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Nat Pendleton

Nat Pendleton

Birthday: 1895-08-09 | Place of Birth: Davenport, Iowa, USA

Nathaniel Greene 'Nat' Pendleton was an American former Olympic wrestler turned actor. Two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) champion (1914-1915) in the 175-lb. class at Columbia University, Pendleton graduated Class of 1916. He wrestled for the United States at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, earning a silver medal, losing only one match due to a controversial point decision. After the Games he became a professional wrestler and was a big fan favorite, which led to Hollywood. In the 1920 census he was living in Manhattan with his first wife Juanita Alfonzo (age 22) and her brother Ramon Alfonso (age 13). He was working as a sports manager. Pendleton was usually cast as a circus strongman, brutish thug, dumb cop, or dense buffoon, but he had a college degree and in 1933 wrote the script for Deception (1932), in which he starred - not surprisingly - as a wrestler. Upon his death from a heart attack, his remains were interred at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory in San Diego, California. Nat Pendleton was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2006.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1947
Scared to Death

as    Bill 'Bull' Raymond

1946
Death Valley

as    Jim Ward

1944
Swing Fever

as    'Killer' Kennedy

1942
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant

as    Joe Weyman

1942
The Mad Doctor of Market Street

as    Red Hogan

1942
Jail House Blues

as    Sonny McGann

1940
Northwest Passage

as    'Cap' Huff

1940
The Golden Fleecing

as    'Fatso' Werner

1940
Phantom Raiders

as    'Gunboat' Jacklin

1940
Flight Command

as    C.P.O. 'Spike' Knowles

1939
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor

as    Buddy Buttle

1939
At the Circus

as    Goliath

1939
On Borrowed Time

as    Mr. Grimes

1939
It's a Wonderful World

as    Sergeant Fred Koretz

1939
6,000 Enemies

as    Socks Martin

1938
The Shopworn Angel

as    'Dice'

1938
Arsène Lupin Returns

as    Joe Doyle

1938
Swing Your Lady

as    Joe Skopapolous

1938
Young Dr. Kildare

as    Joe Wayman

1938
Fast Company

as    Paul Terison

1937
Song of the City

as    Benvenuto Romandi

1936
Sing Me a Love Song

as    Rocky

1936
Trapped by Television

as    Rocky O'Neil

1936
The Garden Murder Case

as    Sergeant Ernest Heath

1935
Here Comes the Band

as    'Piccolo Pete'

1935
Reckless

as    Blossom

1935
Calm Yourself

as    Knuckles Benedict

1935
Times Square Lady

as    Mack

1935
Baby Face Harrington

as    Rocky Bannister

1934
The Thin Man

as    Inspector John Guild