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-movies, including police detective turned zombie "Inspector Dan Clay" in Plan 9 from Outer Space. Since his death he has amassed a cult following due in part to his appearances in the comics of Drew 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 Johnson Halloween 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 as Andy Kaufman's henchman during Kaufman's feud with Memphis wrestling mainstay Jerry Lawler). He also appeared in several films screened on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television series. George "The Animal" Steele's portrayed Johnson in Tim Burton's biopic about cult director Edward D. Wood, Jr..
Biography
Tor Johansson, born on October 19, 1903, in Sweden, the son of Karl J. Johansson and Lovisa Petersson, was a large man, weighing 400 pounds (181 kg) at his biggest.citation needed He had a full head of blond hair, but he shaved it to maintain an imposing, villainous appearance in wrestling and acting appearances.citation needed 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."citation needed Johnson befriended Bela Lugosi during the time both worked with director Edward D. Wood, Jr.citation needed
Johnson died on May 12, 1971 at the San Fernando Valley Hospital in San Fernando, California, from heart failurecitation needed, at the age of 67. He was buried at the Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall, California.
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