor Ledbetter, Steve Sanders, brothers Benny and Reuben Urquidez, and Dave Vaden. His notable students include Rousey, WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper, and Chuck Norris, among others. He is, and always has been, a perfect example of what a professional stuntman should be and continues to teach and hand down his vast knowledge to all young and old who want to learn. Almost everyone present to honor him wore a Gene LeBell tee-shirt, and his widow Midge sported a sweater covered in patches that LeBell made over the years to give out to fans for souvenirs. Challenge coins, decorated with an image of LeBell, were sold for donations, which raised more than $2,000. The Savage camp claimed they did not know the difference. LeBell, who spent much of his later years overseeing the National Wrestling Alliance in Los Angeles, was even charged with murder when private investigator Robert Duke Hall was killed in 1976. He went on to win the both the Heavyweight and overall champion title 1955 as well. LeBell came off the floor by a few feet. Little Mo and Lou, Uncle Gene has been a trusted mentor, ardent Sensei and dear friend to me and countless other stunt people throughout the years. In 1994, LeBell counted kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners the Machado brothers among his training partners. He is there to help you any time any where. To succeed in the NFL, hell need to be an outlier among outliers. Craig Hosking, Congratulations Gene you are a legend! Part of HuffPost Entertainment. I was driving a weenie mobile and Gene was driving a truck and they wanted a near miss, so we did the take and they said we werent close enough we showed em the paint scraped off the sides of the cars and they said, Okay, I guess youre right. I get his patches every year, got em all right here. Congratulations brother Gene!!! In one scene, Brad Pitt plays a stuntman (Cliff Booth) and beats up Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The award couldnt be given to a better or greater person, that trained many motion pictures stuntmen in and out of the motion picture Industry. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG). Love you brother congratulations! [8] Gene also wrestled under a black mask as The Hangman, teaming up with Roy Staggs. He is loved by so many and admired by countless others. To round out his education in the martial arts, he also began frequenting the Main Street Gym in Los Angeles, where the West Coast's best boxers gathered. Gene's funeral will be private for immediate family only. Whats legacy, anyway? The Hollywood Reporter: Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman and Godfather of Grappling, Dies at 89, Deadline: Gene LeBell Dies: Stuntman, Actor And Wrestling Legend Who Fought Bruce Lee & Chuck Norris Onscreen Was 89, MMA Fighting: Toughest man I know: Pros react to pioneer Judo Gene LeBells death, The Huffington Post: Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman, Martial Artist And Bruce Lees Teacher Dies At 89. While working with rising martial arts star Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet, LeBell was instructed by the stunt coordinator to subdue the actorwho was said to be terrorizing the stuntman for a particular sceneand did so by quickly grabbing Lee in a firemans carry and running around the set with him. Then consider checking: 100 Cummings Ctr. He has fought, trained and performed with a dizzying array of some of the most prolific athletes and actors in the world. Seagal himself denies the entire situation, calling LeBell a sick, pathological scumbag liar, though even Seagals former bodyguard Steven Lambert tells a version of the story that has Seagal attempting to resist LeBells application of the hold before winding up on the ground, though remaining conscious throughout.
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