Tor Johnson
Karl Erik Tore Johansson (19 October 1902 or 1903; sources differ – 12 May 1971), better known by the stage name Tor Johnson, was a Swedish professional wrestler and actor. As an actor, Johnson appeared in many B-movies, including some famously directed by Ed Wood. In professional wrestling, Johnson was billed as Tor Johnson and Super Swedish Angel.
Tor Johnson | |
|---|---|
Johnson in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) | |
| Born | Karl Erik Tore Johansson 19 October 1903 |
| Died | 12 May 1971 (aged 67–68) San Fernando, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Plot 177, Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newhall, Santa Clarita, California |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation(s) | Professional wrestler, actor |
| Years active | 1934–1961 |
| Spouse | Greta Maria Alfrida Johansson |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Johnson was born on 19 October 1903 in Brännkyrka, Stockholms län, Sweden, the son of Karl Johan Johansson and Lovisa Kristina Pettersson. His death certificate and grave list 1903 as the year of his birth, contradicting published genealogy records.[1]
Career
Johnson stood 6'3"[2] and weighed 440 pounds (200 kg) at his heaviest. He had a full head of blonde hair, but shaved it to maintain an imposing and villainous appearance in his wrestling and acting work. He began getting bit parts in films upon moving to California, usually as the strongman or weightlifter, as early as 1934. His film career ended in the early 1960s, after he appeared in a string of low-budget, poorly-rated films. However, he continued to make appearances on television and made a number of commercials.[3]
Tor Johnson used the ring name Super Swedish Angel to distinguish himself from Nils Phillip Olafsson who used the ring name Swedish Angel. The name was derived from wrestler Maurice Tillet, known as the French Angel.
During his career as an actor, Johnson befriended director Ed Wood, who directed him in a number of films, including Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space; writing for Turner Classic Movies, film critic Donald Liebenson described Johnson's performance in Plan 9 as "gonzo."[4] Johnson was very friendly to work with; actress Valda Hansen, who worked with Johnson in 1959's Night of the Ghouls, described him as "like a big sugar bun."[5] During this period, Johnson appeared as a guest contestant on the quiz show You Bet Your Life, during which he showed the show's host, Groucho Marx, his "scariest face." Marx ran off the stage in mock terror, then returned and pleaded: "Don't make that face again!"
Death and legacy
Johnson died of heart failure in San Fernando, California, at the age of 68.[6] He was buried at Eternal Valley Memorial Park, in Santa Clarita, California.[7]
Johnson was portrayed by wrestler George "The Animal" Steele in Tim Burton's film Ed Wood (1994).[8]
Johnson was featured extensively in the early work of cartoonist Drew Friedman, where Johnson was depicted as "Tor", a slow-witted, white-eyed lummox based on Johnson's persona in Ed Wood's films.[9] The first of the one-page comics, "Tor Johnson at Home", was published in a 1981 issue of Robert Crumb's Weirdo,[10] and the original artwork was purchased by television writer and producer Eddie Gorodetsky.[11]
A latex mask based on Johnson's face, sculpted by Pat Newman for Don Post Studios, is described as "the best-selling Halloween horror mask of the late 1960s-early 1970s".[12]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Registered Nurse | Sonnevich | Uncredited[13] |
| 1934 | Kid Millions | Torturer | Uncredited[14] |
| 1935 | Some Class | Tough Guy | Short, Uncredited[15][16] |
| 1935 | Man on the Flying Trapeze | Tosoff | Uncredited[14] |
| 1936 | Under Two Flags | Bidou | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Shadow of the Thin Man | Jack the Ripper (wrestler) | Uncredited[17] |
| 1942 | Gentleman Jim | The Mauler | Uncredited |
| 1943 | The Meanest Man in the World | Vladimir Pulasky | Uncredited[18] |
| 1943 | Swing Out the Blues | Weightlifter | |
| 1944 | Ghost Catchers | Mug | Uncredited[19] |
| 1944 | The Canterville Ghost | Bold Sir Guy | Uncredited[20] |
| 1944 | Lost in a Harem | Majordomo | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Sudan | Slaver | Uncredited[17] |
| 1947 | Road to Rio | Sandor | Uncredited[21] |
| 1948 | State of the Union | Wrestler | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Behind Locked Doors | The Champ | Uncredited"[22] |
| 1949 | Alias the Champ | Super Swedish Angel | |
| 1950 | The Reformer and the Redhead | Big Finnish man | Uncredited[23] |
| 1950 | Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion | Abou Ben | |
| 1951 | The Lemon Drop Kid | Super Swedish Angel | |
| 1951 | Dear Brat | Uncredited | |
| 1951 | Angels in the Outfield | Wrestler On TV | Uncredited |
| 1952 | The San Francisco Story | Buck | Uncredited[24] |
| 1952 | Lady in the Iron Mask | Renac | Uncredited[25] |
| 1953 | Houdini | Strong Man | Uncredited[26] |
| 1955 | Bride of the Monster | Lobo | |
| 1955 | You're Never Too Young | Train passenger | Uncredited[27] |
| 1956 | Carousel | Strongman | Uncredited[28] |
| 1956 | The Black Sleep | Mr. Curry | |
| 1957 | Journey to Freedom | Giant Turk | |
| 1957 | The Unearthly | Lobo | Johnson's character famously delivers the line, "Time for go to bed."[29][30] |
| 1957 | Plan 9 from Outer Space | Inspector Daniel Clay | |
| 1959 | Night of the Ghouls | Lobo | |
| 1961 | The Beast of Yucca Flats | Joseph Javorsky / The Beast |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–1954 | You Are There | "The Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown"[31] "The Surrender of Corregidor"[32] | |
| 1954 | General Electric Theater | Bald Man | "To Lift a Feather"[33] |
| 1954 | Rocky Jones, Space Ranger | Naboro | "Inferno in Space"[34] |
| 1956 | The Adventures of Hiram Holliday | Bandini the Strongman | "Dancing Mouse" |
| 1959 | You Bet Your Life | Tor Johnson | #59-11 |
| 1960 | Adventures in Paradise | Miko | "Once Around the Circuit"[35] "The Lady From South Chicago"[36] |
| 1960 | Peter Gunn | Bruno | "See No Evil"[22] |
| 1960 | Bonanza | Busthead Brannigan | "San Francisco"[37] |
| 1961 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | The Strongman | "Pippi Longstocking"[38] |
References
- ^ Thorsell, Elisabeth. "Tor Johnson Genealogy". Rötters Anbytarforum (in Swedish). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ "Tor Johnson". IMDb.
- ^ Raw, Lawrence (2012). Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960. McFarland & Company. pp. 117–119. ISBN 978-0786444748.
- ^ Liebenson, Donald. "Plan 9 from Outer Space Lands in TCM Classic Film Festival!". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies Inc. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (23 November 2011). "Gift Guide: Drew Friedman's new Tor Johnson print". ComicsBeat.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M., III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 176. ISBN 978-0786417544.
- ^ Stephens, E.J. (5 April 2009). "Cinema history 'lives on' at Eternal Valley". B. The Signal. Vol. 93, no. 95. Santa Clarita, California: Ian Lamont. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sonnenberg, Maria (27 July 2014). Stover, Bob (ed.). "The Animal pins problems to the mat". Florida Today. Vol. 49, no. 133. Cocoa, Florida: Jeff Kiel. p. 5E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Friedman, Drew; Friedman, Josh Alan (30 April 2012). Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead is Purely Coincidental. Fantagraphics Books. pp. 4, 21–36. ISBN 978-1-60699-521-1.
- ^ Friedman, Drew. "Tor Johnson at Home," Weirdo #4 (Last Gasp, Feb. 1982).
- ^ Friedman, Drew (1 January 2007). The Fun Never Stops!: An Anthology of Comic Art 1991–2006. Fantagraphics Books. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-56097-840-4.
- ^ "SCVHistory.com LW3638 | Film-Arts | Tor Johnson Latex Halloween Monster Mask, Don Post Studios 1977".
- ^ III, Harris M. Lentz (1 January 2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
- ^ a b Fetrow, Alan G. (1 August 1992). Sound films, 1927-1939: a United States filmography. McFarland. pp. 331, 339. ISBN 978-0-89950-546-6.
- ^ Alicoate, Chas A. (8 August 1935). "Short Shots". The Film Daily. Vol. 68, no. 33. New York, N.Y.: John W. Alicoate. p. 11 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Kann, Maurice, ed. (7 December 1935). "Short Subjects". Motion Picture Daily. Vol. 38, no. 134. New York, N.Y.: Martin Quigley. p. 4 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b King Hanson, Patricia, ed. (1999). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures: Feature Films, 1941-1950. Vol. 3: Film Entries M-Z. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 1952,2137. ISBN 9780520215214.
- ^ Fetrow, Alan G. (1 January 1994). Feature Films, 1940-1949: A United States Filmography. McFarland. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-89950-914-3.
- ^ Dettman, Bruce; Bedford, Michael (1976). The Horror Factory: The Horror Films of Universal, 1931 to 1955. Gordon Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-87968-443-3.
- ^ Institute, American Film (1999). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures produced in the United States. Feature Films, 1941 - 1950. Vol. 1: Film Entries, A–L. University of California Press. p. 367. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.
- ^ Mielke, Randall G. (1997). Road to Box Office: The Seven Film Comedies of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, 1940-1962. McFarland & Company. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-7864-0162-8.
- ^ a b Freese, Gene (15 September 2017). Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914–1989. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-4766-2935-3.
- ^ King Hanson, Patricia, ed. (1999). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures: Feature Films, 1941-1950. Vol. 2: Film Entries M-Z. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 1952. ISBN 978-0520215214.
- ^ Wax, Mo, ed. (5 May 1952). "'The San Francisco Story' OK Gun & Fist Stuff". Film Bulletin. Vol. 20, no. 9. Mo Wax. p. 8 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Parsons, Louella O., ed. (16 November 1952). "The New Films". The State Journal. Vol. 98, no. 202. Lansing, Michigan: Federated Publications. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Fetrow, Alan G. (1999). Feature Films, 1950-1959: A United States Filmography. McFarland. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-7864-0427-8.
- ^ Neibaur, James L.; Okuda, Ted (1995). The Jerry Lewis films: an analytical filmography of the innovative comic. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-89950-961-7.
- ^ Daniel, Blum (1969) [1957]. Screen World. Vol. 8. New York, N.Y.: Biblo & Tannen. p. 32. ISBN 0819602639.
- ^ "The Tor Top Ten". The Astounding B Monster. The Astounding B Monster. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Mystery Science Theater 3000, Season 3". Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ Vaile, Edward, ed. (27 December 1953). "Today's Best TV Programs Previewed". Iowa TV Guide. The Des Moines Register. Vol. 105, no. 190. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gianakos, Larry James (1 January 1980). Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1947-1959. Scarecrow Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0-8108-1330-4.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows. McFarland. p. 1845. ISBN 978-0-7864-0952-5.
- ^ Lucanio, Patrick; Coville, Gary (1998). American Science Fiction Television Series of the 1950s: Episode Guides and Casts and Credits for Twenty Shows. McFarland. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-0434-6.
- ^ Leibfried, Philip; Lane, Chei Mi (17 August 2010). Anna May Wong: A Complete Guide to Her Film, Stage, Radio and Television Work. McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-4766-0932-4.
- ^ Chan, Anthony B. (8 February 2007). Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905-1961). Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-1-4616-7041-4.
- ^ Leiby, Bruce R.; Leiby, Linda F. (31 May 2012). A Reference Guide to Television's Bonanza: Episodes, Personnel and Broadcast History. McFarland. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-4766-0075-8.
- ^ Noyes, Mike (4 December 2008). "Bride of the Monster - DVD Review". Inside Pulse.
External links
- Tor Johnson at IMDb
- Tor Johnson at AllMovie
- Tor Johnson at Find a Grave