Kenneth Richmond

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Kenneth "Ken" Alan Richmond (born July 10, 1926 in London , † August 2, 2006 in Christchurch , Dorset ) was a British wrestler .

Career

Ken Richmond grew up in London. As a teenager he worked to earn money at Ranks Pinewood Studios in London and in 1944 even got a small film role in the film "Henry V." In 1944 he was to be drafted. As a pacifist , however, he refused military service and spent seven months in prison. After he was released, he worked in a shipyard, including a trip to Antarctica . The end of the 1940s he began at a judo school with judo , but soon moved to rings . With a height of 1.90 m and a weight of 120 kg he was a splendid heavyweight. As early as 1950 he wrestled internationally and won the bronze medal in heavyweight freestyle at the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952 . In 1956 he almost repeated this success, but had to make do with a thankless 4th place.

Ken Richmond had never lost contact with Rank-Film and took part in other films in 1950 and 1954. In 1955 he struck a big gong for the opening credits of the J. Arthur Rank films and, as Gongman, became the "symbol" of the Rank films. In those years he was certainly one of the most widely seen "actors" in cinemas around the world.

In the late 1960s he joined the Jehovah's Witnesses religious group and spent two years as a missionary in Malta . He then worked for this group in southern England until his death. In the south of England he discovered windsurfing , which he practiced into old age.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = Freestyle, S = Heavyweight)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Richmond, Kenneth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Richmond, Kenneth Alan (full name); Richmond, Ken (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH August 2, 2006
Place of death Christchurch , Dorset