Charles Kalani, Jr.
| Charles Kalani, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Data | |
| Ring name | Professor Toru Tanaka |
| height | 180 cm |
| Fighting weight | 127 kg |
| birth | January 6, 1930 Honolulu, Hawaii |
| death | August 22, 2000 Lake Forest |
| Announced from |
Tokyo and Hiroshima , Japan |
| debut | 1967 |
| retirement | 1986 |
Charles "Charlie" Kalani, Jr. (born January 6, 1930 in Honolulu , Hawaii , † August 22, 2000 in Lake Forest , California ) was an American wrestler , professional boxer , college football player , martial arts fighter and actor Hawaiian - Chinese ancestry. In wrestling he appeared under the ring name " Professor Toru Tanaka ".
Private
Charles "Charlie" Kalani, Jr. was born on January 6, 1930 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was Charles Kalani Sr., who was from Hawaii, and his mother, Christina Leong Kalani, was half-Chinese.
Kalani began to learn Jiu Jitsu at the age of nine . He attended Iolani High School and eventually received an athletic scholarship to tackle college football at Weber Junior College in Ogden , Utah .
In 1952 he met his wife Doris at the University of Utah, whom he married in 1953 and with whom he had three children. The couple divorced in 1987, but got back together a few years later without marriage.
1955 Kalani was drafted for military service and achieved the rank of sergeant . He remained in the military until 1966, during which time he was stationed in Nuremberg for four years .
After retiring from the military, he moved with his wife to Monterrey, California, where he ran a dojo . In 1967 promoter Roy Shire brought him to wrestling.
Kalani died of heart failure on August 22, 2000 after suffering from severe Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and had a funeral with military honors .
Boxing
In 1953 and 1954 Kalani played five heavyweight boxing matches .
| 3 wins (1 knockout wins), 2 defeats (2 T.KO. defeats), 0 draws | ||||||
| year | Day | place | Combat weight Kalani | opponent | Result for Kalani | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 17. March | Berthana Arena, Ogden, Utah 
|
86.4 kg |
Ben Wise (87.3 kg) |
Defeat / TKO 3rd round | |
| 3rd of July | Exhibition Grandstand, Edmonton, Alberta 
|
95.5 kg |
Chief Windsor (88.6 kg) |
Victory / unanimous decision 4th round | ||
| 17th August | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah
|
95.5 kg |
 Max Simpson |
Victory / TKO 1st round | ||
| 17th of September | Vancouver, British Columbia
|
96.1 kg |
 Edgardo Romero (107.3 kg) |
Loss / TKO 1st round | ||
| 1954 | February 2nd | Civic Auditorium, Honolulu, Hawaii
|
104.3 kg |
Joe Cantrades (80 kg) |
Victory / points win 4th round | |
Wrestling career
When he made his wrestling debut, he was made into a Japanese man because his Hawaiian origins did not appear spectacular and evil enough to the promoters. In the late 1960s Kalani had some prestigious matches, including at Madison Square Garden against the then reigning champion Bruno Sammartino . With team partner Mr. Fuji , he played over 100 matches from 1973 onwards, and they were allowed to hold the WWWF World Tag Team titles three times . In 1979 the team split up and Kalani's full-time career was drawing to a close, he appeared for a while for various territories of the National Wrestling Alliance and played his last matches between 1984 and 1986 for the World Wrestling Federation .
Acting career
Kalani's stature and martial arts experience also enabled him to appear in a few films. He played for the first time in 1981 in the giant on the side of Chuck Norris and Christopher Lee . This made other directors aware of him and cast him as a supporting actor in more than 30 films and series. His best-known roles played alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Running Man and Last Action Hero , but he was also seen twice in the popular series The A-Team .
Filmography (selection)
- 1981: The Gigant (An Eye for an Eye)
- 1981: A Colt for All Cases ( The Fall Guy , TV series)
- 1983: Revenge of the Ninja
- 1984: Off the Wall
- 1984: Chattanogga Choa Choa
- 1984–1986: Das A-Team ( The A-Team , TV series 2 episodes)
- 1985: Pee-Wee's crazy adventure (Pee-wee's Big Adventure)
- 1985: Missing in Action 2 - The Beginning
- 1986: Bad Guys
- 1986: Shanghai Surprise
- 1987: Running Man (The Running Man)
- 1987: Catch the Heat
- 1988: Dead Heat
- 1988: Wild West inclusive
- 1989: Black Rain
- 1990: Darkman
- 1990: Martial Law
- 1991: Deadly Game
- 1991: The Perfect Weapon
- 1991: Alligator II: The Mutation
- 1992: 3 Ninja Kids (3 Ninjas)
- 1993: Last Action Hero
- 1995: Hard Attack - Tatort: Knast (Hard Justice)
Web links
- Charles Kalani, Jr. in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- Charles Kalani, Jr. in the BoxRec database
- Charles Kalani, Jr. on Danzan.com
Individual evidence
- ^ Charles Kalani (Prof. Toru Tanaka) danzan.com
- ↑ Charles Kalani, Jr. in the BoxRec database
- ↑ WrestlingClassics.com Message Board: Prof. Toru Tanaka (Charlie Kalani) Pro Boxing Record wrestlingclassics.com fight record Charles Kalani
- ↑ Google result for http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/%3Fsrc%3Dhttp://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Movies/2006/04/17/fujitanaka.JPG%26size% 3D250x600% 26quality% 3D85 slam canoe.ca
- ^ Matches "Toru Tanaka" Wrestler Database "CAGEMATCH cagematch.de
- ^ Professor Toru Tanaka - IMDb imdb.com Charles Kalani
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kalani, Charles, Jr. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kalani, Charlie junior (nickname); Tanaka, Professor Toru |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American wrestler, boxer, college football player, martial arts fighter, and actor of Hawaiian-Chinese descent |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 6, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Honolulu , Territory of Hawaii |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 22, 2000 |
| Place of death | Lake Forest , California , United States |