- Tor Johnson
Tor Johnson, born Tor Johansson, (
October 19 ,1903 –May 12 ,1971 ) was aprofessional wrestler known as The Super Swedish Angel, and occasional actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in a number ofB-movie s, including police detective turnedzombie "Inspector Dan Clay" in "Plan 9 from Outer Space ". Since his death he has amassed acult following due in part to his appearances in the comics ofDrew Friedman . Johnson made many appearances in these comics, all of which depicted Johnson acting like his hulking moron movie persona in real life.A Tor JohnsonHalloween mask was also made. Such a mask, with an eyepatch, was later used by wrestler Duke Myers to compete as the Colossus of Death, acting asAndy Kaufman 's henchman during Kaufman's feud with Memphis wrestling mainstayJerry Lawler ).He also appeared in several films screened on theMystery Science Theater 3000 television series. George "The Animal" Steele's portrayed Johnson inTim Burton 's biopic about cult directorEdward D. Wood, Jr. .Biography
Tor Johansson, born on
October 19 ,1903 , inSweden , the son of Karl J. Johansson and Lovisa Petersson, was a large man, weighing 400 pounds (181 kg) at his biggest.Fact|date=August 2008 He had a full head of blond hair, but he shaved it to maintain an imposing, villainous appearance in wrestling and acting appearances.Fact|date=August 2008 He began getting bit parts in movies upon his move to California - usually as the strongman or weightlifter - as early as 1934. His film 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.A number of Johnson's peers had commented that he was a very friendly man and easy to work with on movie sets.
Valda Hansen , who worked with Johnson in the 1959 movie "Revenge of the Dead " said that "Tor was like a big sugar bun."Fact|date=August 2008 Johnson befriendedBela Lugosi during the time both worked with director Edward D. Wood, Jr.Fact|date=August 2008Johnson died on
May 12 ,1971 at theSan Fernando Valley Hospital in San Fernando,California , fromheart failure Fact|date=August 2008, at the age of 67. He was buried at the Eternal Valley Memorial Park inNewhall, California .External links
*imdb name|id=0426363|name = Tor Johnson
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3574 Tor Johnson in Find-A-Grave]
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