Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important food source for larger animals from fish to whales. They have a high tolerance to toxins in polluted areas, and may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators. Together with prawns, shrimp are widely caught and farmed for human consumption.

Taxonomy

A number of more or less unrelated crustaceans share the word "shrimp" in their common name. Examples are the mantis shrimp and the opossum or mysid shrimp, both of which belong to the same class (Malacostraca) as decapods including shrimp, but constitute two different orders within it, the Stomatopoda and the Mysidacea. ''Triops longicaudatus'' and ''Triops cancriformis'' are also popular animals in freshwater aquaria, and are often called shrimp, although they belong instead to the Notostraca, a quite unrelated group.

Biological definition

The class Malacostraca contains about half of the crustaceans. The members of this class have a primitive body plan that can be described as shrimp-like, consisting of a 5-8-7 body plan. They have a small carapace that encloses the head and the thorax, and have a muscular abdomen for swimming. They also have a thin exoskeleton to maintain a light weight. These general characters are common in all members of the class.

The class can be further divided into the decapods, which are even still divided into the dendrobranchiates (prawns) and the carideans (shrimp and snapping shrimp).

The prawns have sequentially overlapping body segments (segment one covers the segment two, segment two covers segment three, etc.), chelate (claw like) first three leg pairs, and have a very basic larval body type.

The shrimps also have overlapping segments, however, in a different pattern (segment two overlaps segments one and three), only the first two leg pairs are chelate, and they have a more complex larval form.

Biologists distinguish the true shrimp from the true prawn because of the differences in their gill structures. The gill structure is lamellar in shrimp but branching in prawns. The easiest practical way to separate true shrimps from true prawns is to examine the second abdominal segment. The second segment of a shrimp overlaps both the first and the third segment, while the second segment of a prawn overlaps only the third segment.

The infraorder Caridea is divided into 16 superfamilies:

Alpheoidea Rafinesque, 1815

Atyoidea De Haan, 1849

Bresilioidea Calman, 1896

Campylonotoidea Sollaud, 1913

Crangonoidea Haworth, 1825

Galatheacaridoidea Vereshchaka, 1997

Nematocarcinoidea Smith, 1884

Oplophoroidea Dana, 1852

Palaemonoidea Rafinesque, 1815

Pandaloidea Haworth, 1825

Pasiphaeoidea Dana, 1852

Physetocaridoidea Chace, 1940a

Procaridoidea Chace & Manning, 1972

Processoidea Ortmann, 1896

Psalidopodoidea Wood-Mason, 1892

Stylodactyloidea Bate, 1888

A number of extinct genera cannot be placed in any superfamily:

''Acanthinopus'' Pinna, 1974

''Alcmonacaris'' Polz, 2009

''Bannikovia'' Garassino & Teruzzi, 1996

''Blaculla'' Münster, 1839

''Buergerocaris'' Schweigert & Garassino, 2004

''Gampsurus'' von der Marck, 1863

''Hefriga'' Münster, 1839

''Leiothorax'' Pinna, 1974

''Parvocaris'' Bravi & Garassino, 1998

''Pinnacaris'' Garassino & Teruzzi, 1993

Commercial and culinary definition

While in biological terms shrimps and prawns belong to different suborders of Decapoda, they are very similar in appearance. In commercial farming and fisheries, the terms "shrimp" and "prawn" are often used interchangeably. However, recent aquaculture literature increasingly uses the term "prawn" only for the freshwater forms of palaemonids and "shrimp" for the marine penaeids.

In the United Kingdom, the word “prawn” is more common on menus than “shrimp”; while the opposite is the case in North America. The term “prawn” is also loosely used to describe any large shrimp, especially those that come 15 (or fewer) to the pound (such as “king prawns”, yet sometimes known as “jumbo shrimp”). Australia and some other Commonwealth nations follow this British usage to an even greater extent, using the word “prawn” almost exclusively. When Australian comedian Paul Hogan used the phrase, “I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you” in an American television advertisement, it was intended to make what he was saying easier for his American audience to understand, and was thus a deliberate distortion of what an Australian would typically say.

In Britain very small crustaceans with a brownish shell are called shrimp, and are used to make potted shrimp. They are also used in dishes where they are not the primary ingredient.

Behavioural definition

''Alpheidae'' is a family in the superfamilia Alpheoidea. It is a ''snapping shrimp'' characterized by having asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sound. Another common name of these species include ''pistol shrimp'', its ability also referred to as sonoluminescence when discovered in 2001.

Being neither shrimp nor mantids, the ''Mantis shrimp'' are marine crustaceans, the members of the order ''Stomatopoda'', receiving their name purely from the physical resemblance to both. In 2005 it was concluded that they exhibit a similar prey killing dexterity with their claws, thus contributing to the whimsically dubbed "shrimpoluminescence" effect.

Consumption

As with other seafood, shrimp is high in calcium, iodine and protein but low in food energy. A shrimp-based meal is also a significant source of cholesterol, from 122 mg to 251 mg per 100 g of shrimp, depending on the method of preparation. Shrimp consumption, however, is considered healthy for the circulatory system because the lack of significant levels of saturated fat in shrimp means that the high cholesterol content in shrimp actually improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.

Shrimp and other shellfish are among the most common food allergens. They are not kosher and thus are forbidden in Jewish cuisine. On the other hand, shrimp are halal according to some madhāhib, and therefore are permissible in Islamic cuisine.

Commercial fishing

Common commercial methods for catching shrimp and prawns include otter trawls, cast nets, seines, shrimp baiting and dip netting. Trawling involves the use of a system of nets. In some parts of the Pacific Northwest, fishing with baited traps is also common.

The following table shows the yearly weight of shrimp and prawns captured globally in millions of tonnes:

! Production	! 1999	! 2000	! 2001	! 2002	! 2003	! 2004	! 2005
	3.03	3.09	2.96	2.97	3.55	3.54	3.42

The highest rates of incidental catch of non-target species is associated with shrimp trawling. In 1997, the FAO documented the estimated bycatch and discard levels from shrimp fisheries around the world. They found discard rates as high as 20 pounds for every pound of shrimp, with a world average of 5.7 pounds for every pound of shrimp.

Trawl nets in general, and shrimp trawls in particular, have been identified as sources of mortality for species of finfish and cetaceans. Bycatch is often discarded dead or dying by the time it is returned to the sea, and may alter the ecological balance in discarded regions. Worldwide, shrimp trawl fisheries generate about 2% of the world’s catch of fish in weight, but result in more than one third of the global bycatch total.

Farming

A shrimp farm is an aquaculture business for the cultivation of marine shrimp or prawns for human consumption. Commercial shrimp farming began in the 1970s, and production grew steeply, particularly to match the market demands of the United States, Japan and Western Europe. The total global production of farmed shrimp reached more than 1.6 million tonnes in 2003, representing a value of nearly 9 billion U.S. dollars. About 75% of farmed shrimp are produced in Asia, in particular in China, Thailand and in the Philippines (normally shrimp or prawns are caught in lake, river and sea and are not farmed in tanks). The other 25% are produced mainly in Latin America, where Brazil is the largest producer. The largest exporting nation is Thailand.

Marketing

Shrimp are marketed and commercialized with several issues in mind. Most shrimp are sold frozen and marketed based on their categorization of presentation, grading, colour, and uniformity.

Preparation

Preparing shrimp for consumption usually involves removing the head, shell, tail, and "sand vein".

To de-shell a shrimp, the tail is held while gently removing the shell around the body. The tail can be detached completely at this point, or left attached for presentation purposes.

Removing the "sand vein" (a euphemism for the digestive tract) is referred to as "deveining". The sand vein can be removed by making a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the shrimp's body, allowing the dark ribbon-like digestive tract to be removed with a pointed utensil. Alternatively, if the tail has been detached, the vein can be pinched at the tail end and pulled out completely with the fingers. On large shrimp, the "blood vein" (a euphemism for the ventral nerve cord) along the inner curve of the shrimp's body is typically removed as well. The shrimp is then rinsed under cold running water.

Shrimp and prawns are versatile ingredients, and are often used as an accompaniment to fried rice. Common methods of preparation include baking, boiling, frying, and grilling.

Recipes using shrimp form part of the cuisine of many cultures. Strictly speaking, dishes containing scampi should be made from the Norway lobster, a shrimp-like crustacean more closely related to the lobster than shrimp, but in some places it is quite common for large shrimp to be used instead.

Wet shrimp is commonly used as a flavouring and as a soup base in Asian cuisines while fried shrimp is popular in North America. In Europe, shrimp is very popular, forming a necessary ingredient in Spanish '''', Italian '''', Portuguese '''' and many other seafood dishes. Shrimp curry is very popular in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Shrimp are also found in Latin and Caribbean dishes such as enchiladas and coconut shrimp. Other recipes include jambalaya, okonomiyaki, poon choi and bagoong. Shrimp are also consumed as salad, by frying, with rice, and as shrimp guvec (a dish baked in a clay pot) in the Western and Southern coasts of Turkey.

Life cycle

Most shrimp mature and breed only in a marine habitat, although there are a small number of freshwater species. The females lay 50,000 to 1 million eggs, which hatch after some 24 hours into tiny nauplii. These nauplii feed on yolk reserves within their body and then undergo a metamorphosis into zoeae. This second larval stage feeds in the wild on algae and after a few days metamorphoses again into the third stage to become myses. At this stage the myses already begin to appear like tiny versions of fully developed adults and feed on algae and zooplankton. After another three to four days they metamorphose a final time into postlarvae: young shrimp having all the characteristics of adults. The whole process takes about 12 days from hatching. In the wild, the marine postlarvae then migrate into estuaries, which are rich in nutrients and low in salinity. There they grow and eventually migrate back into open waters when they mature. Most adult shrimp are benthic animals living primarily on the sea floor.

Common shrimp species include pink, brown and snapping shrimp. Depending on the species and location, they grow from about long, and live between one and 6.5 years.

Fossil record

The fossil record of shrimp is sparse, with only 57 exclusively fossil species known. The earliest of these cannot be assigned to any family, but date from the Lower Jurassic and Cretaceous.

Home aquaria

Several types of shrimp are kept in home aquaria. Some are purely ornamental, while others are useful in controlling algae and removing debris. Freshwater shrimp commonly available for aquaria include the Bamboo shrimp, Japanese marsh shrimp (''Caridina multidentata,'' also called "Amano shrimp," as their use in aquaria was pioneered by Takashi Amano), cherry shrimp (''Neocaridina heteropoda''), and ghost or glass shrimp (''Palaemonetes'' spp.). Popular saltwater shrimp include the cleaner shrimp ''Lysmata amboinensis'', the fire shrimp (''Lysmata debelius'') and the harlequin shrimp (''Hymenocera picta'').

Etymology

The term ''shrimp'' originated around the 14th century with the Middle English '''', akin to the Middle Low German '''', and meaning to contract or wrinkle; and the Old Norse '''', meaning to shrivel up.

See also

List of shrimp and prawn species

List of freshwater aquarium shrimp

''The Shrimp Girl'' by William Hogarth

Shrimp baiting

References

External links

Category:Edible crustaceans Category:Commercial crustaceans Category:Seafood

ar:روبيان bn:চিংড়ি zh-min-nan:Hê-á be:Крэветкі br:Chevr bg:Скариди ca:Carideu cs:Krevety da:Ægte reje de:Caridea nv:Táłtłʼááh chʼosh daadánígíí et:Krevetilised el:Γαρίδα es:Caridea eo:Salikoko fa:میگو fr:Caridea ko:새우 hi:झींगा io:Kreveto id:Udang is:Rækjur it:Caridea he:חסילונים kk:Асшаян lt:Tikrosios krevetės ln:Kósakosa hu:Négyollós garnélarákok mr:कोळंबी arz:جمبرى ms:Udang mn:Сам хорхой nl:Garnalen nds-nl:Genoat ja:エビ no:Reker nn:Reker nrm:Chèrvette pl:Krewetki pt:Camarão ro:Crevetă qu:Yukra ru:Настоящие креветки simple:Shrimp fi:Caridea sv:Räkor tl:Hipon ta:இறால் th:กุ้ง tr:Karides uk:Креветки ur:جَمبری vi:Tôm thực sự war:Pasayan zea:Gornaet zh:虾

name	Benny Hill
birth name	Alfred Hawthorne Hill
birth date	January 21, 1924
birth place
death date	April 20, 1992
death place	Teddington, London, England
genre	Comedy, television
influences	Jack Benny
notable work	''Light Up the Sky!'' (1960)''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965)
nationality	British
medium
active	1937–1992 }}

Benny Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme ''The Benny Hill Show''.

Beginnings

Alfred Hawthorne Hill was born in Southampton, Hampshire and grew up in Wilton Road in the city's Upper Shirley district, where he and his brother attended Taunton's School. During World War II, Hill was one of the students evacuated with the school to Bournemouth School, East Way, Bournemouth, (then Hampshire, since 1974 Dorset).

After leaving Bournemouth School, Hill worked variously at Woolworth's, as a milkman in Eastleigh, Hampshire, a bridge operator, a driver and a drummer before he finally got a foot in the door of the entertainment industry by becoming a prop boy / assistant stage manager with a touring review. He was drafted in 1942 and trained as a mechanic, but transferred to the Combined Services Entertainment division before the end of the war. It was there that he met his future agent, Richard Stone, then a colonel in the service.

Inspired by the 'star comedians' of British music hall shows, Hill set out to make his mark in show business. For the stage, he changed his first name to 'Benny', in homage to his favourite comedian, Jack Benny. Hill began appearing at working men's clubs and Masonic dinners before moving on to nightclub and theatre jobs. Hill auditioned for Soho's famed Windmill Theatre (home of ''Revudeville'', a popular show of singers, comedians and nude girls), but he was not hired. Hill's first job in professional theatre as a performer was as Reg Varney's straight man, beating a then unknown Peter Sellers for the role.

Private life

Hill never married, although he did propose to three women—one the daughter of a British writer—but was turned down by all three. Although he owned the family home in Southampton, he never owned his own home in London, nor a car. Hill preferred to rent a place to live rather than buy one, first a large double apartment in Queensgate, London for 26 years until 1986, and then a small flat in Teddington, London, within walking distance of the studios of Thames Television where he recorded his shows.

His mother died in 1976 at age 82, and Hill kept the family house at 22 Westrow Gardens in Southampton as a shrine to her, not changing a thing. Before his move to Teddington, whilst looking for somewhere else to live in the Richmond area of London, he lived at 22 Westrow Gardens. Travelling was the one luxury Hill permitted himself; he became a francophile, enjoying frequent visits to France, and in particular Marseille, where until the 1980s he could enjoy anonymity in outdoor cafés, on public transport, and socialising with local women. Besides mastering French, Hill also spoke enough German, Dutch and Italian to get by when travelling. Such holidays were often gathering missions for comedy material, borrowed from regional acts.

Early career

Between the end of World War II and the dawn of television, Hill worked as a radio performer. His first appearance on television was in 1950. In addition, he attempted a sitcom anthology, ''Benny Hill'', which ran from 1962 to 1963, in which he played a different character in each episode. In 1964, he played Nick Bottom in an all-star TV film production of William Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. He also had a short-lived radio programme, ''Benny Hill Time'', on BBC Radio's Light Programme from 1964 to 1966.

Films and recordings

Benny Hill's film credits include parts in nine films including ''Who Done It?'' (1956); ''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965); ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' (1968), in which he played the relatively straight role of the Toymaker; ''The Italian Job'' (1969); and, finally, a clip-show film spin-off of his early Thames shows (1969–73), called ''The Best of Benny Hill'' (1974). Hill's audio recordings include "Gather in the Mushrooms", (1961), "Pepy's Diary", (1961), "Transistor Radio" (1961), "Harvest of Love" (1963), and "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)" (1971). He also appeared in the 1986 video of the song "Anything She Does" by the band Genesis. Hill's song, "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)", on the ''Best of Benny Hill'' album, was the UK Singles Chart Christmas number one single in 1971.

''The Benny Hill Show''

Hill had struggled on stage and had uneven success in radio. But in television he found a form that played to his strengths, allowing him a format that included live comedy and filmed segments, with him at the focus of almost every segment. It was to prove one of the great success stories of television comedy, keeping Hill a star for nearly four decades, generating impressive revenues for Thames TV, and remaining a cult series in much of the world long after Hill's death.

The show had a music hall-derived format and its humour relied on slapstick, innuendo, and parody. Recurring players on his show during the BBC years included Patricia Hayes, Jeremy Hawk, Peter Vernon, Ronnie Brody, and his co-writer from the early 1950s to early 1960s, Dave Freeman. He remained mostly with the BBC through to 1968, except for a few sojourns with ITV station ATV between 1957 and 1960 and again in 1967. In 1969, his show moved from the BBC to Thames Television, where it remained until cancellation in 1989, with an erratic schedule of one-hour specials. The series showcased Hill's talents as an imaginative writer, comic performer and impressionist. He also bought scripts from various comedy writers but they never received an onscreen credit. He had a need to be in sole control of the show. There is evidence that he bought a script from one of his regular cast members in 1976, Cherri Gilham, whom he wrote to from Spain and told her he was using her "Fat Lady idea on the show" in Jan 77.

The most common running gag in Benny Hill's shows was the closing sequence, The 'run-off', which was literally a "running gag" in that it featured various members of the cast chasing Hill as part of the chase, along with other stock comedy characters, such as policemen, vicars, old ladies, and so on. This was commonly filmed using stop motion and time-lapse techniques for comic effect, and included other comic devices such as characters running off one side of the screen and reappearing running on from the other. The tune used in all the chases, Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax", is commonly referred to as "The Benny Hill Theme". It has been used as a form of parody in many ways by television shows and a small number of films. The Wachowskis used the same style (and musical theme) in a scene in the film ''V for Vendetta'' (2006). It also appears in the cult movie ''The Gods Must Be Crazy''.

From around the start of the eighties the show featured a troupe of attractive young women, known collectively as 'Hills Angels'. They would appear either on their own in a dance sequence, or in character as foils against Hill. Sue Upton, one of the longest serving members of the Angels, said of Hill, "He was one of the nicest, kindest, most gentle of men to work with". But the sexual content of the routines contributed to feminist accusations of sexism.

The alternative comedian Ben Elton, made a headline-grabbing allegation, both on the TV show ''Saturday Live'' and in the pages of ''Q'' magazine (in its January 1987 issue), that ''The Benny Hill Show'' was single-handedly responsible for the incidences of rape in England during the period in question, and also suggested the programme incited other acts of violence against women. But a writer in ''The Independent'' newspaper opined that Elton's assault was "like watching an elderly uncle being kicked to death by young thugs". Elton later claimed his comment was taken out of context, and he appeared in a parody for ''Harry Enfield and Chums'', Benny Elton, where Elton ends up being chased by angry women, accompanied by the "Yakety Sax" theme, after trying to force them to be more feminist rather than letting them make their own decisions.

In response to the accusations of sexism, defenders of Hill have said the show used traditional comic stereotypes to reflect universal human truths in a way that was un-malicious and fundamentally harmless. Hill's friend and producer Dennis Kirkland said it was the women who chased Hill in anger for undressing them, all of which was done accidentally by some ridiculous means. An article on 27 May 2006 in ''The Independent'' quoted Hill and Kirkland as saying they believed this misrepresentation demonstrated critics could not have watched his programmes.

In an episode about Hill transmitted as part of the documentary series ''Living Famously'', John Howard Davies, the head of light entertainment at Thames Television who had cancelled the show, stated there were three reasons why he did so: "...the audiences were going down, the programme was costing a vast amount of money, and he (Hill) was looking a little tired."

The loss of his show totally devastated Hill (or, as one former supporting player put it, "He started to die from there"), and what followed was a self-inflicted terminal decline in his health. In 1990 a new show was produced complete with Hill and his usual team, called ''Benny Hill's World Tour: New York!''.

In February 1992, Thames Television, which received a steady stream of requests from viewers for ''The Benny Hill Show'' repeats, finally gave in and put together a number of re-edited shows. Hill died on 20 April 1992, the same day that a new contract arrived in the post from Central Independent Television, for which he was to have made a series of specials. Hill turned down competing offers from Carlton and Thames.

Celebrity fans

Charlie Chaplin was a fan of Hill's work: Hill had discovered that Chaplin, his childhood idol, was a fan when he was invited to Chaplin's home in Switzerland by Chaplin's family and discovered that Chaplin had a collection of Hill's work on video. Hill and Dennis Kirkland were the first outside the family to be invited into Chaplin's private study. Hill was awarded the Charlie Chaplin International Award for Comedy at the 1991 Festival of Comedy in Vevey, Switzerland.

Radio and TV show host Adam Carolla claimed that he was a fan of Benny Hill and that he considered Hill "as American as the Beatles." Indeed, during an episode of ''The Man Show'', Carolla performed in what was billed as a tribute to "our favourite Englishman, Sir Benny Hill" in a more risqué takeoff of the sketches that Hill popularised. (Note: Hill was never knighted.) Carolla played a rude and lecherous waiter; a role Hill essayed numerous times in his shows—and the sketch featured many of the staples of Hill's shows, including a Jackie Wright-esque bald man, as well as the usual scantily-clad women.

Michael Jackson was a big Benny Hill fan: "I just love your Benny Hill!" the young Jackson told a bemused English music-press critic during a 1970s tour. "He's so funny!". During Benny Hill's decline in his health he was visited by Jackson, who was in the UK at the time.

In ''Benny Hill: The World's Favourite Clown'', filmed shortly before his death, celebrities such as Burt Reynolds, Michael Caine, John Mortimer, Mickey Rooney, and Walter Cronkite, among others, expressed their appreciation of and admiration for Hill and his humour – and in Reynolds' case, the appreciation extended to the Hill's Angels as well. More surprisingly, perhaps, the novelist Anthony Burgess made no secret of his admiration for Hill. Burgess, whose novels were often comic, relished language, wordplay and dialect, admired the verbal and comedic skill that underlay Hill's success. Reviewing a biography of Hill, ''Saucy Boy'', in the ''Guardian'' in 1990, Burgess described Hill as "a comic genius steeped in the British music-hall tradition" and "one of the great artists of our age". A meeting between the two men was described in a newspaper article by Burgess and recalled in the ''Telegraph'' newspaper by the satirist Craig Brown.

In 2006, broadcaster and critic Garry Bushell launched a campaign to erect a statue of Hill in Southampton, with the support of Barbara Windsor, Brian Conley and other British comedy favourites. Those taking part in the first fundraising concert included Neville Staple, Right Said Fred and Rick Wakeman.

In a June 2011 interview in ''The Observer'', the American rapper Snoop Dogg declared himself to be a fan of Benny Hill.

In a 2011 interview British actor and director Mark Noyce stated that Benny Hill was his all-time favourite comedian. He was quoted as saying “he was way ahead of his time and an absolute master of his art. I would have loved the opportunity to have met him and I hope he will be remembered as the genius I believe he was.”

Death

Hill's health began to decline in the early 1980s, and after suffering a mild heart attack on February 24, 1992, doctors told him he needed to lose weight and recommended a heart bypass. He declined, and a week later was found to have kidney failure. Hill died at the age of 68 on 20 April 1992. On 22 April, after several days of unanswered telephone calls, his producer, Dennis Kirkland, climbed a ladder to the balcony of Hill's 3rd floor apartment and upon seeing the body through a window had the neighbors call the police. The police broke into the apartment and found Hill, dead, sitting in his armchair in front of the television. Hill's cause of death was recorded as coronary thrombosis.

Hill was buried at Hollybrook Cemetery near his birthplace in Southampton on 26 April 1992. In October 1992, following rumors that he was buried with large amounts of gold jewellery, an attempt was made by thieves to exhume his body. However, when authorities looked into his open coffin the following morning, there was no treasure. Consequently, it is not generally known whether anything valuable was inside. Hill was reburied with a new coffin lid and a solid slab across the top of the grave.

Hill's fortune was estimated at £10 million. His only will, however, dated from 1961 and left his entire estate to his parents, both of whom had since died. Next in line were his brother Leonard and sister Diana, both of whom were also dead. This left his seven nieces and nephews, among whom the money was divided. A note was found among his belongings assigning huge sums of money to his close friends, but because there was no witness the note had no legal standing.

Posthumous reception

Although still shown worldwide, ''The Benny Hill Show'' has not been shown on UK terrestrial, networked television since a tribute season on Channel 4 in 1992, and not on satellite or cable since a run on the now defunct channel ''Granada Plus'' – now ITV3 – in 1999. To quote his biographer Mark Lewisohn, "In Britain, Benny Hill is taboo". In the United States the show has recently been aired on the BBC America cable channel and over Tribune Broadcasting's Antenna TV digital subchannel network. An Australian channel, Seven Network, showed some episodes as part of a ''Great Comedy Classics'' slot. On the new Australian channel 7TWO, ''The Benny Hill Show'' is shown frequently. In Italy, Sky television broadcasts quite regularly on Comedy Channel. And in Finland the channel MTV3 MAX presents "The Benny Hill Show" every weekend.

In 1998 Channel 4 featured Hill in one of its ''Heroes Of Comedy'' programmes.

On 28 December 2006, Channel 4 broadcast the documentary ''Is Benny Hill Still Funny?''. The programme featured an audience that comprised a cross-section of young adults who had little or no knowledge of Hill, to discover whether Hill's comedy was valid to a generation that enjoyed the likes of ''Little Britain'', ''The Catherine Tate Show'' and ''Borat''. The participants were asked to watch a 30-minute compilation that included examples of Hill's humour from both his BBC and ITV shows. The responses and results demonstrated that none of the sample of viewers took offence at any of the sketches shown.

Hill's silent "Wishing Well" sketch was discovered to be the most popular. The alternative comedian Ben Elton, who had criticised Hill for sexism, was interviewed in the programme. Elton said he still had reservations about certain aspects of Hill's sketches, but claimed to be an admirer of Hill's talent and abilities as a comic performer.

References

;Notes

;Bibliography

Lewisohn, Mark. ''Funny, Peculiar – The True Story of Benny Hill''

Smith, John. ''Benny Hill Story'' New Yokr: St. Martin's Press, 1989

GRO – Alfred H. Hill born MAR qtr 1924 2c 52 SOUTHAMPTON, mmn = Cave

GRO – Alfred Hawthorne Hill died: APR 1992 14 1352 Richmond-upon-Thames, aged 68, his date of birth was 21 January 1924

External links

Benny Hill - Daily Telegraph obituary

Benny Hill page at the Museum of Broadcast Communications

''The Benny Hill Show'' page at the Museum of Broadcast Communications

The Eastleigh Photograph Archive Photos of the dairy and streets where Benny worked as a milkman, inspiring the song Ernie (The fastest milkman in the west)

The Benny Hill Songbook Lyrics, guitar chords and transcripts

Benny's Place featuring Louise English & Hill's Angels A tribute to Benny Hill and his beautiful ladies known as Hill's Angels

Laughterlog.com Article with complete list of appearances on television, radio and record

BBC Hampshire BBC article on Benny Hill's Hampshire connections

Category:English comedians Category:English film actors Category:English comedy musicians Category:People from Southampton Category:1924 births Category:1992 deaths Category:People educated at Bournemouth School Category:Pye Records artists

bg:Бени Хил cy:Benny Hill de:Benny Hill el:Μπένι Χιλ es:Benny Hill eu:Benny Hill fa:بنی هیل fr:Benny Hill gl:Benny Hill ko:베니 힐 hr:Benny Hill it:Benny Hill he:בני היל la:Benny Hill lv:Benijs Hils hu:Benny Hill nl:Benny Hill ja:ベニー・ヒル no:Benny Hill oc:Benny Hill pl:Benny Hill pt:Benny Hill ro:Benny Hill ru:Хилл, Бенни sq:Benny Hill simple:Benny Hill sl:Benny Hill sr:Бени Хил sh:Benny Hill fi:Benny Hill sv:Benny Hill tr:Benny Hill uk:Бенні Хілл zh:班尼·希爾

name	Fettuccine Alfredo
country	Italy
region	Rome
creator	Alfredo di Lelio
course	Primo
served	Hot
main ingredient	FettuccineParmesan cheesebutter
variations	Broccoli, parsley, garlic, chicken, shrimp
other	}}

Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish made from fettuccine pasta tossed with Parmesan cheese and butter. As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a smooth and rich coating on the pasta. It was named by an Italian restaurateur at his restaurant ''Alfredo'' on the Via della Scrofa in Rome. In US cuisine, it may be mixed with other ingredients such as broccoli, parsley, cream, garlic, shrimp, or chicken.

History

Pasta tossed with cheese and butter has a long history both in Italy and abroad.

It was popularised amongst US tourists in Rome by restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio who served it with his own name attached:

''Fettuccine al burro'' is associated in every tourist's mind with Rome, possibly because the original Alfredo succeeded in making its serving a spectacle reminiscent of grand opera.

The restaurant's story is that the dish was invented by di Lelio at his restaurant ''Alfredo'' in 1914 as a variation of ''fettuccine al burro''. When butter was added both before and after fettuccine was put in the serving bowl, the butter was known as ''doppio burro'' (double butter). Di Lelio's original contribution was to double the amount of butter in the bowl before the fettuccine would be poured in (thus a ''triplo burro'' (triple butter) effect instead of double) which he started doing for his pregnant wife who was having difficulty keeping food down. Alfredo added the new dish to his restaurant's menu when his wife began eating again.

A long-time customer recounted that di Lelio's restaurant became famous when Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks stopped in and fell in love with the dish while on their honeymoon in 1927. To express their gratitude, they gave him a golden fork and spoon along with a photo of them eating in his restaurant. He proudly displayed the photo on the wall. Pickford and Fairbanks served his dish to their friends and associates when they returned to Hollywood. Word about the new dish quickly spread.

Alfredo di Lelio retired in 1938 and sold his restaurant. The new owner kept the restaurant's name, menu, traditional recipes, photos on the wall, and everything else; as of 2011, the restaurant is still in business under the name ''Alfredo alla Scrofa''.

When Rome prepared for a large religious celebration in 1959, some local businessmen tracked down Alfredo di Lelio and offered to build him a new restaurant. He was retired, but he agreed to show up and act as a greeter there. When the religious holiday arrived, old customers showed up and had their photos taken for the walls of the "new" restaurant located at 30 Piazza Augusto Imperatore, a few blocks north of his original location.

That expansion continued in 1977 when Alfredo II and Guido Bellanca opened a new "Alfredo's" by Rockefeller Center in New York City to serve it. The walls of that restaurant are plastered with drawings by Al Hirschfeld - including the rest rooms. Another Alfredo's opened in the Epcot at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista. As of September 2007, the Epcot branch is closed.

Fettuccine Alfredo has now become ubiquitous in Italian-style restaurants in the United States. In Italy and throughout Europe, the name "Fettuccine Alfredo" is basically unknown; similar dishes may be called ''pasta al burro'' (pasta with butter) or ''pasta in bianco'' (pasta in white). Butter quantity is usually less than in the American version and cream is rarely used.

Variations

There are many modifications to the basic fettuccine Alfredo which are used to lower the cost. Less expensive cheeses, such as U.S.-made Parmesan cheese, an imitation of Parmigiano-Reggiano, are often used; the cheese is sometimes mixed with flour as a thickener. Thickening can also be achieved by mixing the sauce with a small amount of roux (flour and liquid butter or olive oil) as the liquid reaches boiling. Occasionally, other cheeses such as asiago and romano may be added to alter the flavor.

To make it a single-dish meal, chicken and vegetables, such as peas, are often served on top. Another variation uses egg in combination with cream, butter and cheese.

Alfredo sauce

Alfredo sauce is often sold as a convenience food in many grocery stores in the United States. Unlike the original preparation, which is thickened only by cheese, these versions may be thickened with starch.

See also

Carbonara

References

External links

The Original Fettuccine Alfredo recipe

The "Alfredo in Rome" in New York

Category:Cuisine of Lazio Category:Sauces Category:Pasta dishes Category:American cuisine Alfredo

ar:فيتوشيني ألفريدو es:Salsa alfredo fa:فتوچینی آلفردو he:אלפרדו simple:Fettuccine Alfredo

Name	George Foreman
Nationality	American
Realname	George Edward Foreman
Nickname	Big GeorgeThe Heywood Giant
Height
Reach
Weight	Heavyweight
Birth date	January 10, 1949
Birth place	Marshall, Texas, USA
Home	Houston, Texas, USA
Style	Orthodox
Total	81
Wins	76
Ko	68
Losses	5
Draws	0
No contests	0
Medaltemplates	}}

}}

George Edward Foreman (nicknamed "Big George") (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur. He is credited as being one of the hardest hitters in boxing history.

His most notable fights in his early career were his knockout (TKO-2) against Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973 and his loss to Muhammad Ali (KO by 8) in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974. He later became the oldest man ever to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world when, at age 45, Foreman knocked out (KO-10) Michael Moorer, age 26, on November 5, 1994 to reclaim the title he held more than 20 years earlier. He has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by ''Ring'' magazine. He is now a successful businessman and an ordained Christian minister who has his own church.

Foreman is ranked #9 on ''Ring'' magazine's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". He is also well-known for the eponymous George Foreman Grill.

Early life

George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas, with six siblings. Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman was interested in football and idolized Jim Brown, but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. By his own admission in his autobiography George was a troubled youth.

Professional career

Foreman had an amateur record of 22-4, losing twice to Clay Hodges (also defeated by Max Briggs in his first ever fight). Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three-round knockout of Donald Walheim in New York. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout).

In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta, whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden although Peralta gave a very good account of himself and showed George was vulnerable to fast counter punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. But the boxing world shuddered when George Chuvalo, was defeated by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this impressive win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite in four rounds and Boone Kirkman in three.

In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the tenth and final round in Oakland, California, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who was knocked out in the second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA and WBC.

In 1972, his string of wins continued with a series of five consecutive bouts in which he defeated each opponent within three rounds.

The Sunshine Showdown vs. Joe Frazier

Still undefeated, and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.

The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout in one of boxing's biggest upsets. In HBO Boxing's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell became one of the most memorable in sport: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.

Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer and was not often available to the press. Foreman would later attribute his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner.

Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican heavyweight champion José Roman. Roman was not regarded as a top contender, and it took Foreman only 2 minutes to end the fight, one of the fastest knockouts in a heavyweight championship bout.

Title defense versus Ken Norton

Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style with crab-like defense plus heavy punch (a style Foreman would emulate in his second comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali while defeating Ali on points a year earlier. Norton had a good chin, never in trouble as such against Ali in two matches. He'd nearly won the second. Although nerves were known to make his determination suspect at times against really heavy hitters. But in an astonishing display of controlled aggression and punching power, Foreman picked his moment after staying out of range of a long offense and decked Ken with more or less his first real big punch he threw near the end of the first round. Norton rose on wobbly legs but clearly wasn't recovered for round two whereby he was down three times and stopped. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight," George said when interviewed years later.

George had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The stunning win made Foreman an impressive 40–0 with 37 knockouts.

"Rumble in the Jungle"

Foreman's next title defense, against Muhammad Ali, was historic. During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as The Rumble in the Jungle.

During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. The injury affected Foreman's training regimen, as it meant he couldn't spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being re-opened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box." Foreman would later also claim he was drugged by his trainer prior to the bout. Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman was favored, having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton within two rounds.

When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. This was deliberate to unsettle Foreman. However, he quickly realized that this approach required him to move much more than Foreman and would cause him to tire. Ali was never conventional stylewise. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, it quickly became clear that Foreman was unable to land a clean punch to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual, allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then maul him in a clinch, forcing Foreman to expend much extra energy untangling himself. Ali also pushed down on Foreman's neck, getting away with a move the referee is expected to discourage. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary trick, or whether his use of what became known as the "Rope-a-dope" tactic was an improvisation necessitated by Foreman's constant pressure.

In either case, Ali was able to counter off the ropes with blows to the face, and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. As the early rounds passed, Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head, but Foreman could not land his best punches directly on Ali's chin. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout. "You picked the wrong place to get tired," he'd whisper. But Foreman's corner would tell him to "keep hitting Ali, he's tiring", which was not true; Ali had great reserves. Late in the eight round, Ali began landing unreturned punches and sprang off the ropes with a sudden big flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw. Foreman was definitely stunned and fell. He managed to regain his feet by the count of 8, but with a glazed look, and the referee waved the fight over. Foreman later said that he was not hurt but more shocked that an opponent had knocked him down, which had never previously happened to him. . It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali would remain the only boxer to ever defeat him by a knockout.

Foreman would later reflect that "it just wasn't my night." Though he sought one, he was unable to secure a rematch with Ali. It has been suggested in some quarters that Ali was ducking Foreman, as had rematches Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman. Ali on the other hand would never commit to a rematch, preferring to talk about retirement or make fights with lowly ranked fighters like Richard Dunn or Alfredo Evaneglista.

First comeback

Foreman remained inactive during 1975. In 1976, he announced a comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be Ron Lyle, who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali in 1975, via 11-th round TKO. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round , and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches looking crude. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. Lyle remained on the canvas and was counted out giving Foreman the KO victory. The fight was named by ''The Ring'' as "The Fight Of The Year."

For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3 and Foreman was 41–1. Surprisingly, the 2nd Foreman-Frazier fight was fairly competitive for its duration, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier's health was deteriorating at this point and was wearing a contact lens for his vision which was knocked loose during the bout. After being unable to mount a significant offense, however, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott Ledoux in three and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.

Retirement and rebirth

1977 would prove to be a life changing year for Foreman. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, Florida, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico a day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatise. His opponent was the skilled boxer Jimmy Young, who had beaten Ron Lyle and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and even suffered a flash knockdown in round 12 en route to losing a decision.

Foreman became ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had a near death experience. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened a youth center that bears his name. Foreman continues to share his conversion experience on Christian television broadcasts such as ''The 700 Club'' and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and would later joke that Young had knocked the devil out of him.

Second comeback

In 1987, after 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. In his autobiography he stated that his primary motive was to raise money to fund the youth center he had created. His stated ambition was to fight Mike Tyson. For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California, where he beat journeyman Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed for the fight, and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he would say later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times. Perhaps his most notable win during this period was a seventh round knockout of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

Having always been a deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first "retirement", although he found it harder to keep his balance after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy, single blows, however. Ironically, the late-rounds fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man now seemed to be gone, and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension).

By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman had sold his name and face for the advertising of various products, selling everything from grills to mufflers on TV. For this purpose his public persona was reinvented and the formerly aloof, ominous Foreman had been replaced by a smiling, friendly George. He and Ali had become friends, and he followed in Ali's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.

Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper, who would go on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield.

In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in the second round. Cooney was knocked down twice, and Foreman had scored a devastating KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year.

Then, in 1991, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who was in tremendous shape at 208 pounds, for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down, and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points. Round 7, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was ''Ring Magazine'''s "Round of the Year."

A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win.

In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO championship, which most fans at the time saw as a second-tier version of the "real" heavyweight title, then being contested between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison, a young prospect known for his punching power. To the frustration of Foreman, and the disappointment of the booing crowd, Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe, and sometimes even turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off, however, as he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman was competitive throughout the match, but after 12 rounds Morrison won a unanimous decision. Though it seemed unlikely at the time, one more chance at the legitimate heavyweight crown was just around the corner for Foreman.

Regaining the Title

In 1994, Foreman once again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles.

Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. However, his relatively high profile made a title defense against Foreman, who was 19 years older than Moorer, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for champion Moorer.

Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round, and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out.

In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight crown; and, 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships. The age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was also the largest of any heavweight boxing championship fight.

Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight against Mike Tyson (the youngest ever heavyweight champ). The WBA organization, however, demanded he fight their No. 1 challenger, who at the time was the competent but aging Tony Tucker. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker, and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. He then went on to fight mid-level prospect Axel Schulz of Germany in defense of his remaining IBF title. Schulz was a major underdog. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and grew increasingly confident as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision (two judges scored for Foreman, one called it even). The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany, but Foreman refused the terms and found himself stripped of his remaining title. However, Foreman continued to be recognized as the lineal heavyweight champion.

In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC decided to match him against Shannon Briggs in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis. After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as the clear winner. Once again there was a controversial decision—but this time it went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a points win. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48.

Second retirement

Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterward. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay per view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman was set to make $10 million and Holmes was to make $4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO.

Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a "death sentence." The bout, against an unspecified opponent,(rumored to be the now late Trevor Berbick), never materialized (it was widely thought that Foreman's wife had been a major factor in the change of plans). Having severed his relationship with HBO to pursue other opportunities, George Foreman and the sport of boxing finally went their separate ways.

Family

Foreman has 10 children, and each of his five sons is named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI. His four younger sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk", "Big Wheel", "Red", and "Little Joey". He has two daughters, Freeda George and Georgetta. He also has three daughters from a separate relationship, Natalia, Michi and Leola. He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.

Business Deals

When Foreman came back from retirement he argued that his success was due to his healthy eating which made him a perfect fit for Russell Hobbs Inc. who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-reducing grill.

The George Foreman grill has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat that was achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, what is known is that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999 in order to buy out the right to use his name. Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.

Amateur Accomplishments

Won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967 by a first-round knockout in the Parks Diamond Belt Tournament.

Won the San Francisco Examiner's Golden Gloves Tournament in the Junior Division in February 1967.

February 1967: Knocked out Thomas Cook to win the Las Vegas Golden Gloves in the Senior Division.

February 1968: Knocked out L.C. Brown to win the San Francisco Examiner's Senior Title in San Francisco.

March 1968: Won the National AAU Heavyweight title in Toledo, Ohio vs. Henry Crump of Philadelphia, PA in the final.

July 1968: Sparred 5 rounds on two different occasions with former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston.

September 21, 1968: Won his second decision over Otis Evans to make the U.S. boxing team for the Mexico City Olympic Games.

Foreman had a 16-4 amateur boxing record going into the Olympics. He knocked out Russia's Ionas Chepulis to win the Olympic Games Heavyweight Gold Medal. He was trained for the Olympic Games by Robert (Pappy) Gault.

Amateur Record: 22-4

Professional boxing record

|- |align="center" colspan=8|76 Wins (68 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (1 knockout, 4 decisions), 0 Draws |- | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Round | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |Loss |76–5 |align=left| Shannon Briggs |MD |12 | |align=left| |align=left|Loss Lineal Champion. |-align=center |Win |76–4 |align=left| Lou Savarese |SD |12 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |75–4 |align=left| Crawford Grimsley |UD |12 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |74–4 |align=left| Axel Schulz |MD |12 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |73–4 |align=left| Michael Moorer |KO |10 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss |72–4 |align=left| Tommy Morrison |UD |12 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |72–3 |align=left| Pierre Coetzer |TKO |8 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |71–3 |align=left| Alex Stewart |MD |10 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |70–3 |align=left| Jimmy Ellis |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss |69–3 |align=left| Evander Holyfield |UD |12 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |69–2 |align=left| Terry Anderson |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |68–2 |align=left| Ken Lakusta |KO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |67–2 |align=left| Adilson Rodrigues |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |66–2 |align=left| Mike Jameson |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |65–2 |align=left| Gerry Cooney |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |64–2 |align=left| Everett Martin |UD |10 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |63–2 |align=left| Bert Cooper |RTD |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |62–2 |align=left| J. B. Williamson |TKO |5 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |61–2 |align=left| Manoel De Almeida |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |60–2 |align=left| Mark Young |TKO |7 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |59–2 |align=left| David Jaco |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |58–2 |align=left| Tony Fulilangi |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |57–2 |align=left| Bobby Hitz |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |56–2 |align=left| Ladislao Mijangos |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |55–2 |align=left| Carlos Hernandez |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |54–2 |align=left| Frank Lux |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |53–2 |align=left| |TKO |7 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |52–2 |align=left| Guido Trane |TKO |5 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |51–2 |align=left| Tom Trimm |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |50–2 |align=left| Rocky Sekorski |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |49–2 |align=left| Tim Anderson |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |48–2 |align=left| Bobby Crabtree |TKO |6 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |47–2 |align=left| Charles Hostetter |KO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |46–2 |align=left| Steve Zouski |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss |45–2 |align=left| Jimmy Young |UD |12 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |45–1 |align=left| Pedro Agosto |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |44–1 |align=left| John Dino Denis |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |43–1 |align=left| Scott LeDoux |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |42–1 |align=left| Joe Frazier |TKO |5 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |41–1 |align=left| Ron Lyle |KO |5 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss |40–1 |align=left| Muhammad Ali |KO |8 | |align=left| |-align=center |Win |40–0 |align=left| Ken Norton |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |39–0 |align=left| Jose Roman |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |38–0 |align=left| Joe Frazier |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |37–0 |align=left| Terry Sorrell |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |36–0 |align=left| Miguel Angel Paez |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |35–0 |align=left| Ted Gullick |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |34–0 |align=left| Clarence Boone |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |33–0 |align=left| |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |32–0 |align=left| Luis Faustino Pires |TKO |5 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |31–0 |align=left| Ollie Wilson |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |30–0 |align=left| Leroy Caldwell |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |29–0 |align=left| Vic Scott |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |28–0 |align=left| Gregorio Peralta |TKO |10 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |27–0 |align=left| Stamford Harris |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |26–0 |align=left| Charlie Boston |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |25–0 |align=left| Mel Turnbow |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |24–0 |align=left| Boone Kirkman |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |23–0 |align=left| Lou Bailey |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |22–0 |align=left| George Chuvalo |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |21–0 |align=left| Roger Russell |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |20–0 |align=left| George Johnson |TKO |7 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |19–0 |align=left| Aaron Eastling |TKO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |18–0 |align=left| James J. Woody |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |17–0 |align=left| Rufus Brassell |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |16–0 |align=left| Gregorio Peralta |UD |10 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |15–0 |align=left| Jack O'Halloran |KO |5 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |14–0 |align=left| Charley Polite |KO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |13–0 |align=left| Gary Hobo Wiler |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |12–0 |align=left| Levi Forte |UD |10 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |11–0 |align=left| Bob Hazelton |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |10–0 |align=left| Max Martinez |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |9–0 |align=left| Leo Peterson |KO |4 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |8–0 |align=left| Roberto Davila |UD |8 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |7–0 |align=left| Vernon Clay |TKO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |6–0 |align=left| Roy Wallace |KO |2 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |5–0 |align=left| Johnny Carroll |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |4–0 |align=left| Chuck Wepner |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |3–0 |align=left| Sylvester Dullaire |TKO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |2–0 |align=left| Fred Askew |KO |1 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |1–0 |align=left| Don Waldheim |TKO |3 | |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center

See also

List of heavyweight boxing champions

List of WBC world champions

Notable boxing families

George Foreman Grill

References

External links

George Foreman - IBHOF Biography

George Foreman's Amateur Boxing Record

Official Site of the George Foreman Grill

StartupStudio - Interview with George Foreman about his entrepreneurial success

George Foreman at TV.com

''George Foreman'' at TVLand.com

George Foreman Quotes

{{s-ttl| title = IBF Heavyweight Champion | years = November 5, 1994–1995 Stripped }} {{s-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight Champion | years = November 5, 1994–1995 Stripped }}

Category:1949 births Category:African American boxers Category:American boxers Category:American businesspeople Category:American Christian clergy Category:American Protestants Category:Boxers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Category:World heavyweight boxing champions Category:International Boxing Federation Champions Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Living people Category:Olympic boxers of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:People from Marshall, Texas Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Category:Olympic medalists in boxing

ar:جورج فورمان be:Джордж Форман bg:Джордж Форман ca:George Foreman da:George Foreman de:George Foreman es:George Foreman fa:جورج فورمن fr:George Foreman ga:George Foreman io:George Foreman id:George Foreman it:George Foreman he:ג'ורג' פורמן jv:George Foreman lv:Džordžs Formens mn:Жорж Формэн nl:George Foreman ja:ジョージ・フォアマン no:George Foreman pl:George Foreman pt:George Foreman ro:George Foreman ru:Форман, Джордж simple:George Foreman fi:George Foreman sv:George Foreman tr:George Foreman yo:George Foreman