Tor Johnson: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:07, 22 October 2006

Revision as of 08:09, 22 October 2006

Line 1:

[[Image:Tor_Johnson.jpg|thumb|230px|Tor Johnson in ''[[Plan 9 from Outer Space]]'']] [[Image:PlanNine 10.jpg|thumb|231px|This face was turned into a [[Halloween|Halloween Mask]]]]

'''Tor Johnson''', born '''Tor Johansson''', ([[October 19]], [[1903]] – [[May 12]], [[1971]]) was a [[professional wrestler]] known as '''The Super Swedish Angel''', and occasional actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in a number of [[B-movie]]s, including police detective-come-zombie "Inspector Dan Clay" in ''[[Plan 9 from Outer Space]]''. Since his death he has become a cult icon, thanks to a Halloween mask made in his image, his appearances in the comics of [{[Drew Friedman]], his appearance in several filmfilms screened on the [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]] television series, his portrayal in [[Tim Burton]]'s biopic about cult director [[Ed Wood]], and many other pop-cultural references.

Tor Johansson, born on [[October 19]], [[1903]], in [[Sweden]], the son of Karl J. Johansson and Lovisa Petersson, was a large man, weighing 300 pounds (136 kg). He had a full head of blonde hair, but he shaved it to maintain the appearance of being the [[villain]] in wrestling and acting appearances. During most of his life, he was a wrestler. He began getting bit parts in movies upon his move to California - usually as the strongman or weightlifter - as early as [[1934]]. His movie career ended in the early 1960s after appearing in a string of poorly-rated movies. However, he continued to make appearances on television and made a number of commercials.