Joe Bonomo (strongman)
| Joe Bonomo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joseph Bonomo December 25, 1901 Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
March 28, 1978 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Stunt performer, strongman |
Joseph "Joe" Bonomo (December 25, 1901 – March 28, 1978) was a famous American weight lifter, strongman, film stunt performer and actor.
Biography
Bonomo was born to Esther and Albert Bonomo, Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Izmir.[1] As a child Bonomo built himself into a strongman winning the "Mr Modern Apollo" contest of 1921 where the prizes included a ten-week movie contract.[2]
He began as a stunt double soon doubling for Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame then playing a variety of roles. He lost the role of Tarzan in Tarzan the Mighty when he injured himself before shooting,.[3]
When sound came, Bonomo's strong Brooklyn accent precluded him from most film roles but he reportedly retained his fame in magazine adverts offering bodybuilding by mail order.
Selected filmography
- The Flaming Frontier (1926)
- Courtin' Wildcats (1929)
References
- Bonomo, Joe Strongman: A True Life Pictorial Autobiography of the Hercules of the Screen Kessinger Publishing, 2007.
Notes
- ↑ The Taranto-Capouya-Crespin Family History: A Microcosm of Sephardic History, sephardichorizons.org; accessed July 28, 2015.
- ↑ Baxter, John. Stunt: The Story of the Great Movie Stunt Men, p. 82, Doubleday, 1974.
- ↑ Schneider, Jerry L. Edgar Rice Burroughs and the Silver Screen Vol. I The Silent Years