Mr. LeBell is survived by his wife, Eleanor (Martindale) LeBell, who is known as Midge and whom he married twice and divorced once; his son, David; his daughter, Monica Pandis; his stepson, Danny Martindale; his stepdaughter, Stacey Martindale; and four grandchildren. He successfully defended his title the next year at the Olympic Auditorium, in front of his mother. Karl Gotch. He is loved by so many and admired by countless others. If I have seen further it has been by standing on the shoulders of giants like you!! The remarkable Judo Gene LeBell was still teaching grappling 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. Wall and Norris were co-owners of a karate school, and As per our current Database, Gene LeBell is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). Ill always remember the special times we shared together. While working with rising martial arts star Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet, LeBell was instructed by the stunt coordinator to subdue the actorwho was said to be terrorizing the stuntman for a particular sceneand did so by quickly grabbing Lee in a firemans carry and running around the set with him. One thing I learned was never never mess with Gene LeBell. His mother, Aileen Eaton, was a promoter at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, where she promoted boxing and wrestling events and raised Gene and his brother Mike all by her lonesome. I have been with him for so many years. If you want to do a whizzer throw in wrestling, its the same as an uchimata [inner thigh throw] in judo. Can Phoenix generate enough easy offense to keep up with Denver? Boston set plenty of records this season, including one for most wins in NHL history. Confidential (1997) Batman & Robin (1997), Rush Hour (1998), The Man on the Moon (1999) Men in Black II (2002), Spiderman 2 (2004), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Over his career, LeBell was bludgeoned, shot, run over, karate-chopped (he became friends with Bruce Lee) and drowned for $2,000 per week earning more than most lawyers during those days. Which teams crushed the draft, and which came up short? (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. It was declared a draw. 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. (Gene LeBell Biography). Later that year, Mr. LeBell was arrested and charged with murder, along with a pornographer, Jack Ginsburgs, in the killing of a private detective. LeBell was presented with the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award on May 13, 2017 for his outstanding contribution to the world of action feature films. He is there to help you any time any where. Jimmy Halty, Congratulations Gene. Gene taught my three sons how to take every day life in the training under Gene. Youre not only a legend to me but a great, great friend. It was a fascinating collection of people mourning too, from the world of pro wrestling, mixed martial arts, acting, and beyond. 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. LeBell, preferring to let others do the talking for him, told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in 2012 that if thirty people are watching, let them talk about it.. Nine years later, he was kicked by Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii.. Judo Gene LeBell the Godfather of Grappling was both a renowned ex-world champion in both wrestling/judo, and one of Hollywoods busiest stuntmen. You can follow him on Twitter (@MoustacheClubUS) and read more of his work at www.oliverbateman.com. I love you Gene and I am very proud of your accomplishments in our business. He was a good person, so I am sure he is doing well where he is at now. Born Ivan Gene LeBell on Oct. 9, 1932, in Los Angeles, LeBell grew up at the famed Olympic Auditorium, where his mother, Aileen Eaton, was a boxing and wrestling promoter from 1942 to 1980. Michael Hughes, Thank you for being such an influence and inspiration to MANY! Confused by William Beaudines direction, LeBell ended up being chomped by a 700-pound bear named Victor. LeBell was victorious, choking out the boxer in the fourth round, sparking a riot in the auditorium. Those are just some of the names that Gene LeBell has trained with, not to mention the countless other celebrities and luminaries hes worked alongside during his decades-long careers as a pioneering mixed martial artist, a professional wrestler, and a stuntman. It hurt. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him, especially us. To this day you are still teaching and sharing your wealth of knowledge with the next generation! Way to go Uncle Gene!!! He often played referees and sometimes a thug, a henchman, a bartender or, as in Raging Bull (1990), a ring announcer. He also trained with wrestlers Lou Thesz, and Karl Gotch while growing up. Savanah Dawn Lilley, The one and only Uncle Gene! A industry standard, and great human being! Ian Avabe, You Rock a Master of all well deserved Si PJ Hooper Kelly, Congratulations Gene. Gene has trained with numerous other world champion martial artists includingChuck Norris,Bill Wallace, andBenny Urquidez. Love ya, Bax Craig Baxley, Sr. Gene LeBell: Bruce Lee in the UFC, Ronda Rousey, if anybody can beat her, Judo in MMA, Jimmy Kimmel, Congratulations Gene..its about time!!! ; Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Mostly averted by the ever goody Gene, but according to Ed Lewis. If I could get my arms around you I would hug you. And he was knocked around a few times by James Caan. ago The legend who made the fraud Steven Segal shit himself. Hans Gutknecht has been a photojournalist at the Los Angeles Daily News since 1992. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Jerked by cables through walls on Velveeta commercials at age 80 (hes now 85), the Stunts Unlimited member, who lives in Sherman Oaks and says he still takes in about $80,000 annually in residuals, reminded Variety that even with the rise of CGI, theres one commodity in film that cannot be synthesized: human emotion. Artisans introduces a new series Where Are They Now? He had earlier been an American Amateur Union judo champion. (James C. Udel, Variety, 2018), The remarkable Judo Gene LeBell was still teaching grappling and doing stunts well into his 80s. We couldnt prouder. (Gene LeBell Biography), 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. On the set of The Green Hornet, LeBell struck up a friendship with martial arts icon Bruce Lee, and they began cross-training, with LeBell showing Lee his pain-inflicting holds, locks and throws, and Lee demonstrating his lightning-quick kicks and strikes. 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. Over the course of this six-decade career, LeBell had a hand in training many prominent players in the entertainment, wrestling, and MMA worlds. We cant have blood! Gaffer tape stanched the bleeding, and LeBell managed six more takes. Birthday: October 9, 1932 How Old - Age: 90 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. There is nothing bad you can really say about him. He believed in me which made me believe in myself. I have always been inspired by this quality in you Uncle Gene and I cherish the memories of the many great experiences we have had together. Ill toast you from Texas! LeBells wrestling fortunes variedhis brother Mike told Sports Illustrated in 1995 that he had fired Gene on several occasions, noting that sometimes even I thought he was crazybut his career continued its upward trajectory as he moved into the Hollywood stunt work that would see him participating in thousands of projects over the years. At the time, Bruce Lee worked as Kato who was a main character in the series and LeBell was a stunt and fight coordinator. You always tried to get me to go dirt biking with you but I never gave in. 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. 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. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer), Gene LeBell teaches grappling to students Roman Mitichyan and Dana Charvet at the Hayastan MMA Academy. For years, he taught martial arts in Southern California. Michael Nesbitt, Congratulations, judo Gene LeBell Tony Epperson, Congratulations! LeBell!!! Working with Gene on many television and films, I learned how to take judo and marital art punches and kicks and fly through the air, crazing through various objects to the ground . He wore the pink gi from then on. Scott Wilder, Thank you Sensei for paving the way for martial artists in this biz! His death was announced by Kellie Cunningham, his trustee As wellback in the day..i drove out to ride motos with Gene & some friends at his area in Frazier Park. All the best! she was the only major female fight promoter in the United States, who was said to be terrorizing the stuntman for a particular scene, background in the Japanese martial art of aikido. So they said I could make good money in professional wrestling, which I did. WebGene LeBell was born on October 9, 1932 and is 90 years old now. Instead they came to appreciate their different skill sets, and Mr. LeBell became one of Mr. Lees favorite stuntmen. And will it equate to a Super Bowl contender? Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? Wear this Award well my friend. Well done sir! Known by Superman fans as Mr. Ya big goofball!!! (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News), Judo Gene LeBell with with journalist Ariel Helwani (Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographrer), An advertisement featuring Gene LeBells fight against boxer Milo Savage. I thought I was the only one. Seems like yesterday, lifes crazy like that, huh? Ill be there to shake your hand tomorrow. His roles went from such television series as Mission: Impossible, I Spy, The Wild Wild West, Baretta, Married with Children, and Baywatch to feature films Raging Bull, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins and Ed Wood. One of his last appearances was in Men In Black II in 2002. Well deserved. More recently the director Quentin Tarantino used Mr. LeBells initial encounter with Mr. Lee on the set of The Green Hornet as the basis for a scene in his 2019 film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which Brad Pitt, as a stuntman, threw the Lee character into a car. Congratulations Gene. After his mother remarried, LeBell was raised near L.A.s old Olympic Auditorium. Fighters practically raised the young LeBell at the Main Street Gym where he started going at 7 years old, Midge LeBell said. When he entered the 1954 AAU National Judo championship as a lightly regarded 160-pound heavyweight, he pinned 1952 Pan American Games gold medalist Johnny Osako in his first match, then went on to win both his weight class as well as the overall tournament. Despite this long legacy in the worlds of pro wrestling and MMA, LeBell, always chasing the smart money, never hung around too long on the mat in either sport: Theres only 1 in 1,000 MMA fighters who make money, he told Black Belt magazine in 2014. The promoters were looking for karate and judo bumsvery distinct striking and grappling specialties, though LeBell knew the basics of karateto fight a boxer, whom LeBell assumed would be Jim Beck, a highly regarded amateur who had called out the practitioners of those sports. Gregg Smrz, So well deserved! It was in her promotion that a Texas-born grappler named George Wagner first donned an elaborate robe, dyed his hair blond, walked to the ring with a valet, and became the 1950s television sensation Gorgeous George, the toast of the coast.. Sandra Brumfield Avo, Gene is as it has been said amongst the fight world..is the Toughest Man. The second time, they said their vows on a motorcycle as Gene performed a wheelie with Midge holding on, followed close behind by the minister on a four-wheeler. Shes gonna assassinate you.. I love you. who lives in Sherman Oaks and says he still takes in about Proud to know you, much love Brent Fletcher, Very proud to have been your student for so many years There is no one prettier than you Sensai You are truly a legend and I can not think of anyone more deserving for this award!!! Jimmy Roberts, Gene youve always told me Im the best but your THE GREATEST Love ya, Manny Perry, I owe everything to Gene. Tributes came from around the world following the announcement of his passing, including on Twitter from Chuck Norris, Triple H, Titus Welliver and others. I feel honored to say Ive never been choked out by the legend Gene LaBellI consider you a true friend. The newspaper the following day had a story saying the American radish wins. Brand-Exclusive PLEs Returning? Professional wrestler Bas Rutten announced LeBells death via Facebook, writing, You Rick Seaman, Well Geno, they said it couldnt be done but youve done it again. 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). He was 89. You are a true living legend. LeBells top student, Gokor Chivichyan, started training with him at the age of 16 and now runs the Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood. LeBell was also a judo and grappling prodigy. Brandon Recor, Congratulations!!! 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. Norman Howell, Congratulations Gene LeBell an incredible Honor an so well deserved. One Defining Question for Each Second-Round NBA Playoff Series. An incredible life being rightfully recognized. 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. Still, he continued to get regular stunt work on TV. Love you brother congratulations! Read full article. My first match, the official time, and his time differed by two seconds, and I was like (expletive) the official time, Genes time is what matters, so I tattooed his time. Rousey and mother De Mars gifted LeBell a new stopwatch for his 80th birthday in 2012. For most of Eatons time in the business, she was the only major female fight promoter in the United States, possibly even the world. LeBells students included AnnMaria De Mars, the first American to ever win a gold medal at the World Judo Championships in 1984, and De Mars daughter, Ronda Rousey, who became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo by winning bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before embarking on her illustrious MMA career. Mr. Lewis, he recalled, asked him: Do you want to roll? In what was billed a world martial arts championship, the two ended up kicking each other for 15 rounds Ali landed only two punches and the fight was ruled a draw. 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.