Full Name Janis Linaus Role Character actor Name Ivan Linow | Years active 1918–1935 Occupation Wrestler, actor | |
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Born November 21, 1888 ( 1888-11-21 ) Latvia Died November 21, 1940, London, United Kingdom Movies The Unholy Three, The Red Dance, City Girl, Song of the Flame, The Sport Parade Similar People Jack Conway, Raoul Walsh, F W Murnau, Allan Dwan, Roy William Neill | ||
Ivan Linow (born Jānis Linaus; November 21, 1888 – November 11, 1940), also known as Jack Linow, was a Latvian-born American wrestler, who would go on to become a character actor in American films during the silent and early sound film eras. Born in Latvia on November 21, 1888, he would begin wrestling in the United States in 1918. Between 1918 and 1933, he would participate in 92 matches, with a record of 38 wins and 23 losses. Linow's monikers in the ring were "the Cossack" and the "Russian Man-Eater". During his wrestling career he would face other notable wrestlers of that era, such as Joe Stecher and Ed Lewis.
Using his popularity as a wrestler, Linow entered the film industry during the 1920s, his first film being Cappy Ricks (1921). In his fifteen-year acting career he would appear in over forty films in supporting and bit parts. While appearing in films, Linow would continue his wrestling career, his final match would be in July 1931, under the pseudonym, Jack Leon, in which he would defeat Young Sandow. Linow would retire from films two years later, in 1935; his final film was The Black Room, starring Boris Karloff. On November 21, 1940, while in London, Linow would die of a heart attack.
Filmography
(Per AFI database)