After his competitive career, Gene LeBell and his brother Mike would run the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles region between 1968 and 1982. As wellback in the day..i drove out to ride motos with Gene & some friends at his area in Frazier Park. However, the writing was on the wall for Savage: LeBell threw and then mounted the boxer in the second round, although he couldnt secure a finish, then hip-tossed him in the fourth round before using a gi choke to render his foe unconsciousmuch to the displeasure of the crowd, which was unused to seeing people choked in this way. Gene LeBell - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Congratulations Uncle Gene! 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. Gene LeBell has had a number of notable students throughout the years, from Hollywood legends like Chuck Norris and Roddy Pipper, to martial arts masters such as Gokor Chivichyan, Karo Parisyan, Ronda Rousey, Neil Melanson, Ed Parker and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez to name a few. David would look at me glassy eyed and say No you dont! On Sunday, Oct. 9, legendary martial artist and stuntman Judo Gene LeBell would have turned 90. In addition to his judo background, LeBell has an extensive background in submission grappling and catch wrestling, and has trained under Lou Thesz, Karl Gotch and Ed "Strangler" Lewis. 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. [25], LeBell has earned himself the nicknames "Judo" Gene LeBell, "the Godfather of Grappling" and also "the toughest man alive" for his participation in combat sports. To succeed in the NFL, hell need to be an outlier among outliers. Scott Wilder, Thank you Sensei for paving the way for martial artists in this biz! Humbled to be 1 of many. Im proud to be a friend of yours for over 50 years. A professional stuntman and actor, LeBell appeared in over 1,000 films and TV shows, and authored 12 books. Lance Gilbert, Gene , you are surely deserving of this achievement even though your humility wont allow you to agree with us. We ask all these burning questions, and more! Brad Curran June 8, 2018 Interviews. Gary Davis, So awesome!!! "My name is Gene LeBell. Congrats Rick Avery, Congratulations Uncle Gene! He was 89. Love ya Gene. 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. He taught me how to fight, taught me how to ride. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him, especially us. Present-day UFC fans probably best remember him from his time spent wielding a stopwatch in the corner of his protege, Ronda Rousey, while wrestling fans might know his name from when Daniel Bryan used to call his finisher the LeBell Lock. But despite that, the MMA pioneer isnt a household name, which is a shame, because if youre a fan of combat sports, he absolutely should be. According to a 2014 interview in Black Belt, LeBell had no idea the fight would be as significant as later developments in the sport of MMA have made it. Long overdue! Ivan Gene LeBell (born October 9, 1932) is an American martial artist, instructor, stunt performer, and professional wrestler born in Los Angeles, California. Unfortunately, Bruce Lee passed away a few years later in 1973. He repeated this dominant performance in 1955, winning all but one of his 18 matches solely with standing throws. Is MJF the Second Coming of CM Punk? Gene LeBell - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday J.N. thank you so much for all the encouragement over all these decades . To this day you are still teaching and sharing your wealth of knowledge with the next generation! Are the Lakers dead? Gene has trained with numerous other world champion martial artists includingChuck Norris,Bill Wallace, andBenny Urquidez. LeBell accompanied Ronda Rousey to the cage for some of her MMA matches in recent years, and served as a MMA judge through 2018. One day in. The Life & Times of Gene LeBell - Black Belt Magazine Confused by William Beaudines direction, LeBell ended up being chomped by a 700-pound bear named Victor. Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman and "Godfather of Grappling," Dies at 89 He was a Nevada and California Athletic Commission judge. The simplest version of the tale has Seagal boasting that he couldnt be choked out, and LeBell, then in his 50s and significantly smaller than the 6-foot-4 actor, going behind the star, then taking him to the ground and choking him out. A pair of red shorts were mixed into the laundry that contained his Gi and turned the uniform a shade of pink. [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. He was known by many as the Godfather of Grappling, and influenced fighters around the world. Whether through his chokes or his jokes, Gene LeBell has been an inspiration for more people than he will ever realize. It must be said at this stage that . Ivan Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 - August 9, 2022) was an American martial artist, instructor, stunt performer, and professional wrestler. Nicknamed "The Godfather of Grappling", he popularized grappling in professional fighting circles, serving as a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. 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. Ivan Gene LeBell was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 1932. In the the Quentin Tarantino film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", Bruce Lee was made to look as an arrogant martial arts actor. His notable students include Rousey, WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper, and Chuck Norris, among others. LeBell, whom many credit for bringing judo into mixed martial arts, served as a mentor to former UFC champion Ronda Rousey throughout her MMA run, but his roots run much deeper. Tarantino, whose portrayal of an overconfident Lee by actor Mike Moh in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spurred backlash drew heavily from LeBell when he crafted Brad Pitts character in the film as stuntman Cliff Booth, as LeBell had trained in Japan and studied judo years before Lee became a master. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. Is Golden State a sleeping giant? He worked on over 1,000 movies and wrote a dozen books. "Judo" Gene LeBell Tribute - YouTube He was known as one the best stuntmen in his early days and his influence in the worlds of mixed martial arts and wrestling still. LeBell came off the floor by a few feet. According to the Hollywood Reporter, famed stunt performer Gene LeBell died on August 9 at the age of 89. It has been alleged that at some point LeBell heard about the claim and gave Seagal the opportunity to prove it. You are a true living legend. [4] LeBell appeared in three Elvis Presley movies as a minor character who starts a fight with the character played by Presley. ", "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. In addition to Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, LeBell also tutored the likes of Roddy Piper (who claimed in his autobiography to have received a black belt in judo from LeBell, though this is likely as spurious as the impossible-to-verify Golden Gloves championship he was sometimes reported as having won), Olympic bronze medalist judoka and future UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey (who always cited him as an important mentor), American judo champion and instructor Gokor Chivichyan, and Chivichyans Armenian American judo student Karo Parisyan, one of the first notable judo practitioners in the UFC. An agreement was reached for the match to last five rounds, each lasting three minutes. For LeBell, one martial art naturally flowed into another; they were already mixing together in his curious mind. His students in those fields included Roddy Piper, Ronda Rousey, and many others. The latter then accepted, but only if LeBell could drop 100 pounds to reach his weight, otherwise he would have to face Royce's brothers, similarly 20 years younger than LeBell though still lighter than him. Gene LeBell has three children Monica, Danny, and David. ( Aubrey Sitterson, rondarousey.com, 2018). Thank you Gene for your friendship over the decades. And in February, 2005 Gene LeBell was promoted to 9th degree black belt in judo by USJJF. An additional stipulation prevented LeBell from attempting tackles or takedowns under the waist. They thought of each other has good friends but Gene Lebell said he taught Bruce Lee but Bruce said they shared techniques but not as a teacher/student relationsh. [3][4], In 2000, the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) promoted LeBell to 9th dan in jujitsu and taihojutsu. [2] He worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows and authored 12 books. On March 18, 1995, the Cauliflower Alley Club again honored LeBell by presenting him with the "Iron Mike Mazurki" award; presented by one of his teachers, legendary professional wrestling champion Lou Thesz. Gene LeBell began his martial arts training at the age of 13 and went on to become the Godfather of Grappling and is considered by many to be the father of MMA. 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. Where Are They Now: Stuntman Gene LeBell - Variety Nick Plantico, Congrats 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 . His notable students include Rousey, WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper, and Chuck Norris, among others. He is there to help you any time any where. Although LeBell would remain undefeated in the sport for eight years, even traveling to Japan in 1955 to further his judo skillsand, following a laundry mishap, adopt the pink gi that became a signature piece of his in-ring lookhis interests were too varied to allow him to focus exclusively on one sport. The boxer blocked the move, which aggravated an old shoulder injury of LeBell. Gene LeBell Dies: Stuntman, Actor And Wrestling Legend Who Fought Bruce "[24], Seagal bodyguard and stuntman Steven Lambert, stated he was present and said that a confrontation did happen. Why Gene LeBell's Life Is Like A Movie - TWM+: Sports, Entertainment Whats legacy, anyway? (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Martial artist Bas Rutten poses 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. Logan Holladay, Congratulations to Uncle Gene for a lifetime of stunts and terrorizing the stunt people; either riding dirt bikes or putting them to sleep. Youre not only a legend to me but a great, great friend. Andy Gill, Congratulations Gene !!! Despite this long legacy in the worlds of pro wrestling and MMA, LeBell, always chasing the smart money, never hung around too long on the mat in either sport: Theres only 1 in 1,000 MMA fighters who make money, he told Black Belt magazine in 2014.
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