Who Has Gene LeBell Trained?

Gene LeBell has trained the likes of Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, and Benny Urquidez.

He made remarkable contributions to Hollywood productions for over five decades.

Some of the TV shows he worked on include Mission: Impossible (1966), I Spy (1965), The Wild Wild West (1965), Baretta (1975), Married… with Children (1987), and Baywatch (1989).

He made appearances in the movies Raging Bull (1980), Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), Bad Guys (1986), Ed Wood (1994), and Men in Black II (2002).

Who Was Gene LeBell?

Gene LeBell was a martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and former wrestler.

Born on October 9, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, Gene began training in Catch wrestling and boxing at a very young age.

His mother, Aileen Eaton, was his biggest influence. She was a promoter of wrestling and boxing.

At age 7, Gene was already training under Ed “Strangler” Lewis and then began learning judo in Japan, after earning his black belt.

Gene was nicknamed “the Godfather of Grappling”, because he was always grappling during fights.

In 2000, he became the 9th Dan in jujitsu and taihojutsu, a title conferred on him by the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF). Four years after, Gene was promoted to 10th Degree.

Aside from martial arts, Gene also worked on more than 1,000 films and TV shows and wrote 12 books.

Gene died on August 9, 2022. He was aged 89.