Over the course of this six-decade career, LeBell had a hand in training many prominent players in the entertainment, wrestling, and MMA worlds. As wellback in the day..i drove out to ride motos with Gene & some friends at his area in Frazier Park. LeBell is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. The three made a series of live appearances in the 1950s, with Mr. LeBell playing a villain. 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. Born in Los Angeles in 1932, LeBell was shipped off to a military school at age 6 by his full-time working mom after his father died in a surfing accident. LeBells years of stunt work and fight choreography also introduced grappling to the world of action movies, where it is now commonplace to see fighters turned actors such as Randy Couture and Gina Carano using submission holds in their action sequences. And will it equate to a Super Bowl contender? 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. Still, he continued to get regular stunt work on TV. Confused by William Beaudines direction, LeBell ended up being chomped by a 700-pound bear named Victor. Gary Davis, So awesome!!! Gene LeBell, iconic martial arts pioneer, dies, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), First Republic Bank seized, sold to JPMorgan Chase, Gene LeBell, iconic martial arts pioneer, dies at the age of 89. You can hit em, eye-gouge em.. Realizing that judo was no way to make a living, he shifted to professional wrestling later in 1955. Steve Boyum, Absolutely couldnt go to a better candidate. It hurt. Mr. LeBell had a long list of acting credits as well, mostly in bit parts. They all grew up to be great young men, James is a newspaper writer for various companies, David is a Federal Police Officer and Matthew is an accountant and they all, always talk about the days they train under Gene. 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. For most of Eatons time in the business, she was the only major female fight promoter in the United States, possibly even the world. Andy Gill, Congratulations Gene !!! It was the long-running Lassie series that first tested LeBells mettle. In 1963, in Salt Lake City, LeBell took on boxer Milo Savage the fifth-ranked light heavyweight boxer in the world. Into his 80s, LeBell was still working as a Nevada and California Athletic Commission MMA judge, scoring fights ringside with his ever-present bag of candy, which he always shared, tucked inside a larger bag resting at his feet. Lou Thesz. The newspaper the following day had a story saying the American radish wins. The pink uniform originated from a trip to Japan where a pair of red socks, or shorts, made their way into the laundry, turning his white uniform to pink. Those were great times !! 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. Savanah Dawn Lilley, The one and only Uncle Gene! A industry standard, and great human being! A fight scene on the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet earned LeBell his SAG card. James Allcott is joined by Nubaid Haroon, host of No Ratings Pod, to discuss the past, present, and future of the Ballon dOr. Eaton was the first woman inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Bruce Lee. She will hurt you: Ronda Rousey, 24, owns it in MMA ring. Weve worked together for over (50) years and its been (50) years of pure delight. In the 1960s, LeBell began acting and doing stunts, including in three movies with Elvis Presley. (Gene LeBell Biography). The couple wore matching red, white, and blue wedding attire and Midge wore flowers in her helmet. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Lewis, Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What! 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 Gene has trained with numerous other world champion martial artists includingChuck Norris,Bill Wallace, andBenny Urquidez. Ill be there to shake your hand tomorrow. Gene LeBell Death Fact Check, Birthday & Age | Dead or J.N. ; Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Mostly averted by the ever goody Gene, but according to Congratulations, Connie P Conrad Palmisano, Congratulations Uncle Gene for receiving the lifetime award. On The MMA Hour, Seagal vehemently denied the Gene LeBell dookie pants story. Along the way, he trained scores of future greats in a variety of disciplines, from Rowdy Roddy Piper in wrestling to Rowdy Ronda Rousey in judo (she, too, eventually wound up in the wrestling business), and even managed to extricate himself from being convicted in the 1976 murder of a private detective who had been digging up dirt on a host of California notables. Love ya !!! Oliver Lee Bateman is a journalist and sports historian who lives in Pittsburgh. Gene LeBell Proud to be your friend! Im proud to be a friend of yours for over 50 years. Brand-Exclusive PLEs Returning? Known as the toughest man alive, real life Hollywood hard man, two-time national judo champion and master of grappling Gene LeBell worked with Lee as a Mr. LeBell with the wrestler-turned-movie-star Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. A brief google of you name brings up pages and pages of awesome stories about what youve really accomplished in so many fields. This is very much deserved. Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman, Martial Artist And Bruce Lee's If you want to do a whizzer throw in wrestling, its the same as an uchimata [inner thigh throw] in judo. He once sparred with legendary boxer Sugar Ray Robinson as a teenager. Now Hell Face LeBron and the Lakers. And Thank You for all those Decals and Patches you sent Charlotte and I each Christmas. Shes gonna annihilate you. David and Kaz talk Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and more, Sheil and Ben break down the NFL draft and look ahead to where Kyler Murray will be playing in 2024, The guys also discuss Mondays matchups between the 76ers and Celtics and the Suns and Nuggets. Or do you want to grapple?, Thats a combination of everything, Mr. Lewis said. She gets in that ring, and she owns it mentally, said LeBell, then 78, who couldnt resist touching upon his pro wrestling background and growling to describe Rousey colorfully. 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. Midge and Gene were married twice. Shes gonna assassinate you.. I am devastated. It always put a smile on my face when you would call the SAMP office. A true legend with a legacy of amazing stunt history. LeBells Rolodex is not just one hall of fame roster, but multiple, as hes played integral roles in the worlds of boxing, judo, wrestling, and Hollywood stunt-work. Mr. LeBell said Mr. Inoki would have won the bout had he not been penalized one point for a karate kick to Alis groin. and who wore nicknames like the toughest man alive with prideit is part of what made him such a legendary and colorful figure in Hollywood history. For years, he taught martial arts in Southern California. 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. His mother later married Cal Eaton, with whom she promoted fights. What is Detroit trying to build? Gene Lebell The damage inflicted definitely favored Inoki, who battered Alis legs sufficiently that the Greatest struggled with his mobility in a fight against Ken Norton later that year, but LeBellwho had Inoki slightly ahead on his own scorecard, per the account in journalist Josh Grosss book Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainmentchose to deduct points for an illegal groin strike, thus affording Ali a split-decision draw that showcased how dull MMA could get without the appropriate rules in place. LeBell was a pioneer in the sport of MMA before there was MMA. So happy for you. Ivan Gene LeBell was born on Oct. 9, 1932, in Los Angeles. His mother, Aileen (Goldstein) LeBell, promoted boxing and wrestling matches at the Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles; his father, Maurice, was an osteopath and diet doctor who died after being paralyzed in a swimming accident in 1941. Ivan Gene LeBell, a legendary figure across multiple industries, died at the age of 89 with the news breaking on Tuesday evening. (Hans Gutknecht/LA Daily News), Gene LeBell, Photo courtesy of Midge LeBell, Gene LeBell, Ronda Rousey and Midge LeBell during the Ronda Rousey Health Rocks After After Party at Paladinos in Tarzana Sunday, November 9, 2014.Proceeds from the event went to provide preventative medical treatment to musicians and entertainers with no insurance. Gene LeBell talks Steven Seagal Never ever have I known a man so talented, having so much wisdom and experience, so giving of his knowledge and skills and yet being so humble. Karl Gotch. cdn.vox-cdn.com. Thank you Gene for your friendship over the decades. Gene LeBell - IMDb (James C. Udel, Variety, 2018), The remarkable Judo Gene LeBell was still teaching grappling and doing stunts well into his 80s. LeBell wore a gi for the fight, and Savage had his body greased to make it difficult for LeBell to grab him. Love, Greg & Barbie Barnett, Youve been my hero my entire career. WebIvan Gene LeBell was an American martial artist, actor, stunt performer, and former professional wrestler born on October 9, 1932. Gene LeBell, 89, Judo Champion, Wrestler and Star Stuntman, Dies WebGene LeBell. WebGene LeBell Dead: Stuntman and Godfather of Grappling Dies at 89 hollywoodreporter 399 24 24 comments Best Add a Comment BeazyDoesIt 4 mo. ago It was the long-running Lassie series that first tested LeBells mettle. Although Mr. Calhoun said that in any situation, with Bruce Lee or anyone else, Gene was the toughest guy in the room, Mr. LeBell offered a pragmatic view of his reputation. The Kings had no answer for Steph, who dropped 50 in a record-breaking Game 7 outburst to propel Golden State to a tantalizing second-round matchup against the Lakers. It was LeBells first movieland lesson: Always let the star win. Will Bowman, Well deserved! Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Performance & security by Cloudflare. She says, This is my house. I dont know how you go on without him. People saying youre the toughest guy is great, he told Sports Illustrated in 1995, but it still doesnt add up to one car payment. I love ya man. So well deserved!! Gene LeBell In the stunt world, I get a pretty doggone good retirement from SAG and AFTRAand I can still work.. He is loved by so many and admired by countless others. /*! Mr. Lewis, he recalled, asked him: Do you want to roll? More embellished versions include details about Seagal defecating himself. Congrats my friend and God Bless. Tributes came from around the world following the announcement of his passing, including on Twitter from Chuck Norris, Triple H, Titus Welliver and others. He will always be my Stunt Senei. You are a true living legend! In the end, LeBell had appeared in more than 1,000 films, shows and commercials. 160 MulciberTenebras 4 mo. One thing I learned was never never mess with Gene LeBell. I am sure he is happy now. A tough guy who got beaten up by the likes of John Wayne, he had a bottom-line view of his job: The more you get hit in the nose, the richer you are.. Ill always remember the special times we shared together. He totally supported me, he was telling my mom to let me do it, and he was telling me, Ive won every R-E-A-L fight and never made a penny and lost every R-E-E-L fight and I am comfortably retired, think about that kid. He said he would help me out with this MMA stuff, but he was always trying to get me stunt jobs and to meet the right people in the stunt works so I would have somewhere to go after fighting.