is gene lebell still alive

His countless stunt appearances over more than 1,000 TV episodes and films range from Samuel Z. Arkoff B-movie cheapies to studio tentpoles such as The Killer Elite, Planet of the Apes, RoboCop, Raging Bull and Rocky (during which he warned Sylvester Stallone that the picture would surely flop). Plus, Ringer Wrestling Show Draft Results Are In! 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. LeBell lived long enough to learn submission wrestling from the likes of Ed Strangler Lewis, study judo in postwar Japan, win the first notable mixed martial arts match in 1963 and then referee the much-hyped but disappointing 1976 proto-MMA showdown between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki, trade fighting tips and blows with a young Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet, allegedly choke out martial-arts action star Steven Seagal on the set of Out for Justice in 1991, and even decline an invitation to the early Ultimate Fighting Championship events when he and 82-year-old jujitsu pioneer Hlio Gracie couldnt settle on a fighting weight. The War of the Worlds pitted heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, against Japanese professional wrestling star Antonio Inoki on June 26, 1976, in Tokyo, with LeBell working as the referee. 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. Midge and Gene were married twice. The Real Winners of the Ballon dOr, Past, Present, Future. Big hug and a kiss! Its no wonder LeBell flocked to combat sports and martial arts. 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. Gene LeBell had three children including stuntman son David LeBell and FBI agent daughter Monica LeBell Pandis. He also had 8 grandchildren. The only thing I have against MMA is they dont have a retirement plan. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? Gene LeBell Gene LeBell It was the long-running Lassie series that first tested LeBells mettle. He was a good person, so I am sure he is doing well where he is at now. In a recent conversation with Bob Calhoun, the coauthor of LeBells autobiography The Godfather of Grappling, the judoka, then 87 years old, said he was surprised that Lee didnt try to counter me, so I think he was more surprised than anything else. In the years that followed, Lee worked with LeBell to incorporate grappling into his films, defeating Sammo Hung with an arm bar in Enter the Dragon and Chuck Norriswho would become another long-time collaborator of LeBellsvia chokehold in Way of the Dragon. It has been an honor to work with you ,and see how much you have done, over the years. All 259 picks are in. Im proud to be a friend of yours for over 50 years. His brother, Mike, a wrestling promoter, died in 2009. In a story in the L.A. Daily News in 2011 on Rouseys breakout potential in the sport, nearly a year and a half before she made her UFC debut, LeBell offered his assessment of his pupil. I thought I was the only one. Seems like yesterday, lifes crazy like that, huh? Shes gonna annihilate you. LeBell was never a main-event star in wrestling and by even the most generous assessment wasnt exactly a crowd-pleaser in the ring.

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