Birth name Christos Theofilou Billed weight 200 lb (91 kg) Retired 1946 Billed height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Role Professional wrestler | Ring name(s) Jim Londos Name Jim Londos Debut 1917 | |
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Born January 2, 1897Argos, Peloponnese, Greece ( 1897-01-02 ) Died August 19, 1975, Escondido, California, United States | ||
Cause of death Myocardial infarction | ||
Jim londos vs bronko nagurski championship wrestling match november 18 1938
Christos Theofilou or Christopher Theophelus (Greek: Χρήστος Θεοφίλου; January 2, 1897 – August 19, 1975), better known as "The Golden Greek" Jim Londos, was a Greek American professional wrestler.
Contents
- Jim londos vs bronko nagurski championship wrestling match november 18 1938
- Primo carnera vs jim londos 1950 xiii
- Career
- Retirement
- In wrestling
- Championships and accomplishments
- References
Londos was one of the most popular stars on the professional wrestling circuit in the 1930s and 1940s.
Primo carnera vs jim londos 1950 xiii
Career
Jim Londos was born Christos Theofilou in 1897 in the village of Koutsopodi near Argos, Greece, as the youngest of thirteen children of Theophilos and Maria. Before arriving in the United States, around 1912, in his native Greece, young Londos was a shepherd. His father, Theophilos was an amateur wrestler of considerable reputation, and is credited with having instructed his young son in some of the fundamentals. At age thirteen he ran away from home and eventually emigrated to the United States. Working whenever he could, Theofilou took several odd jobs including cabin boy, construction jobs, and posing nude for figure drawing classes. Theofilou landed a job as a catcher in a carnival acrobatic act. It was during this period that he was exposed to professional wrestling and began training.
Londos' first matches were as "The Wrestling Plasterer" Christopher Theophelus, a gimmick that saw him coming to the ring in overalls. After a number of years, he dropped this in favour of wrestling under the name Jim Londos and being a no-nonsense professional wrestler.
To compensate for his lack of wrestling ability, Londos traded on his good looks and well-muscled physique. He capitalized on this by having himself matched up against the ugliest opponents he could find. This worked very well and Londos became one of the most popular wrestlers in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Just before his retirement, he married American woman, Avra C. Rochwite (1912-1998), who was born in Clayton, Montana. At the time of their marriage, Rochwite was described in press reports as a “St. Louis Aviatrix.” The couple had three daughters: Diana, Demetra, and Christina. Londos officially retired in 1946. The Londos family moved to Escondido, California, where they settled on a 10-acre site nestled in an avocado grove. There, Londos quietly managed his orchard and other investments; he devoted the rest of his public life to charity.
Londos was considered a national hero in Greece. When he traveled there, one of his matches drew a crowd estimated as nearly 100,000 fans.
Retirement
Londos retired in 1953. He spent the rest of his life working for charitable organizations. His favorite charity was Greek war orphans of World War II. He was honored by both United States President Richard Nixon and King Paul of Greece for his philanthropic efforts.
Londos died of a heart attack August 19, 1975 and is buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park in Escondido, California.