Gene LeBell was promoted to 9th degree in jujitsu and taihojutsu in 2000 by the United States Ju-Jitsu (USJJF) Ju Jitsu Federation. "Judo" Gene LeBell the "Godfather of Grappling" was both a renowned ex-world champion in both wrestling/judo, and one of Hollywood's busiest stuntmen. [7] According to fellow BJJ artist Royce Gracie, LeBell was invited to compete in Ultimate Fighting Championship in early 1995, after Gracie stopped participating in its tournaments. A long overdue, but well deserved award. He was known by many as the "Godfather of Grappling," and influenced fighters around the world. LeBell established himself as a martial artist long before he moved to Hollywood. All the best! We ask all these burning questions, and more! After an illustrious judo career, Gene tried his hand at professional wrestling, and actually won the heavyweight title in Amarillo, Texas. Gene LeBell Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More. As wellback in the day..i drove out to ride motos with Gene & some friends at his area in Frazier Park. It goes to a great man of strength, integrity and honor. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic both had 40-point games after the Sixers loss against the Mavs. In a fifty year career of high falls and fist fights, Gene LeBell has crashed cars, jumped motorcycles, wrestled bears, incited riots and fought some of the deadliest men in the world. Gary Davis, So awesome!!! Wear this Award well my friend. Gene LeBell's martial arts career was supported and influenced by his mother "Red Head" Aileen Eaten who was a promoter of both sports and who owned the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Some of his vast television credits includeThe Jack Benny Program (1962), The Man from U.N.C.L.E (1965) The Green Hornet (1965), Mission: Impossible (1966), I Spy (1965), The Wild Wild West (1965), Bonanza (1968), Kung Fu (1972), Beretta (1975), Starsky and Hutch (1975), Fantasy Island (1979), The Greatest American Hero (1981), Married with Children (1987), Baywatch (1989), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), Walker Texas Ranger (1993), That 70s Show (1998), The X-Files (2000), The Shield (2002), Reno 911 (2003), 24 (2010) and Jimmy Kimmel Live. They shared their stories about the Toughest Man Alive and Godfather of Grapplings warmth and generosity. He also had 8 grandchildren. LeBell earned the upset win via an osaekomi. The boxer's camp even went as far to argue for the stipulation that Savage could use any type of punch, but the judoka could not kick or use takedowns under the waist. Ya big goofball!!! 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. [7][9] The unusual stipulations convinced LeBell the Savage camp, far from being ignorant about martial arts, had trained Savage in judo in order to defend against LeBell's throws. The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 Deep Dive, The Biggest Questions About the Seasons Stretch Run, KDs Suns Debut, Load Management, and Five-Year Anniversary of the Rockets-Clippers Tunnel Debacle. As a stuntman, LeBell reportedly endured a punch from John Wayne for the 1952 film Big Jim McLain and a kick in the face from Elvis Presley for Blue Hawaii in 1961. You may have seen his name in the credits of countless movies and television shows dating back to the late 1960's. You may have caught the "Godfather of Grappling" in one of his matches in the world of professional wrestling, you may know him as the "toughest man on the . Whats different about the Sixers this year? LeBell has made himself the nicknames "Judo" Gene LeBell, "The Godfather of Grappling" and also "The Toughest Man Alive" for his . A student of catch wrestling titans Lou Thesz, Karl Gotch, and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, LeBell's notable students include Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Ronda Rousey. LeBell was never a main-event star in wrestling and by even the most generous assessment wasnt exactly a crowd-pleaser in the ring. [12] Finally, he performed a left harai goshi in the fourth round and followed by locking a rear naked choke. FLASH SALE - Buy 1 video get 40% OFF - COUPON40, Buy 2 videos get 43% OFF - COUPON43, Buy 3 or more videos get 45% OFF - COUPON45. Michael Hilow, Congratulations to the prettiest man in Hollywood, and the reason the phrase Bad Ass was created.. No one is more deserving than my buddy, and everyones Uncle.. Uncle Gene! His career bore that out. Congratulations Gene. The late 'Judo' Gene LeBell's 90th birthday is celebrated by 200 friends, students, family LeBell's top student, Gokor Chivichyan, held the event at his martial arts academy, remembering a . To start academies, and then have a lineage of students that he brought up, not just martial arts but also film., Barnett said of his accomplishments, Its really just incredible to see someone be able to tip the scales of the world with just his own hands like that. It wasnt exactly an elite-level boxer facing down a grappler, but it did offer a variation on the Ultimate Fighting Championship model that LeBells long-time acquaintances, the Gracie family, would partner with Bob Meyrowitz to launch in 1993right down to the initial audience confusion and cautious feeling-out process between the athletes. ", "Gene LeBell and Ronda Rousey's golden lineage", "Killer's Impending Parole Scuttled by Extortion Plot", "Los Angeles Stirred by Detective's Mysterious Death", "Judo legend Gene LeBell passes away aged 89 years old", "Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman and "Godfather of Grappling," Dies at 89", "NWA Hall of Fame Class for 2011 announced", "North American Heavyweight Title (W. Texas)", Seagal vs LeBell resolved Fact, Fiction & Eye-Witness Testimony on the Urban Legend, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gene_LeBell&oldid=1141444745, NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Champions, Articles lacking reliable references from May 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from May 2021, All articles needing additional references, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:59. Ill be there to shake your hand tomorrow. LeBell served as the inspiration for Brad Pitt's character in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.. wrote the Stuntmans Association of Motion Pictures in a statement to Variety, whose portrayal of an overconfident Lee by actor Mike Moh in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spurred backlash. It was Beck's contention that a boxer would be able to defeat any martial artist in a fight and he put up $1000 to anyone who defeat the boxer in this challenge match. He began training catch wrestling at age 7 with Ed "The Strangler" Lewis. At 12 LeBell took up judo. He was born there on November 27, 1940, making him a dual Hong Kong and United States citizen by birth. AEW, Triple H & WWE acknowledged LeBell's influence. Congratulations Gene Eric Norris, Gene LeBell is my hero and always has been. Mary Karcz, Hi Gene, Id just like to Congratulate you on your receiving the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award. The boxer blocked the move, which aggravated an old shoulder injury of LeBell. Mahalo Christopher Chabriel, Congratulations MEAN GENE!!! [9], Encouraged by Ed Parker,[8] LeBell accepted the challenge and travelled to Salt Lake City to meet Beck. Its about time!! Sat 9th Apr 2022 19.30 BST. Gene LeBell, who died on August 9 at age 89, led a life so expansive that any mere retelling of it would come across like a tall tale, the stuff of Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyanif all of it werent true. Please enter a valid email and try again. After his mother remarried, LeBell was raised near L.A.s old Olympic Auditorium. ( Aubrey Sitterson, rondarousey.com, 2018). It couldnt go to a better man. Colleagues, friends and fans (in most cases they qualify as all three) have contributed their congratulations to the living legend that is Judo Gene LeBell. August 10, 2022 11:30 am ET. Gene LeBell had thousands of students over the years. Despite this, a man tried to stab LeBell on the way out and the latter had to be protected by the judokas and professional wrestlers who accompanied him. Thank you, Mr. LeBell! Allen Lopa, Congrats to a legend!! It hurt. LeBell has also worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows and has authored 12 books. (Gene LeBell Biography), LeBell transitioned from amateur to AAU national judo champ in 1954 and catapulted to national attention but as a pro wrestler, playing Hank the Hangman; he made a living by losing every match. LeBell demonstrated the choke hold by putting it on Seagal. He worked on over 1,000 movies and wrote a dozen books. Cheers! An incredible life being rightfully recognized. Gene LeBell has three children Monica, Danny, and David. [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. developed adult skills by 13. Gene LeBell in 2010 and with Lindsay Wagner on 'The Bionic Woman' in 1976 GI. (James C. Udel, Variety, 2018), Gene started training in judo at a young age, and at the age of 20 in 1954, he won National AAU Heavyweight Judo Championship and the USA Overall Judo Championship title. Contents Roddy Piper Talks MMA and Judo Gene LeBell Ronnie and Mary Rondell, Congratulations Uncle Gene! 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He judged UFC 74 (Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga) plus he had a highly popular website visited by martial arts and film fans all over the globe.