Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
Name	Ron Santo
Position	Third baseman
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	February 25, 1940
Birth place	Seattle, Washington
Death date	December 03, 2010
Death place	Scottsdale, Arizona
Debutdate	June 26
Debutyear	1960
Debutteam	Chicago Cubs
Finaldate	September 29
Finalyear	1974
Finalteam	Chicago White Sox
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.277
Stat2label	Home runs
Stat2value	342
Stat3label	Hits
Stat3value	2,254
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,331
Teams	Chicago Cubs (–) Chicago White Sox ()
Highlights	9× All-Star (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973) 5× Gold Glove Award winner (1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968) 1973 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Chicago Cubs #10 retired }}

Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball player and long-time radio announcer. A power-hitting third baseman, he was a nine-time All-Star in a career that spanned from 1960 to 1974, mainly for the Chicago Cubs. Deft defensively as well, Santo won five Gold Gloves at his position, proving a highly productive player despite suffering from diabetes. Carefully concealing the condition for most of his career, it eventually necessitated the amputation of the lower half of his right leg.

While initially showing little support for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Santo's standing among baseball enthusiasts and sabermetricians has gradually increased over time. He is widely regarded today as one of the best ballplayers not to have been admitted to the Hall.

Major League career

Santo was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1959, and made his debut on June 26, 1960. In 1961 he set a Cubs record with 41 double plays at third base, breaking the previous mark of 33 set by Bernie Friberg in 1923. In 1962 he led the National League in assists for the first time with 332, setting the team record for assists at third base, breaking the mark of 323 set by Randy Jackson in 1951. Santo continued to lead the National League in assists every year through 1968, breaking Ned Williamson's major league record of leading the league six times; Brooks Robinson went on to lead the American League eight times. Mike Schmidt eventually tied Santo's National League mark of seven. In 1963 Santo broke the modern National League record with 374 assists at third base, passing Tommy Leach's 1904 mark of 371. In 1966, he set the all-time league record with 391, the previous record being Billy Shindle's 382 in 1892; his total was 99 higher than that of league runner-up Ken Boyer. Santo broke his own record in 1967 with 393 assists, which remained the National League record until Schmidt posted 404 in 1974. He also finished fourth in the 1967 National League Most Valuable Player Award voting results. Santo's assist totals from 1963 through 1968 were the sixth highest by an National League third baseman between 1905 and 1973. He also led the National League in putouts every year from 1962 through 1967 and again in 1969, tying the league record shared by Pie Traynor and Willie Jones in leading the league seven times; Tim Wallach later tied the mark as well.

Santo was deeply saddened by the loss of teammate Ken Hubbs, the Cubs second baseman, killed in a plane crash just prior to the 1964 season. Santo is interviewed by Tom Harmon, narrator of the film ''A Glimpse of Greatness–The Story of Ken Hubbs'', in which Santo pays the highest respects to the young Hubbs.

1969

In 1969, Santo and the Cubs were in first place in the National League East for 180 days, before going 8-17 in their final 25 games, while the New York "Miracle" Mets went 37-11 in their final 48 games. During that season, the Cubs sent their entire starting infield, including Santo, to the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.; he and Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger started for the National League team. Santo finished the season with a .289 batting average, 29 home runs and a career-high 123 runs batted in (RBI), and finished fifth in the National League Most Valuable Player voting.

Heel Click

During the 1969 season, Santo became known for performing a heel click after a game on June 22, 1969, against the Montreal Expos. Going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Expos were leading 6-3. With one out, second baseman Paul Popovich hit a single, and moved up to second base after another single by left fielder Billy Williams. Although Santo grounded out for the second out, Popovich and Williams each moved up a base. Then a future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, first baseman Ernie Banks, singled to bring home Williams and Popovich and bring the Cubs within a run. Rick Bladt substituted as a pinch-runner for Banks. That set it up for Cubs right fielder Jim Hickman, who hit a two-run walk-off home run to win the game, 7-6. When Hickman reached home plate, Santo was so excited that after congratulating him by bear hugging and pounding him on his head, Santo ran down the third base line and jumped three times, clicking his heels on each jump.

The next day, Santo walked into manager Leo Durocher's office; Durocher asked him to keep clicking his heels whenever the Cubs won at Wrigley Field to motivate the team. Santo continued this after every home win. The stunt antagonized opponents and served to make the team a target for payback in the final weeks of the season. When the Cubs began their September swoon, which took place shortly after Santo called out rookie teammate Don Young in public after a loss against the Mets in New York, he discontinued the heel click routine suddenly. His final "click" was performed on September 2, the last Cub home victory while still in first place. During and after the epic collapse, Santo never again performed the heel click, as critics decried the routine for its arrogance and overconfidence, which many believe was at the root of the late fade. In his book, ''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'', baseball historian Bill James cited Durocher's method of using his regular players everyday without any rest days as a factor in the Cubs' collapse.

Trade Request

Santo became the first player to invoke the ten-and-five rule under the collective bargaining agreement signed after the 1972 Major League Baseball strike (the rule allows players with 10 years' service, the last five with the same team, to decline any trade). The Cubs had agreed upon a deal to send Santo to the California Angels; the ballclub would have received in return two young pitchers: Andy Hassler, who went on to have a middling career as a reliever/spot starter, and Bruce Heinbechner, a very highly-regarded left-handed pitching prospect. Santo didn't want to play on the West Coast and vetoed the deal.

The Cubs still wanted to trade Santo, and since his preference was to stay in Chicago, they worked out a deal with the White Sox, acquiring catcher Steve Swisher, and three young pitchers: Jim Kremmel, Ken Frailing, and one of Santo's future co-broadcasters, Steve Stone. The White Sox already had a third baseman, Bill Melton, so Santo was relegated mostly to designated hitter duty, which he hated. He wanted to play in the field, but White Sox manager Chuck Tanner wouldn't bench Melton (who had had a couple of 30 home run seasons for them), so he unsuccessfully tried Santo at second base. Finishing 1974 with a .221 batting average and 5 home runs, Santo retired from baseball at the age of 34.

Legacy

Santo was a nine-time National League All-Star, and led the league in walks four times, in on base percentage twice and in triples once. An All-Star-caliber player at Wrigley Field and fairly ordinary on the road, he hit for a .300 average and hit 30 home runs four times each, and is the only third baseman in major league history to post eight consecutive seasons with 90 RBI (1963-1970). The winner of five consecutive Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence (1964-1968), he set or tied National League records by leading the league's third basemen in total chances eight times, in games, putouts and assists seven times each, and in double plays six times. From 1966 to 1974 he held the National League record for assists in a single season. He also set National League records for career assists (4,532), total chances (6,777) and double plays (389) at third base, all of which were eventually broken by Mike Schmidt between 1986 and 1988; his National League total of 2,102 games at third base fell 52 short of Eddie Mathews' league record, and he then ranked sixth in National League history in putouts (1,930) and ninth in fielding percentage (.954).

Santo led the league in double plays six times (1961, '64, '66–'68, '71), tying the major league record held by Heinie Groh; Schmidt also later tied this record. He led the National League in total chances every season from 1961 through 1968. He appeared at third base in every Cubs game from April 19, 1964 through May 31, 1966, establishing a league record with 364 consecutive games at the position; his 164 games at third base in 1965 remain the major league record.

He was the second player at his position to hit 300 (exactly 342) career home runs, joining Eddie Mathews, and also ended his career ranking second to Mathews among third basemen in slugging average (.464) and third in runs batted in (1,331), total bases (3,779) and walks (1,108). Santo broke Mathews' National League record of 369 career double plays at third base in 1972, and in 1973 he broke Mathews' league records of 4,284 assists and 6,606 total chances. Schmidt passed Santo's record for double plays in 1986, his record for assists in 1987, and his mark for total chances in 1988. During his 14-season run with the Cubs, Santo hit 337 home runs, then the eighth most by a National League right-handed hitter; his 1,071 career walks with the Cubs remain the team record for a right-handed hitter. He was the first third baseman to hit 300 home runs and win five Gold Gloves, a feat since matched only by Schmidt.

Santo became the first player in major league history to wear a batting helmet with protective ear flaps, when in 1966, in the midst of trying to break the Cubs' modern consecutive-game hitting streak record of 27 games (set by Hack Wilson in 1929), Santo was sidelined for nearly two weeks following a pitch thrown by the Mets' Jack Fisher (beaning) that fractured his cheekbone and ended his consecutive playing streak. When he returned (and broke the hitting record with a 28-game streak) he was wearing an improvised ear flap on his batting helmet in order to protect the injury; ear flaps have since become standard equipment on batting helmets.

On September 28, 2003, Santo's jersey #10 was retired by the Cubs organization, making him the third player so honored behind his teammates Ernie Banks (#14) and Billy Williams (#26). Other prominent Cubs had worn #10 after Santo's retirement, notably Dave Kingman and Leon Durham; the most recent wearer had been interim manager Bruce Kimm, just the previous year. In April 2004, Santo was inducted into the inaugural class of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (Washington's high school athletics league) Hall of Fame as a graduate of Seattle's Franklin High School. About a month after Santo's death, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts announced that Santo would be honored by the Cubs in the 2011 season. Beginning in Spring Training, & continuing through the end of the season, the Cubs will wear a patch on the sleeve of their jersey with the number 10 on it.

+ Career Hitting
Games played>G	At bat>AB	Hit (baseball)>H	Double (baseball)>2B	Triple (baseball)>3B	Home run>HR	Run (baseball)>R	Run batted in>RBI	Stolen base>SB	Base on balls>BB	Strikeout>SO	Batting average>AVG	On base percentage>OBP	Slugging percentage>SLG	On-base plus slugging>OPS
2,243	8,143	2,254	365	67	342	1,138	1,331	35	1,108	1,343	.277	.362	.464	.826

Hall of Fame qualifications

When Santo first became eligible for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in , he was named on less than 4 percent of all ballots cast, resulting in his removal from the ballot in subsequent years; he was one of several players re-added to the ballot in following widespread complaints about overlooked candidates, with the remainder of their 15 years of eligibility restored even if this extended beyond the usual limit of 20 years after their last season. After receiving 13 percent of the vote in the 1985 election, his vote totals increased in 10 of the next 13 years until he received 43 percent of the vote in his final year on the ballot, finishing third in the voting behind electee Don Sutton and 2000 inductee Tony Perez. Following revamped voting procedures for the Veterans Committee, which elects players retired for over 20 years, Santo finished third in , tied for first in , and again finished first in voting for the and inductions, but fell short of the required number of votes each year. Following further major changes to the Veterans Committee voting process announced in 2010, Santo's next opportunity for admission will come in voting for the induction class of .

Although Santo has become a widely supported candidate for selection, his initial poor showing in balloting has been attributed to various factors, including a longtime tendency of Hall voters to overlook third basemen; at the time Santo retired, only three of the over 120 players elected were third basemen. Also, the fact that Santo's best years occurred in the 1960s, when offensive statistics were relatively lower than in many other eras (due to an enlarged strike zone and raised pitcher's mounds, among other things), has been cited as a factor that has led voters to perhaps overlook him. Another possible reason that has been suggested is that voters have not focused sufficiently on Santo's high walk totals and defense. These aspects of play are perhaps more valued by sabermetrics--newer methods of evaluating a baseball player's productivity—than they have been by Hall of Fame voters in the past. For example, Santo's career adjusted on-base plus slugging (OPS+)—the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage, adjusted for the park and league in which he played, and expressed as a percentage of the league average—would rank him exactly in the middle of the ten major league third basemen currently in the Hall of Fame.

One argument that has been raised against Santo’s Hall of Fame candidacy is that his batting statistics, over the course of his career, were significantly better at home than on the road. He hit 216 of his 342 home runs at home, and only 126 on the road. His career batting average at home was .296, versus .257 on the road. However, several players elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, such as Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice and Kirby Puckett, batted significantly better in their home parks than they did on the road. Hall of Famers with a significant differential between their home numbers and road numbers in terms of home runs include Mel Ott (323 homers at home and 188 on the road), Frank Robinson (321 at home, 265 on the road), Jimmie Foxx (299 at home, 235 on the road) and Hank Greenberg (205 at home, 126 on the road). Others have also commented that two Cubs who were in their prime during Santo’s prime years have already been honored by the Hall of Fame (Ferguson Jenkins and Billy Williams), and the team also featured a third Hall of Famer, Ernie Banks, who was arguably past his prime, yet the team never won a pennant. However, the late 1960s Cubs were far from the only team in baseball history with multiple Hall of Famers that did not win a pennant or a World Series.

Santo also fell short of such traditional standards of Hall election as 3,000 hits and 500 home runs; however, by the time his career ended, only two third basemen (Brooks Robinson and Lave Cross) had even collected 2,500 hits, and only one (Eddie Mathews) had reached the 500-home run plateau. Bill James, a notable statistical guru who has ranked Santo among the 100 greatest players of all time (sixth among third basemen), believes his election to the Hall of Fame is long overdue.

Although disappointed at being bypassed, on the day his jersey number was retired by the Cubs, the ever-optimistic and emotional "old Cub" told the cheering Wrigley Field crowd, "This is ''my'' Hall of Fame!" During Ryne Sandberg's Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 2005, he echoed his support for Santo's selection, saying, "...for what it’s worth, Ron Santo just gained one more vote from the Veterans Committee." On April 19, 2007, the Illinois House of Representatives adopted HB 109 (Cross), urging the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame to elect Ron Santo to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Post retirement

Broadcast career

As the "single Biggest Cubs fan of all time," Santo joined the Cubs' broadcast booth in 1990 as the WGN radio color commentator. He worked with play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes, and these radio broadcasts were also known as the ''Pat and Ron Show''. He also worked with Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman, Steve Stone and Bob Brenly. Santo also briefly worked with Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers commentator Wayne Larrivee. In addition to his broadcasting career, he did commercials for Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, which he endorsed. In Chicago, Santo was known for his unabashed broadcast enthusiasm, including groans and cheers during the game. As excitable as Santo was when a great play for the Cubs occurred, he was equally as vocal in his displeasure.

Struggle with diabetes

In the early years of his playing career, he carefully concealed the fact that he had type 1 diabetes. He feared that if this information were to be known, he would be forced into retirement. Because the methods of regulating diabetes in the 1960s and 1970s were not as advanced as they are today, Santo gauged his blood sugar levels based on his moods. If he felt his blood sugar was low, he would snack on a candy bar in the clubhouse.

As part of the publicity surrounding "Ron Santo Day" at Wrigley Field on August 28, 1971, he revealed his struggle with diabetes. He was diagnosed with this disease at the age of 18, and was given a life expectancy of 25 years. Santo had both his legs amputated below the knee as a result of his diabetes: the right in 2001 and the left in 2002.

In 2004 Santo and his battle against diabetes were the subject of a documentary, ''This Old Cub''. The film was written, co-produced and directed by Santo's son Jeff.

Santo shared a bond in this respect with 2008 Cub rookie Sam Fuld, who also suffers from type 1 diabetes.

Charities

Santo endorsed the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes in Chicago from 1974 until his death, and raised over $60 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). In 2002, Santo was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Person of the Year". Santo also inspired Bill Holden to walk 2,100 miles from Arizona to Chicago, to raise $250,000 for diabetes research.

Death

Santo died at 12:40 a.m. on December 3, 2010 in a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes. (Many media outlets reported the date as "the night of the 2nd" or "overnight".) Santo lapsed into a coma on December 1 and died the next night. A funeral mass was celebrated at Holy Name Cathedral on December 10, where Santo's casket was carried in by former teammates Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Randy Hundley, Glenn Beckert, and Billy Williams, draped with the #10 flag that flew over Wrigley the day his number was retired. He was eulogized by his longtime broadcast partner Pat Hughes, along with Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Following the service, the procession paused outside Tribune Tower, home of WGN Radio, before heading north to circle Wrigley Field, starting at third base. Santo was later cremated and his ashes scattered on the field at the Friendly Confines.

Post Mortem

On Wednesday, August 10, 2011, Ron Santo was memorialized and "immortalized" at Wrigley Field with the presentation of a statue in his likeness. The statue is a portrayal of a young Ron Santo playing defense at third base, leaning to his right while throwing a ball.

See also

List of Major League Baseball retired numbers

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI

List of Major League Baseball triples champions

List of Gold Glove Award winners at third base

References

External links

SantoFilms.com This Old Cub - The inspiring story of Chicago legend Ron Santo, Documentary by Ron's son Jeff Santo

BaseballLibrary - biography, career highlights and SABR bibliography

Baseball Almanac

Baseball Hall of Fame: Santo Handled Hot Corner Like Few Others

The Top 100 Cubs Of All Time: #7 Ron Santo at Bleed Cubbie Blue

WIAA Hall of Fame

Articles examining Santo's merits for Hall of Fame election:

* 2007 Hall of Fame candidate profile - at the Internet Archive

* Why Ron Santo Belongs in the Hall of Fame - Part 2 - Part 3

* Santo's Hall credentials tough to overlook - 2007 article by Rob Neyer

* ESPN: Hall Debates

Photos of Santo and related memorabilia - Cubs Ryan O'Malley and Ron Santo visit - springfieldphotos.blogspot.com - Thursday, October 12, 2006

''Pull Isn't Always Needed For A Raise, Cubs' Santo Finds'', Baseball Digest, December 1963

''Don't Take Ron Santo For Granted'', Baseball Digest, August 1973

''Ron Santo: A Hall of Fame Plaque In His Future?'', Baseball Digest, July 1992

''Miracle Collapse: The 1969 Chicago Cubs

''Fans Still Carry the Torch for Also-Ran '69 Cubs'', Baseball Digest, June 1993

Ron Santo Walk To Cure Diabetes home page

Photos: Remembering Ron Santo (1940-2010)

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Category:1940 births Category:2010 deaths Category:American amputees Category:Baseball players from Washington (state) Category:Chicago Cubs broadcasters Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:Chicago White Sox players Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Houston Buffs players Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:Major League Baseball third basemen Category:National League All-Stars Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from Seattle, Washington Category:San Antonio Missions players Category:Deaths from bladder cancer Category:Deaths from diabetes

de:Ron Santo ja:ロン・サント pt:Ron Santo

Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
Name	Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta
Names	Santo (''Saint'')El Santo (''The Saint'')Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata (''Saint, the Silver Masked Man'')Rudy GuzmánEl Hombre Rojo (''The Red Man'')El Demonio Negro (''The Black Demon'')El Murcielago II (''The Bat II'')
Real height
Real weight
Birth date
Death date	February 05, 1984
Birth place	Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
Debut	1934 or 1935
Retired	}}

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (September 23, 1917 – February 5, 1984), more widely known as El Santo (the Saint), was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado (Spanish for masked professional wrestler), film actor, and folk icon. El Santo, along with Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras, is one of the most famous and iconic of all Mexican luchadores, and has been referred to as one of "the greatest legends in Mexican sports" His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in comic books and movies. He is said to have popularized professional wrestling in Mexico just as Rikidozan did in Japan. Guzmán's son followed him into wrestling as El Hijo del Santo, or 'Son of Santo'.

Biography

Born in Tulancingo in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, to Jesús Guzmán Campuzano and Josefina Huerta (Márquez) de Guzmán as the fifth of seven children, Rodolfo came to Mexico City in the 1920s, where his family settled in the Tepito neighbourhood. He practiced baseball and American football, and then became interested in wrestling. He first learned Ju-Jitsu, then classical wrestling.

Pro wrestling career

Accounts vary as to exactly when and where he first wrestled competitively, either in Arena Peralvillo Cozumel on 28 June 1934, or Deportivo Islas in the Guerrero colony of Mexico City in 1935, but by the second half of the 1930s, he was established as a wrestler, using the names ''Rudy Guzmán'', ''El Hombre Rojo'' (''the Red Man''), ''El Demonio Negro'' (The Black Demon) and ''El Murcielago II'' (''The Bat II''). The last name was a rip-off of the name of a famous wrestler Jesus Velazquez named "El Murcielago" (The Bat), and after an appeal by the Bat to the Mexican boxing and wrestling commission, the regulatory body ruled that Guzmán could not use the name.

El Santo

In the early 1940s, Guzmán married María de los Ángeles Rodríguez Montaño (Maruca), a union that would produce 10 children; their names were Alejandro, María de los Ángeles, Héctor Rodolfo, Blanca Lilia, Víctor Manuel, Miguel Ángel, Silvia Yolanda, María de Lourdes, Mercedes, and the youngest child Jorge, who also became a famous wrestler in his own right, ''El Hijo del Santo'' (Son of Santo). In 1942, Rodolfo's manager, Don Jesús Lomelí, was putting together a new team of wrestlers, all dressed in silver, and wanted Rodolfo to be a part of it. He suggested three names, ''El Santo'' (''The Saint''), ''El Diablo'' (''The Devil''), or ''El Angel'' (''The Angel''), and Rodolfo chose the first one. On 26 June, aged 24, he wrestled at the Arena Mexico for the first time as El Santo, although he later was known simply as "Santo". Under this new name he quickly found his style.

One of Santo's greatest matches was in 1952, when he fought a tag-team known as Los Hermanos Shadow (which consisted of famed luchadors Blue Demon and the Black Shadow). Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring, which triggered Blue Demon's decision to become a técnico, as well as a legendary feud between Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Santo's defeat in a well-publicized series of matches in 1952 and again in 1953. Although they appeared together in a number of action/adventure films, their rivalry never really ended in later years since Santo always remembered his defeat at Blue Demon's hands.

Retirement

By the early 1980s El Santo slowed down his in ring activities leading up to his inevitable retirement. His farewell tour was announced for August and September 1982. the first of three events took place on August 22, 1982 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. On that night El Santo teamed up with El Solitario to take on Villano III and Rokambole in a match that naturally saw the legends win. After the match Villano and Rokamble lifted El Santo up on their shoulders as he received the adulation of the sold out arena. The following Sunday El Santo appeared at Arena México where he teamed up with Gran Hamada to defeat Villano I and Scorpio, Jr. Santo's last match took place on September 12, 1982, a week before his 65th birthday. In his last match ever El Santo teamed up with Gory Guerrero who came out of retirement to reform "La Pareja Atómica" as they teamed up with Huracán Ramirez and El Solitario. Their opponents included one of El Santo's biggest rivals in Perro Aguayo as well as El Signo, Negro Navarro and El Texano. True to the legend of El Santo he won his last match and retired as the hero he always portrayed in the ring and on the screen. His retirement tour was also used to introduce Santo's son Jorge as the next generation El Santo as he was ringside at each show wearing the silver mask and being introduced as El Hijo del Santo.

Death

Just over a year after his retirement El Santo was a guest on ''Contrapunto'', a Mexican television program and, completely without warning, removed his mask just enough to expose his face, in effect bidding his fans goodbye. It is the only documented case of Santo ever removing his mask in public. Santo died from a heart attack on February 5, 1984, at 9:40 p.m., a week after his Contrapunto TV appearance. As per his wishes, he was buried wearing his famous silver mask. His funeral is considered one of the biggest in Mexican history as fans and friends flocked to see "el Enmascarado de Plata" (''the Silver-Masked Man'') one last time. After his death a statue of El Santo was erected in his home town of Tulancingo and other statues have been created since then.

Legacy

The legend of El Santo lives on to this very day both inside and outside the wrestling ring. Santo's youngest son with his first wife, Jorge carries on the legend of the Silver Mask, wrestling as El Hijo del Santo wearing the silver mask, cape and outfit that is very close to what his father used to wear. While El Hijo del Santo is not as big an icon as his father he is considered a more technically proficient wrestler.

In the early 1960s a female wrestler called ''La Novia del Santo'' (Spanish for "the Bride of El Santo") worked the Mexican circuit. Under the silver mask was Irma González, a well known wrestler who had promised her fiancé that she'd stop wrestling, but went back in the ring under a mask when she could not resist the draw of competition. La Novia got El Santo's blessing to use the name and is the only non-family member ever given the right to use the Santo name. Gonzáles only wrestled as "La Novia del Santo" for 7 months until she got married. Later on, a homosexual wrestler adopted the "La Novia del Santo" name but El Santo took action and put an end to the impostor's use of the name.

Recently one of El Santo's 25 grand children made his professional debut. After gaining some seasoning under different identities "" began working as "El Nieto del Santo" (Spanish for "the Grandson of Santo") but El Hijo Del Santo took legal actions to prevent this as he owns all "El Santo" rights when it comes to wrestling, presumably because he himself is planning on letting one of his own sons use the "El Nieto del Santo" name. These days, the grandson of El Santo works as "Axxel" and only uses "El Nieto del Santo" as an unofficial nickname to avoid any legal issues. Axxel uses the same trademark mask, cape and trunk design as El Santo but has incorporated black trim and knee pads to, presumably to not infringe on El Hijo del Santo's legal rights.

Movie career

In 1952, the artist and editor José G. Cruz started a Santo comic book, turning Santo into the first and foremost character in Mexican popular literature, his popularity only rivalled by the legendary Kalimán character. The Santo comic book series (4 different volumes) ran continuously for 35 years, ending in 1987.

Also in 1952, a superhero motion picture serial was made entitled "The Man in the Silver Mask", which was supposed to star Santo, but he declined to appear in it, because he thought it would fail commercially. The film was made instead with well-known luchador El Medico Asesino in the lead role, wearing a white mask similar to Santo's silver one. A villain named "The Silver-Masked Man" was introduced into the plot at the last minute, thus the title of the film strangely became a reference to the villain, not the hero.

In 1958, Fernando Osés, a wrestler and actor, invited Santo to work in movies, and although Santo was unwilling to give up his wrestling career, he accepted, planning to do both at the same time. Oses was planning on playing the hero in these films, with Santo appearing as his costumed sidekick. Fernando Osés and Enrique Zambrano wrote the scripts for the first two movies, ''el Cerebro del Mal'' (''The Evil Brain'') and ''Hombres Infernales'' (''The Infernal Men''), both released in 1958, and directed by Joselito Rodríguez. Filming was done in Cuba, and ended just the day before Fidel Castro entered Havana and declared the victory of the revolution. Santo played a masked superhero-type sidekick to the main hero (who was called El Incognito) in these two films, and was not the main character (nor was he depicted as a wrestler in these 2 films). The films did poorly at the box office when they were released. Years later however, when Santo's film career took off, the distributors of these two films quietly added Santo's name into the titles. Most people feel Santo's film career really took off in 1961, with his third movie "Santo Vs The Zombies." Santo was given the starring role with this film, and was shown for the first time as a professional wrestler moonlighting as a superhero.

Santo wound up appearing in a total of 52 lucha libre films in all, two of which were just cameo appearances. The style of the movies was essentially the same throughout the series, with Santo as a superhero fighting supernatural creatures, evil scientists, various criminals/ secret agents and so on. The tones were reminiscent of U.S. B-movies and TV shows, perhaps most similar to the old Republic Pictures serials of the 1940s.

His best-known movie outside of Mexico is also considered one of his best, 1962s ''Santo vs. las Mujeres Vampiro'' (''Santo vs. the Vampire Women''), which was also featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. In this movie, the production values were better, and there was an attempt at creating more a mythos and background for Santo, as the last of a long line of fighters against evil. It was an enormous success at the box office, and was one of the 4 Santo films ever to be dubbed in English. Some of these English films were imported to the United States through the efforts of K. Gordon Murray who changed the name of Santo to Samson for some of his releases. Santo's most financially successful film however was "The Mummies of Guanajuato" (1970), which co-starred Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras. Many Mexi-movie fans consider it to be the greatest luchador film ever made.

The Santo film series inspired the production of similar series of movies starring other well-known luchadores such as Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras, Superzan and the Wrestling Women, among others. Santo even co-starred with Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras in several of his movies. When Blue Demon invited Santo to co-star with him and Mil Mascaras in the "Champions of Justice" movie trilogy, however, Santo was too busy making other films to participate.

By 1977, the masked wrestler film craze had practically died off, but Santo continued to appear in more films over the next few years. His last film was "FURY OF THE KARATE EXPERTS", shot in Florida in 1982, the same year he retired from the ring. Santo officially retired from wrestling on Sept. 12, 1982 (a week before his 65th birthday). His last match was at the El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos in Mexico. All told, his professional wrestling career spanned a total of 48 years.

Santo appeared as a guest on ''Contrapunto'', a Mexican television program and, completely without warning, removed his mask just enough to expose his face. It is the only documented case of Santo ever removing his mask in public. Santo died from a heart attack on Feb. 5, 1984, at 9:40 p.m. (about a week after his Contrapunto TV appearance). He was 66 years old. As per his wishes, he was buried wearing his famous silver mask.

Other media appearances

Santo also became an animated mini-series on Cartoon Network in Latin America. On October 27, 2004, Cartoon Network released the first chapter of 5 shorts. Each chapter is about 2 minutes long, and they were shown weekly on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM. There is also currently another Santo series in development at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank. The mini series was inspired by Santo's classic movies. Santo fought against an evil scientist, Dr. Clone, who collected the DNA of Santo's previous foes and resurrected them to kill Santo and dominate the world.

El Santo also inspired the animated series Mucha Lucha and El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. In Mucha Lucha he's called "El Rey", and it's represented as an icon of all positive things. In El Tigre, the character White Pantera shares much of El Santo's ever optimist attitude from the movies, but there's also a character named Silver Sombrero who is an exact copy of Santo, except he wears a large Mexican hat.

Santo is immortalized in the rockabilly band Southern Culture on the Skids' 1996 album Santo Swings!/Viva el Santo. Santo is often resurrected in Southern Culture's live performances when an audience member jumps onstage donning Santo's mask. The Latin ska band King Changó released an album titled The Return of El Santo. A Turkish actor portrayed an unlicensed version of Santo in the infamous bootleg Turkish film ''3 dev adam''. In addition the Canadian cult film, "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, also features an unlicensed version of El Santo as one of Christ's monster hunting associates.

The short story collections Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus and Miss Wildthyme and Friends Investigate both contain stories featuring a crime fighting, time travelling masked Mexican wrestler, Senor 105, based on El Santo.

Santo filmography (in chronological order)

''Santo contra el cerebro del mal'' (Santo Vs. The Evil Brain, 1958) ''Santo contra hombres infernales'' (Santo vs. The Infernal Men, 1958) ''Santo contra los zombies'' (Santo vs. The Zombies, 1961) aka ''Invasion of the Zombies'' (dubbed in English) ''Santo contra el rey del crimen'' (Santo vs. The King of Crime, 1961) ''Santo en el hotel de la muerte'' (Santo In The Hotel of Death, 1961) ''Santo contra el cerebro diabolico'' (Santo vs. the Diabolical Brain, 1962) ''Santo contra las mujeres vampiro'' (Santo vs. The Vampire Women, 1962) aka ''Samson vs. the Vampire Women'' (dubbed in English) ''Santo en el museo de cera'' (Santo In The Wax Museum, 1963) aka ''Samson in the Wax Museum'' (dubbed in English) ''Santo contra el estrangulador'' (Santo vs. The Strangler, 1963) ''El espectro del estrangulador'' (Santo vs. The Ghost of the Strangler, 1963) ''Blue Demon contra el poder satánico'' (Blue Demon vs. Satanic Power, 1964) (cameo appearance) ''Santo en Atacan las brujas'' (Santo in The Witches Attack, 1964) aka ''Santo en la casa de las brujas'' ''El hacha diabólica'' (Santo in The Diabolical Axe, 1964) ''Santo en los profanadores de tumbas'' (Santo in The Grave Robbers, 1965) ''Santo en el Barón Brakola'' (Santo in Baron Brakola, 1965) ''Santo contra la invasión de los marcianos'' (Santo vs. The Martian Invasion, 1966) ''Santo contra los villanos del ring'' (Santo vs. The Villains of the Ring, 1966) (Santo's last B&W; film) ''Santo en Operación 67'' (Santo in Operation 67, 1966) (Santo's first color film) ''Santo en el tesoro de Moctezuma'' (Santo in The Treasure of Moctezuma, 1967) ''Santo en el tesoro de Drácula'' (Santo in Dracula's Treasure, 1968) aka ''The Vampire and Sex'' (a separate adult-rated version) ''Santo contra Capulina'' (Santo vs. Capulina, 1968) ''Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida'' (Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis, 1969) ''Santo y Blue Demon contra los monstruos'' (Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters, 1969) ''Santo y Blue Demon en el mundo de los muertos'' (Santo and Blue Demon in the World of the Dead, 1969) ''Santo contra los cazadores de cabezas'' (Santo vs. The Headhunters, 1969) ''Santo frente a la muerte'' (Santo Faces Death, 1969) aka ''Santo vs. the Mafia Killers'' ''Santo contra los jinetes del terror'' (Santo Vs The Terror Riders, 1970) aka ''The Lepers and Sex'' (a separate adult-rated version) ''Santo en la venganza de las mujeres vampiro'' (Santo in the Revenge of the Vampire Women, 1970) ''Santo contra la mafia del vicio'' (Santo vs. The Mafia of Vice, 1970) aka ''Mission Sabotage'' ''Santo en la venganza de la momia'' (Santo in the Mummy's Revenge, 1970) ''Santo en Las momias de Guanajuato'' (Santo in The Mummies of Guanajuato, 1970) (co-starring Mil Mascaras and Blue Demon) ''Santo en el misterio de la perla negra'' (Santo in the Mystery of the Black Pearl, 1971) aka ''The Caribbean Connection'' (this film was released in Spain in 1971, but was only released in Mexico in 1975) ''Santo contra la hija de Frankenstein'' (Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter, 1971) ''Santo en Misión suicida'' (Santo in Suicide Mission, 1971) ''Santo contra los asesinos de otros mundos'' (Santo vs. the Killers from Other Worlds, 1971) aka ''Santo vs. the Living Atom'' ''Santo y el tigresa en el aguila real'' (Santo and the Tigress in the Royal Eagle, 1971) ''Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo'' (Santo and Blue Demon Vs. Dracula and the Wolf Man, 1972) ''Santo contra los secuestradores'' (Santo Vs. The Kidnappers, 1972) ''Santo contra la magia negra'' (Santo vs. Black Magic, 1972) ''Santo y Blue Demon en las bestias del terror'' (Santo and Blue Demon in the Beasts of Terror, 1972) ''Santo contra las lobas'' (Santo vs. The She-Wolves, 1972) ''Santo en Anónimo mortal'' (Santo in Anonymous Death Threat, 1972) ''Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein'' (Santo and Blue Demon Vs Dr. Frankenstein, 1973) ''Santo contra el doctor Muerte'' (Santo Vs Dr. Death, 1973) aka ''Santo strikes again'', aka ''The Masked Man Strikes Again" (one of only four Santo films that was dubbed in English) ''Santo en la venganza de la llorona'' (Santo in the Revenge of the Crying Woman, 1974) (co-starring boxing champ Mantequilla Napoles) ''Santo en Oro negro'' (Santo in Black Gold, 1975) aka ''La Noche de San Juan'' ''Santo en el Misterio en las Bermudas'' (Santo in The Bermuda Mystery, 1977) (co-starring Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras) ''Santo en la frontera del terror'' (Santo at the Border of Terror, 1979) aka ''Santo vs. the White Shadow'' ''Santo contra el asesino de televisión'' (Santo vs the TV Killer, 1981) ''Chanoc y el hijo del Santo contra los vampiros asesinos'' (Chanoc and Son of Santo vs. The Killer Vampires, 1981) (cameo appearance) ''Santo en el puño de la muerte'' (Santo in Fist of Death, 1982) ''Santo en la furia de los karatekas'' (Santo in Fury of the Karate Experts, 1982)

In wrestling

Finishing moves

:*''La de a Caballo'' (Camel clutch) :*''Topé de Cristo'' (Diving headbutt)

Signature moves

:*Plancha :*Suicide dive

Championships and accomplishments

Empresa Mundial de Lucha Libre

:*Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :*Mexican National Middleweight Championship (4 times) :*Mexican National Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Rayo de Jalisco :*Mexican National Welterweight Championship (2 times) :*NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time) :*NWA World Welterweight Championship (2 time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

:*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Lucha de Apuesta record

{|class="wikitable" width=100% |- !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=5%|Wager !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Winner !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Loser !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Notes |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Cavernario Galindo || Mexico City || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Raúl Torres || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Gorilita Flores || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Judas Colombiano || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Gory Casanova || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Arturo Chávez || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Golden Terror || Guadalajara, Jalisco || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || La Cebra || Colombia || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || La Araña || Torreón, Coahuila || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || La Momia || San Salvador || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Cara Cortada || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Dragón Rojo || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Chico Casaola || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Dr. X (original) || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo and Dr. X (original) || Los Infernales (I and II) || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Murciélago Velázquez || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Bobby Bonales || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Bobby Bonales || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Jack O'Brien || Mexico City || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Enrique Llanes || Mexico City || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Black Shadow || Mexico City || || |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Monje Loco || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Halcón Negro || Mexico City || || |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo ||El Gladiador || Mexico City || || |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Rubén Juárez || Mexico City || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Espanto II || Mexico City || || |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Benny Galant || Mexico City || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Espanto I || Mexico City || || |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Dick Angelo || Unknown || || |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || René Guajardo || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Jorge Allende || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo || Perro Aguayo || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo || Bobby Lee || Mexico City || || |----- align="center" |Hair || El Santo ||Bobby Lee || Mexico City || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || El Santo ||El Remolino || Ciudad Obregón, Sonora || ||   |}

References

;General ;Specific

External links

The Films of El Santo, El Enmascarado De Plata

Santo and friends

Santo-biography with emphasis on his film work on (re)Search my Trash

Category:1917 births Category:1984 deaths Category:Mexican film actors Category:Mexican professional wrestlers Category:People from Hidalgo

de:El Santo es:El Santo fr:El Santo nl:El Santo ja:エル・サント pl:El Santo pt:El Santo

Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
Name	This Old Cub
Director	Jeff Santo
Producer	Joe MantegnaJeff SantoWalgreensChicago Tribune
Writer	Jeff Santo
Starring	Ron SantoBill MurrayJoe MantegnaGary Sinise
Distributor	Big Joe ProductionsJDRFSony Pictures Home Entertainment (DVD)
Released	August 25, 2004
Runtime	122 min.
Language	English
Budget	unreleased
Purchase	[www.thisoldcub.com] }}

''This Old Cub'' is a documentary film which was released in 2004. The film is centered around former Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo and both his playing days and his battle against diabetes. The film was written, co-produced, and directed by Santo's son Jeff. It is often mentioned during Cub game broadcasts by Pat Hughes, who is Santo's partner in the WGN Radio booth. The film was a gift from Jeff to his father as a part of the "Ron Santo Day" celebration that season after Santo had both his legs amputated and had just missed induction into the MLB Hall of Fame a few months earlier. A portion of all proceeds from the release of ''This Old Cub'' are donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The film has raised over a half-million dollars for the JDRF. Cub shortstop Ernie Banks, Gary Sinise, Bill Murray, former Chicago Bears linebacker Doug Buffone, and many others are interviewed in the film, which is narrated by actor Joe Mantegna.

The documentary inspired an Arizona teacher and lifelong Cub fan named Bill Holden to engage a 2100-mile walk from Arizona to Wrigley Field to raise funds for the JDRF. Holden covered at least 12 miles each day, crossed six states, and battled his arthritis during the nearly seven month trek. Followed by the media, Holden arrived at Wrigley on July 1, 2005 where he threw out the first pitch and joined Santo in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". The venture raised over $250,000 for the charity, and caused a dramatic spike in sales of the DVD. Derek Schaul, the leader of Chicago Cubs Bleacher Bums, wears a shirt to every game stating, "I walk for the cure because Ronnie can't! Go Cubbies!"

''This Old Cub'' was co-produced by Walgreens Drug Stores and the ''Chicago Tribune'', both heavy sponsors of the JDRF.

External links

This Old Cub Website

JDRF Website

Chicago Cubs

Walgreens

Category:Chicago Cubs Category:Documentary films about sportspeople Category:Films set in Chicago, Illinois Category:Films shot in Chicago, Illinois Category:2004 films Category:Baseball films Category:American baseball films

Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
name	Harry Caray
birth name	Harry Christopher Carabina
birth date	March 01, 1914
birth place	St. Louis, Missouri, United States
death date
death place	Rancho Mirage, California, United States
occupation	Sportscaster }}

Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, (March 1, 1914 – February 18, 1998) was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St. Louis Cardinals, then the Oakland Athletics (for one year) and the Chicago White Sox (for eleven years), before ending his career as the announcer for the Chicago Cubs.

Personal life

Caray was born Harry Christopher Carabina of Italian and Romanian parentage in one of the poorest sections of St. Louis. He was an infant when his father died. His Romanian mother, Daisy Argint, remarried, but after her death when Caray was just eight, he went to live with his aunt Doxie at 1909 LaSalle Street in a tough, working-class section of St. Louis. As a young man, Caray played baseball at the semi-pro level for a short time before auditioning for a radio job at the age of 19. He then spent a few years learning the trade at radio stations in Joliet, Illinois and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Caray did play-by-play for the St. Louis Hawks professional basketball team (now the Atlanta Hawks), the University of Missouri football team and he announced three Cotton Bowl games.

Career

St. Louis Cardinals/St. Louis Browns

Caray caught his break when he landed the job with the Cardinals in 1945 and, according to several histories of the franchise, proved as expert at selling the sponsor's beer as he'd been in selling the Cardinals on KMOX. (Caray and broadcast partner Gabby Street also called games for the St. Louis Browns in 1945-46.) Caray was also seen as influential enough that he could affect team personnel moves; Cardinals historian Peter Golenbock (in ''The Spirit of St. Louis: A History of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns'') has suggested Caray may have had a partial hand in the maneuvering that led to the exit of general manager Bing Devine, the man who had assembled the team that won the 1964 World Series, and of field manager Johnny Keane, whose rumored successor, Leo Durocher (the succession didn't pan out), was believed to have been supported by Caray for the job. Caray, however, stated in his autobiography that he liked Johnny Keane as a manager, and didn't want to be involved in Keane's dismissal. As the Cardinals' announcer, Caray broadcast three World Series (1964, 1967, and 1968) on NBC. In November 1968 Caray was nearly killed after being struck by an automobile while crossing a street in St. Louis; he suffered two broken legs in the accident, but recuperated in time to return to the broadcast booth for the start of the 1969 season.

After the 1969 season, Caray was unexpectedly fired as the Cardinals' lead broadcaster (his broadcast partner Jack Buck replaced him). Golenbock, other Cardinal historians, and Caray's former wife have suggested the cause was a purported affair Caray had with the daughter-in-law of Cardinals owner August A. Busch, Jr. (who also owned Anheuser-Busch brewery, the club's broadcast sponsor); Caray first called it a business grudge while never necessarily denying or affirming the rumors. He was with the St. Louis Cardinals for 25 years, his longest tenure with any sports team.

Oakland Athletics

He spent one season broadcasting for the Athletics before, as he often told interviewers, he grew tired of owner Charles O. Finley's interference and accepted a job with the Chicago White Sox. (Apparently the feeling was mutual; Finley later said "that shit [Caray] pulled in St. Louis didn't go over here.") Finley wanted Caray to change his broadcast chant of Holy Cow to Holy Mule.

However, there were some reports that Caray and Finley did, in fact, work well with each other and that Caray's strained relationship with the A's came from longtime A's announcer Monte Moore; Caray was loose and free-wheeling while Moore was more conservative.

Chicago White Sox

Caray joined the Chicago White Sox in 1971 and quickly became popular with the South Side faithful and enjoying a reputation for joviality and public carousing (sometimes doing home game broadcasts bare-chested from the bleachers). He wasn't always popular with players, however; Caray had an equivalent reputation of being excessively critical of home team blunders and for continuing criticism of certain players after even one on-field mistake. During his tenure with the White Sox, Caray was teamed with many color analysts who didn't work out well, including Bob Waller, Bill Mercer and ex-Major League catcher J. C. Martin, among others. But in 1976, during a game against the Texas Rangers, Caray had former outfielder Jimmy Piersall (who was working for the Rangers at the time) as a guest in the White Sox booth that night. The tandem proved to work so well, that Piersall was hired to be Caray's partner in the White Sox radio and TV booth beginning in 1977. Piersall and Caray became very popular.

Among many of Caray's experiences during this time with the White Sox include Disco Demolition Night. On July 12, 1979, what began as an effort to sell seats at a White Sox/Detroit Tigers double-header turned into tens of thousands of eager fans storming the outfield at Comiskey Park in between the games of the double-header. Caray tried to calm the crowd by leading the park in the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” but order could not be restored. Eventually the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game of the double-header.

Chicago Cubs

Caray increased his renown after joining the North Side Cubs following the 1981 season. In contrast to the "SportsVision" concept, the Cubs' own television outlet, WGN-TV, had become among the first of the cable television superstations, offering their programming to providers across the United States for free, and Caray became as famous nationwide as he'd long been on the South Side and, previously, in St. Louis. In fact, Caray had already been affiliated with WGN for some years by then, as WGN actually produced the White Sox games for broadcast on competitor WSNS-TV, and Caray was a frequent sportscaster on the station's newscasts. Caray succeeded longtime Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, himself a beloved announcer and Chicago media fixture.

The timing worked in Caray's favor, as the Cubs ended up winning the National League East division title in 1984 and radio station WGN's nationwide audience. Millions came to love the microphone-swinging Caray, continuing his White Sox practice of leading the home crowd in singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch, mimicking his mannerisms, his gravelly voice, his habit of mispronouncing or slurring some players' names (which some of the players themselves mimicked in turn), and even his trademark barrel-shaped wide-rimmed glasses which were prescribed by Dr.Cyril Nierman O.D.

In February 1987 Caray suffered a stroke while at his winter home in California, just prior to spring training for the Cubs' 1987 season. This led to his absence from the broadcast booth through most of the first two months of the regular season, with WGN featuring a series of celebrity guest announcers on game telecasts while Caray recuperated.

Caray's national popularity never really flagged after that, although time eventually took a toll on him. Nicknamed "The Mayor of Rush Street", a reference to Chicago's famous tavern-dominated neighborhood and Caray's well-known taste for Budweiser, illness and age began to drain some of Caray's skills, even in spite of his remarkable recovery from the 1987 stroke. There were occasional calls for him to retire, but he was kept aboard past WGN's normal mandatory retirement age, an indication of just how popular he really was.

The seventh-inning stretch

His famous seventh-inning stretch singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" began during his tenure with the White Sox. In the broadcast booth, Caray made a habit of privately singing along with the song while long-time Comiskey Park organist Nancy Faust was playing it for the public. One afternoon, Caray was singing to himself when WMAQ radio producer/broadcaster Jay Scott decided to open the booth mics without letting Caray know that he was doing this. (Some years before, Scott had suggested the idea in a memo, but Caray rejected this. He accepted the idea once it caught on with the home fans.) For the rest of his career, Caray enthusiastically led the song's singing during the seventh-inning stretch, using a hand-held microphone and holding it out outside the booth window.

Many of these performances began with Caray speaking directly to the baseball fans in attendance either about the state of the day's game, or the Chicago weather, while the park organ held the opening chord of the song. Then with his trademark opening, "All right! Lemme hear ya! Ah-One! Ah-Two! Ah-Three!" Harry would launch into his distinctive, down-tempo version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". During his tenure announcing games at Comiskey Park and later Wrigley Field, he would often replace "root, root, root for the home team" with "root, root, root for the White Sox (Cubbies)". For the lyrics "One, Two, Three, strikes you're out...." Harry would usually hold the microphone out to the crowd to punctuate the climactic end of the song. And if the visitors were ahead in that game, Harry would typically make a plea to the home team's offense: "Let's get some runs!"

The seventh-inning stretch routine became Caray's best-remembered trademark; after his death, the Cubs began a practice of inviting guest celebrities, local and national, to lead the singing Caray-style. The use of "guest conductors" continues to this day.

During the 2009 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, as the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Day 2009, former Blackhawks players Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Denis Savard and former Cubs players Ryne Sandberg and Ferguson Jenkins sang a hockey-themed version of the seventh-inning stretch; "Take Me Out to the Hockey Game" used lines such as "Root, root, root for the Blackhawks" and "One, two, three pucks, you're out." The Blackhawks would do this again in during the White Sox – Cubs game at Wrigley Field. This time, it was members of the Stanley Cup winning team.

Personality and style

Caray had a number of broadcasting partners and colleagues through the years, some of whom made known their dislike of the man. He had a particularly frosty relationship with Milo Hamilton, his first partner with the Cubs, who felt Caray had pushed him out in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. Hamilton was fired by WGN in 1984; he claimed that station officials told him that the main reason was that Caray didn't like him.

Caray's longtime St. Louis partner, Jack Buck, was guarded in his comments about Caray in his own autobiography, while acknowledging that he sometimes felt held back by Caray. However, Caray also didn't lack for broadcast companions who played well with and off him. With the White Sox, his longest-lasting partner was Jimmy Piersall; with the Cubs, he was teamed for 14 years with former pitcher Steve Stone.

Caray was known for his unabashed homerism. While advertisers played up his habit of openly rooting for the Cubs from the booth (for example, one Budweiser ad described him as "Cub Fan, Bud Man" in a Blues Brothers-style parody of "Soul Man"), he had been even less restrained about rooting for the Cardinals when he broadcast for them. He said later that his firing from the Cardinals changed his outlook and made him realize that his passion was for the game itself, and the fans, more than anything else. He was also well-known for his frequent exclamation of ''"Holy Cow!"'' As he noted in interviews and in his autobiography ''Holy Cow!!'', he trained himself to use this expression, to avoid any chance of using profanity on the air. Caray also avoided any risk of mis-calling a home run, using what became a trademark home run call: ''It might be . . . it could be . . . it IS! A home run! Holy cow!'' In ''Holy Cow!'', Caray said he first used the "It might be..." part of that expression on the air while covering a college baseball tournament in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the early 1940s. He also said that was probably the first time he said "Holy cow!" on the air.

In 1987, the Cubs had Ryne Sandberg, Jim Sundberg, and Scott Sanderson on the roster. Caray had suffered a stroke in February and often confused these names and it was not uncommon for him to refer to "Jim Sandberg", "Ryne Sanderson", or "Scott Sundberg". He also once pronounced pitcher Jason Isringhausen as "Jason....Ice-ring-hoisen." Caray was intrigued by unusual names, and one of his frequent on-air bits was to try to pronounce a multi-syllabic name ''backwards''. This bit became more challenging for him in the 1987 season but he kept on trying, even poking fun at himself. Two player names he took delight in pronouncing backwards were Toby Harrah and James 'Truck' Hannah. Even short names sometimes amused him: once, when Manny Mota had just lined out to a Cardinals fielder who did not even need to move his feet to make the catch, Harry proclaimed: "'Mota' spelled backwards is 'atom' ... and that's where he hit it, right at 'im'!"

Caray had a reputation for mastering all aspects of broadcasting - writing his own copy, conducting news interviews, writing and presenting editorials, covering other sports such as University of Missouri football, and hosting a sports talk program.

He was considered a fan's broadcaster above all, along the lines of such announcers as New York/San Francisco Giants legend Russ Hodges or Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bob Prince, and that didn't always earn him respect to equal his popularity. However, Caray never pretended to be the kind of objective announcer that such broadcasters as Red Barber and Vin Scully prided themselves on being regardless of their team attachments.

Non-baseball work

Though best known and honored for baseball work, Caray also called Missouri Tigers football as well as St. Louis Billikens, Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks basketball in the 1950s and '60s. Additionally, he broadcast eight Cotton Bowl Classic games (1958–64, 1966) on network radio.

Death

Caray maintained a winter home in Palm Springs, California, along with his primary residence in Chicago. He never regained consciousness, dying of cardiac arrest with resulting brain damage four days later. Caray's funeral took place in downtown Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral on February 27, two days before he would have turned 84.

Following his death, during the entire 1998 season the Cubs wore a patch on the sleeves of their uniforms depicting a caricature of Caray. Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa dedicated each of his 66 home runs that season to Caray.

Caray had five children, three with his first wife, Dorothy, and two with his second wife, Marian. He married his third wife Delores "Dutchie" (Goldmann) on May 19, 1975. His son Skip Caray followed him into the booth as a baseball broadcaster with the Atlanta Braves until his death on August 3, 2008, and his son Chris had a long career with Maritz Travel before passing away at an early age from brain cancer. His daughter, Patricia, worked for Coca-Cola in Atlanta before retiring to Bradenton, FL, where she currently resides.

Caray's two daughters with wife Marian both opted for careers in the healthcare field. Michele lives in St. Louis, MO and works as a registered nurse with OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions, a division of UnitedHealth Group. On August 5, 2010, at the St. Louis premiere of the Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg comedy, ''The Other Guys'', Michele was invited to the red carpet with Ferrell, since he is well-known for his comedic impressions of her father. Daughter Elizabeth lives in Phoenix, AZ and works as a pharmaceutical representative for Novo Nordisk.

Caray's broadcasting legacy was extended to a third generation, as his grandson Chip Caray replaced Harry as the Cubs' play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2004. Chip later returned to work with his father Skip on Atlanta Braves broadcasts, where he had worked for a while in the early 1990s. In what Harry Caray said was one of his proudest moments, he worked some innings in the same broadcast booth with his son and grandson, during a Cubs/Braves game on May 13, 1991. On-air in a professional setting, the younger men would refer to their seniors by their first names. During 1998, Chip would refer to the departed Harry in third person as "Granddad". His half-brother Josh is a broadcaster and producer for WLAQ radio in Rome, Georgia, calling the Class A Rome Braves baseball and Rome High School football.

Another of Caray's grandsons, Eric Stanger (son of Patricia Caray) is also enjoying a very successful career in the radio business, as Director of Talk Programming for ABC Radio Networks, and Director of Affiliate Relations for the syndicated radio personality Sean Hannity.

Honors and special events

On October 23, 1987 Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse opened in the Chicago Varnish Company Building, a Chicago Landmark building that is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are now six restaurants, and an off-premises catering division which bear the Harry Caray name. The original restaurant has received numerous awards for its food and service, and features many items of memorabilia, even a statue of a "Holey Cow" (complete with holes) wearing the trademark Harry Caray eyeglasses.

In 1989, the Baseball Hall of Fame presented Caray with the Ford C. Frick Award for "major contributions to baseball." That same year, he was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame. He also has his own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

On June 24, 1994, the Chicago Cubs had a special day honoring Harry for 50 years of broadcasting Major League Baseball. Sponsored by the Cubs and Kemper Insurance, pins were given out to some unknown number of fans in attendance that day. The pins had a picture of Harry, with writing saying "HARRY CARAY, 50 YEARS BROADCASTING, Kemper MUTUAL FUNDS" and "HOLY COW".

Caray's style became fodder for pop culture parody as well, including a memorable ''Saturday Night Live'' recurring sketch featuring Caray (played by Will Ferrell) as a host of a space and astronomy TV talk show, in which his questions to scientists and professors included whether or not they would eat the moon if it were made of spare ribs and turning hot dogs into currency (20 hot dogs would equal roughly a nickel, depending on the strength of the yen). The sketch continued after Caray's death. When asked by Joan Allen (impersonating NASA flight director Linda Ham) about his death, Will Ferrell as Caray replied, ''"What's your point?"'' ''The Bob and Tom Show'' also had a Harry Caray parody show called ''"After Hours Sports"'' which eventually became ''"Afterlife Sports"'' after Caray's death. and the Heaven and Hell Baseball Game, in which Caray is the broadcast announcer for the games. On the Nickelodeon series ''Back at the Barnyard'', news reporter Hilly Burford bears a strong resemblance to Caray, both in appearance and speech. In 2005, the cartoon ''Codename: Kids Next Door'' had two announcers reporting a baseball game. One was a parody of Caray, the other, Howard Cosell. Another Caray impersonation was done by Chicago radio personality Jim Volkman, heard most often on the Loop and AM1000. Also, comedian Artie Lange, in his standup, talks about Caray.

Caray can be briefly heard in the 1986 film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'', as a Cubs game is shown on a TV in a pizza parlor.

In 2008 a series of Chicago-area TV and radio ads for AT&T;'s Advanced TV featured comedian John Caponera impersonating the post-stroke version of Harry Caray. However, AT&T; soon withdrew the spots following widespread criticism and a complaint by Caray's widow.

Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs pitcher, is known for his Harry Caray impression, most notably, he announced the Cubs' starting lineup while speaking like the post-stroke version of Caray before a nationally televised baseball game on Fox Sports.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Will Ohman performed a Harry Caray impersonation when announcing the starting lineup for the Atlanta Braves during a ''Fox Game of the Week'' in 2008.

References

External links

Harry Caray's Restaurant website. Includes biographical details and pictures.

Baseball Hall of Fame - Frick Award recipient

Preview of "Holy Cow" Harry's Book, and life

Hello Again Everybody The Harry Caray Documentary

Budweiser commercial starring Caray performing a rap (at You Tube).

Harry Caray at Find A Grave

Chicago Cubs Homepage

Baseball-Almanac Harry Caray Quotes

Caray singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" for the White Sox (accompanied by Nancy Faust)

Category:1914 births Category:1998 deaths Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Romanian descent Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American radio sports announcers Category:American television sports announcers Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in California Category:Chicago Cubs broadcasters Category:Chicago White Sox broadcasters Category:College basketball announcers in the United States Category:College football announcers Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Missouri Tigers football Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters Category:Oakland Athletics broadcasters Category:National Radio Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri Category:Radio personalities from Chicago, Illinois Category:St. Louis Browns broadcasters Category:St. Louis Cardinals broadcasters Category:St. Louis Hawks broadcasters

fi:Harry Caray

Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
name	Sylvester Stallone
birth name	Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
birth date	July 06, 1946
birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
occupation	Actor, director, screenwriter
years active	1970–present
spouse
children	Sage, Seargeoh, Sophia, Sistine, Scarlet
parents	Frank Stallone Sr.Jackie Stallone
relatives	Frank Stallone (brother)
website	http://www.sylvesterstallone.com }}

Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (; born July 6, 1946), commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed include boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. The ''Rocky'' and ''Rambo'' franchises, along with several other films, strengthened his reputation as an actor and his box office earnings.

Stallone's film ''Rocky'' was inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum. Stallone's use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the ''Rocky'' series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps. Philadelphia has a statue of his Rocky character placed permanently near the museum, on the right side before the steps. It was announced on December 7, 2010 that Stallone was voted into boxing's Hall of Fame.

Early life

Sylvester Stallone was born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone in New York City, the elder son of Frank Stallone, Sr., a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone (born Jacqueline Labofish), an astrologer, former dancer, and promoter of women's wrestling. His younger brother is actor and musician Frank Stallone. Stallone's father was born in Gioia del Colle, Apulia, Italy, and emigrated to the United States as a child. Stallone's mother is of half Russian Jewish and half French descent.

Complications his mother suffered during labor forced her obstetricians to use two pairs of forceps during his birth; misuse of these accidentally severed a nerve and caused paralysis in parts of Stallone's face. As a result, the lower left side of his face is paralyzed, including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin, an accident which has given Stallone his trademark snarling look and slightly slurred speech. Stallone was baptized and raised Catholic. He spent his first five years in Hell's Kitchen, bouncing between foster homes while his parents endured a loud, troubled marriage. His father, a beautician, moved the family to Washington DC, where he opened a beauty school. His mother opened a women's gymnasium called Barbella's in 1954. He attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy prior to attending Miami Dade College.

Career

When Stallone was nearly broke in New York, barely $50 to his name, he sold the script to ''Paradise Alley'' for $100.

''Italian Stallion'' and ''Score''

Stallone had his first starring role in the soft core pornography feature film ''The Party at Kitty and Stud's'' (1970). He was paid US$200 for two days' work. Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. He has also said that he slept three weeks in the New York City Port Authority bus station prior to seeing a casting notice for the film. In the actor's words, "it was either do that movie or rob someone, because I was at the end – the very end – of my rope". The film was released several years later as ''Italian Stallion'', in order to cash in on Stallone's new found fame (the new title was taken from Stallone's nickname since ''Rocky'' and a line from the film).

Stallone also starred in the erotic off-Broadway stage play ''Score'' which ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 – November 15, 1971 and was later made into a film by Radley Metzger.

Early film roles, 1970–1975

In 1970 Stallone appeared in the film ''No Place to Hide,'' which was re-cut and retitled ''Rebel,'' the second version featuring Stallone as its star. After the style of Woody Allen's ''What's Up, Tiger Lily?,'' this film, in 1990, was re-edited from outtakes from the original movie and newly shot matching footage, then redubbed into an award-winning parody of itself titled ''A Man Called... Rainbo.'' Again starring Stallone, this self-parody was directed by David Casci and produced by Jeffrey Hilton. ''A Man Called...Rainbo'' won Silver Awards at the Chicago International Film Festival and Worldfest – Houston, and was featured on ''Entertainment Tonight'' along with its credited star, Sylvester Stallone. It received a Thumbs-Up on ''Siskel & Ebert,'' and was recommended by Michael Medved on the popular movie review show, ''Sneak Previews.''

Stallone's other first few film roles were minor, and included brief uncredited appearances in Woody Allen's ''Bananas'' (1971) as a subway thug, in the psychological thriller ''Klute'' (1971) as an extra dancing in a club, and in the Jack Lemmon film ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' (1975) as a youth. In the Lemmon film, Jack Lemmon chases, tackles and mugs Stallone, thinking that Stallone's character is a pickpocket. He had his second starring role in ''The Lords of Flatbush,'' in 1974. In 1975, he played supporting roles in ''Farewell, My Lovely''; ''Capone''; and ''Death Race 2000.'' He made guest appearances on the TV series ''Police Story'' and ''Kojak.''

Success with ''Rocky,'' 1976

Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in the smash hit ''Rocky'' (1976). On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Muhammad Ali–Chuck Wepner fight, which inspired the foundation idea of ''Rocky.'' That night Stallone went home, and after three days 20 straight hours he had written the script for ''Rocky.'' After that, he tried to sell the script with the intention of playing the lead role. Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler in particular liked the script. ''Rocky'' was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all, including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations for Stallone. ''Rocky'' went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing.

Rocky, Rambo and new film roles, 1978–1989

The sequel ''Rocky II,'' which Stallone had also written and directed (replacing John G. Avildsen, who won an Academy Award for directing the first film) was released in 1979 and also became a major success, grossing $200 million.

Apart from the ''Rocky'' films, Stallone did many other films in the late 1970s and early 1980s which were critically acclaimed but were not successful at the box office. He received critical praise for films such as ''F.I.S.T.'' (1978), a social, epic styled drama in which he plays a warehouse worker, very loosely modeled on James Hoffa, who becomes involved in the labor union leadership, and ''Paradise Alley'' (1978), a family drama in which he plays one of three brothers who is a con artist and who helps his other brother who is involved in wrestling. Stallone made his directorial debut directing ''Paradise Alley.''

In the early 1980s, he starred alongside British veteran Michael Caine in ''Escape to Victory'' (1981), a sports drama in which he plays a prisoner of war involved in a Nazi propaganda soccer game. Stallone then made the action thriller film ''Nighthawks'' (1981), in which he plays a New York city cop who plays a cat and mouse game with a foreign terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer.

Stallone had another major franchise success as Vietnam veteran John Rambo, a former Green Beret, in the action-war film ''First Blood'' (1982). The first installment of Rambo was both a critical and box office success. The critics praised Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human, as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name, in ''First Blood'' and in the other films. Three Rambo sequels ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985), ''Rambo III'' (1988) and ''Rambo'' (2008) followed. Although box office hits, they met with much less critical praise than the original. He also continued his box office success with the ''Rocky'' franchise and wrote, directed and starred in two more sequels to the series: ''Rocky III'' (1982) and ''Rocky IV'' (1985). Stallone has portrayed these two characters in a total of ten films. In preparation for these roles, Stallone embarked upon a vigorous training regimen which often meant six days a week in the gym and further sit ups in the evenings. Stallone claims to have gotten his body fat percentage down to his all time low of 2.8% for Rocky III.

It was during this time period that Stallone's work cultivated a strong overseas following. He also attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, roles in different genres when he co-wrote and starred in the comedy film ''Rhinestone'' (1984) where he played a wannabe country music singer and the drama film ''Over the Top'' (1987) where he played a struggling trucker who, after the death of his wife, tries to make amends with his son who he left behind years earlier. His son does not think too highly of him until he sees him compete in a nation-wide arm wrestling competition. For the ''Rhinestone'' soundtrack, he performed a song. These films did not do well at the box office and were poorly received by critics. It was around 1985 that Stallone was signed to a remake of the 1939 James Cagney classic ''Angels With Dirty Faces.'' The film would form part of his multi-picture deal with Cannon Pictures and was to co-star Christopher Reeve and be directed by Menahem Golan. The re-making of such a beloved classic was met with disapproval by Variety Magazine and horror by top critic Roger Ebert and so Cannon opted to make ''Cobra'' instead. ''Cobra'' (1986) and ''Tango and Cash'' (1989) did solid business domestically but overseas they did blockbuster business grossing over $100 million in foreign markets and over $160 million worldwide.

1990–2002

With the then recent success of ''Lock Up'' and ''Tango and Cash,'' at the start of the 1990s Stallone starred in the fifth installment of the Rocky franchise ''Rocky V'' which was considered a box office disappointment and was also disliked by fans as an unworthy entry in the series.

After starring in the critical and commercial disasters ''Oscar'' (1991) and ''Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot'' (1992) during the early 90s, he made a comeback in 1993 with the hit ''Cliffhanger'' which was a success in the U.S., grossing $84 million, but even more successful worldwide, grossing $171 million for a total over US$255 million. Later that year he starred with Wesley Snipes in the futuristic action film ''Demolition Man'' which grossed in excess of $158 million worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's ''The Specialist'' (over $170 million worldwide gross).

In 1995, he played the comic book based title character Judge Dredd, who was taken from the British comic book 2000 AD in the film of the same name. His overseas box office appeal saved the domestic box office disappointment of ''Judge Dredd'', which cost almost $100 million and barely made its budget back with a worldwide tally of $113 million. He also appeared in the thriller ''Assassins'' (1995) with co stars Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas. In 1996, he starred in the disaster film ''Daylight'' which was not very successful in the US but still grossed $126 million overseas.

That same year Stallone, along with an all-star cast of celebrities, appeared in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone short comedy film ''Your Studio and You'' commissioned by the Seagram Company for a party celebrating their acquisition of Universal Studios and the MCA Corporation. Stallone speaks in his Rocky Balboa voice with subtitles translating what he is saying. At one point, Stallone starts yelling about how can they use his Balboa character, that he left it in the past; the narrator calms him with a wine cooler and calling him, "brainiac." In response, Stallone says, "Thank you very much." He then looks at the wine cooler and exclaims, "Stupid cheap studio!"

Following his breakthrough performance in ''Rocky,'' critic Roger Ebert had once said Stallone could become the next Marlon Brando, though he never quite recaptured the critical acclaim achieved with ''Rocky.'' Stallone did, however, go on to receive much acclaim for his role in the low budget crime drama ''Cop Land'' (1997) in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, but the film was only a minor success at the box office. His performance led him to win the Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award. In 1998 he did voice-over work for the computer-animated film ''Antz,'' which was a big hit domestically.

In 2000, Stallone starred in the thriller ''Get Carter'' – a remake of the 1971 British Michael Caine film of the same name—but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films ''Driven'' (2001), ''Avenging Angelo'' (2002) and ''D-Tox'' (2002) also underachieved expectations to do well at the box office and were poorly received by critics.

2003–2005

In 2003, he played a villainous role in the third installment of the Spy Kids trilogy ''Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' which was a huge box office success (almost $200 million worldwide). Stallone also had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film ''Taxi 3'' as a passenger.

Following several poorly reviewed box office flops, Stallone started to regain prominence for his supporting role in the neo-noir crime drama ''Shade'' (2003) which was only released in a limited fashion but was praised by critics. He was also attached to star and direct a film tentatively titled ''Rampart Scandal,'' which was to be about the murder of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. and the surrounding Los Angeles Police Department corruption scandal. It was later titled ''Notorious'' but was shelved.

In 2005, he was the co-presenter, alongside Sugar Ray Leonard, of the NBC Reality television boxing series ''The Contender.'' That same year he also made a guest appearance in two episodes of the television series ''Las Vegas.'' In 2005, Stallone also inducted wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who appeared in ''Rocky III'' as a wrestler named Thunderlips, into the WWE Hall of Fame; Stallone was also the person who offered Hogan the cameo in ''Rocky III.''

Revisiting Rocky and Rambo, 2006–2008

After a three year hiatus from films, Stallone made a comeback in 2006 with the sixth installment of his successful Rocky series, ''Rocky Balboa'', which was a critical and commercial hit. After the critical and box office failure of the previous installment ''Rocky V'', Stallone had decided to write, direct and star in a sixth installment which would be a more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office came to $70.3 million (and $155.7 million worldwide). The budget of the movie was only $24 million. His performance in ''Rocky Balboa'' has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews.

Stallone's fourth installment of his other successful movie franchise, Rambo, with the sequel being titled simply ''Rambo''. The film opened in 2,751 theaters on January 25, 2008, grossing $6,490,000 on its opening day and $18,200,000 over its opening weekend. Its box office was $113,244,290 worldwide with a budget of $50 million.

Asked in February 2008 which of the icons he would rather be remembered for, Stallone said "it's a tough one, but ''Rocky'' is my first baby, so ''Rocky."''

Other film work

Stallone's debut as a director came in 1978 with ''Paradise Alley,'' which he also wrote and starred in. In addition, he directed ''Staying Alive'', the sequel to ''Saturday Night Fever'', along with ''Rocky II'', ''Rocky III'', ''Rocky IV'', ''Rocky Balboa'', and ''Rambo''. In August 2005, Stallone released his book ''Sly Moves'' which claimed to be a guide to fitness and nutrition as well as a candid insight into his life and works from his own perspective. The book also contained many photographs of Stallone throughout the years as well as pictures of him performing exercises. In addition to writing all six ''Rocky'' films, Stallone also wrote ''Cobra'', ''Driven'', and ''Rambo.'' He has co-written several other films, such as ''F.I.S.T.'', ''Rhinestone'', ''Over the Top'', and the first three ''Rambo'' films. His last major success as a co-writer came with 1993's ''Cliffhanger''. In addition, Stallone has continued to express his passion in directing a film on Edgar Allan Poe's life, a script he has been preparing for years. In July 2009, he appeared in a cameo in the Bollywood movie ''Kambakkht Ishq'' where he played himself, for which he has been nominated by the Indian version of Razzies, Golden Kela Awards. Stallone also provided the voice of a lion in Kevin James's comedy ''Zookeeper.'' Stallone has also mentioned that he would like to adapt a Nelson DeMille novel, ''The Lion's Game'' and James Byron Huggin's novel ''Hunter'', which Stallone had the film rights for several years and originally planned to use the plot from ''Hunter'' for ''Rambo V''. In 2009, Stallone expressed interest in starring in a remake of Charles Bronson's 1974 movie ''Death Wish''.

2010 onwards

''The Expendables'' was Stallone's big success of 2010. The movie, which was filmed during summer/winter 2009, was released on August 13, 2010. Stallone wrote, directed and stars in the movie. Joining him in the film were fellow action stars Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren plus Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts, and Stone Cold Steve Austin as well as much anticipated cameos for fellow '80s action icons Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Indeed, the cameos of Willis and Schwarzenegger have been pushed quite heavily in the promotion of the movie. Due to the overwhelmingly positive reaction to early test footage and trailers, producer Avi Lerner has reported that there is already talk of making two more sequels, or at least some sort of a longer franchise, based on the members of the team. The movie took $34,825,135 in its opening weekend, going straight in at No.1 in the US box office. The figure marked the biggest opening weekend in Stallone's illustrious 35 year career. In summer 2010, Brazilian company O2 Filmes released a statement saying it was still owed more than $2 million US for its work on the film. Stallone also confirmed the planned ''Rambo V'' was cancelled in May 2010. The movie was officially greenlit by Nu Image/Millenium Films in September 2009 and initially Stallone said the movie was to be entitled ''Rambo V: The Savage Hunt'' and would be loosely based on a novel called ''Hunter'' (a novel to which Stallone had the rights for ten years), involving Rambo hunting a "feral beast". In November 2009 Stallone confirmed that the story has been switched and that the man/beast hunt story will be saved for an unrelated film. ''Rambo V'' will now be based on Rambo searching for women who disappeared in a town over the Mexican border. It was confirmed by Stallone himself in May 2010 that he has scrapped ''Rambo V'' (and "retired" ''Rambo'') in order to work on ''The Expendables'' sequel.

Personal life

Stallone has been married three times. At age 28, on December 28, 1974, he married Sasha Czack. The couple had two sons, Sage Moonblood (b. May 5, 1976) and Seargeoh (b. 1979). His younger son was diagnosed with autism at an early age. The couple divorced on February 14, 1985. He married model and actress Brigitte Nielsen, on December 15, 1985, in Beverly Hills, California. Stallone and Nielsen's marriage, which lasted two years, and their subsequent divorce, were highly publicized by the tabloid press. In May 1997, Stallone married Jennifer Flavin, with whom he has three daughters: Sophia Rose (b. August 27, 1996), Sistine Rose (b. June 27, 1998), and Scarlet Rose (b. May 25, 2002).

In 2007, he was caught in Australia with 48 vials of the synthetic human growth hormone Jintropin.

After Stallone's request that his acting and life experiences be accepted in exchange for his remaining credits, he was granted a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) degree by the President of the University of Miami in 1999.

Stallone stopped going to church as his acting career progressed. He began to rediscover his childhood faith when his daughter was born ill in 1996, and is now a churchgoing Catholic.

Stallone supports the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and is featured prominently on that organization's website along with other celebrities.

Tobacco promotion

In 1983 Stallone entered into an agreement with Associated Film Promotions, Inc. representing their client, cigarette manufacturer Brown & Williamson Corp., to use or place B&W; products in five of his feature films. In exchange, Stallone was paid a total of $500,000, disbursed as $250,000 up front and $50,000 "payable at the inception of production of each participating film." In the initial correspondences Stallone guaranteed that he would "use Brown and Williamson tobacco products in no less than five feature films" but later, to be consistent with the character of Rocky Balboa, it was decided that "other leads will have product usage" in ''Rocky IV''. In 2002 documentation of the agreement was made publicly available through the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library at the University of California, San Francisco.

Injuries

Known for physically demanding roles, and his willingness to do a majority of his own stunts, Stallone has suffered numerous injuries during his acting career. For a scene in ''Rocky IV'', he told Dolph Lundgren "Punch me as hard as you can in the chest." "Next thing I know, I was in intensive care at St. John’s Hospital for four days. It’s stupid!" While filming a fight scene with actor Steve Austin in ''The Expendables'', he broke his neck, which required the insertion of a metal plate.

Filmography

''Also see Sylvester Stallone filmography.'' ''Stop

rowspan=2	Year	Film	Credited as				Role	Notes
Director	Producer		Writer	Actor
rowspan="2"	1970	''The Party at Kitty and Stud's''					Stud
					Jerry Savage
	Bananas (film)>Bananas''					Subway Thug No.1	Uncredited
''Klute''					Discothèque Patron	Uncredited
1974	''The Lords of Flatbush''					Stanley Rosiello	Writer (additional dialogue)
rowspan="7"	1975	''The Prisoner of Second Avenue''					Youth in Park
''Capone (film)	Capone''					Frank Nitti
''Death Race 2000''					Machine Gun Joe Viterbo
''Mandingo (film)	Mandingo''					Young Man in Crowd	Uncredited (Scenes deleted)
''Farewell, My Lovely (1975 film)	Farewell, My Lovely''					Jonnie
''Police Story (TV series)	Police Story''					Caddo	TV series (1 episode)
''Kojak''					Detective Rick Daly
	Cannonball (film)>Cannonball''					Mafioso	Uncredited
''Rocky''					Rocky Balboa	Writer
rowspan="2"	1978	''F.I.S.T.''					Johnny D. Kovak	Screenplay
''Paradise Alley''					Cosmo Carboni	Director and Writer
1979	''Rocky II''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
rowspan="2"	1981	Nighthawks (film)>Nighthawks''					Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva
''Escape to Victory''					Captain Robert Hatch
rowspan="2"	1982	''Rocky III''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
''First Blood''						Screenplay
1983	''Staying Alive''					Man on Street	Cameo; Uncredited, Director, Producer and Writer
1984	Rhinestone (film)>Rhinestone''					Nick Martinelli	Screenplay
1985	''Rambo: First Blood Part II''						Screenplay
1985	''Rocky IV''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
1986	Cobra (1986 film)>Cobra''					Lieutenant Marion 'Cobra' Cobretti	Screenplay
1987	Over the Top (film)>Over the Top''					Lincoln Hawk	Screenplay
1988	''Rambo III''						Writer
rowspan="2"	1989	Lock Up (film)>Lock Up''					Frank Leone
''Tango & Cash''					Raymond 'Ray' Tango
1990	''Rocky V''					Rocky Balboa	Writer
1991	Oscar (1991 film)>Oscar''					Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone
1992	Or My Mom Will Shoot''					Sgt. Joe Bomowski
	Cliffhanger (film)>Cliffhanger''					Gabe Walker	Screenplay
''Demolition Man (film)	Demolition Man''					John Spartan
1994	''The Specialist''					Ray Quick
rowspan="3"	1995''
''Assassins (1995 film)	Assassins''					Robert Rath
''Your Studio and You''					Himself
1996	Daylight (film)>Daylight''					Kit Latura
rowspan="3"	1997	The Good Life (1997 film)>The Good Life''					Boss	not released
''Men In Black (film)	Men In Black''					Alien on TV Monitors	Cameo; uncredited
''Cop Land''					Sheriff Freddy Heflin
rowspan=2	1998	''Antz''					Weaver	Voice
''An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn''					Himself
2000	Get Carter (2000 film)>Get Carter''					Jack Carter
2001	''Driven''					Joe Tanto	Producer and Screenplay
rowspan="3"	2002	''Liberty's Kids''					Paul Revere	TV series (1 episode)
''D-Tox''					Jake Malloy
''Avenging Angelo''					Frankie Delano
rowspan="3"	2003	''Taxi 3''					Passenger to Airport	Cameo; Uncredited
''Shade (film)	Shade''					Dean 'The Dean' Stevens
''Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over''
2005	Las Vegas (TV series)>Las Vegas''					Frank the Repairman	TV Series (2 episodes)
2006	Rocky Balboa (film)>Rocky Balboa''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
2008	Rambo (film)>Rambo''						Director and Writer
2009	''Kambakkht Ishq''					Himself	Cameo
2010	The Expendables (2010 film)>The Expendables''					Barney Ross	Director and Writer
2011	Zookeeper (film)>Zookeeper''					Lion	Voice
2012	''The Expendables 2''					Barney Ross
2012	''Bullet to the Head''						''Hitman''

References

External links

Category:1946 births Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American film directors of Italian descent Category:Actors from Maryland Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Russian descent Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:Charlotte Hall Military Academy alumni Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Living people Category:New York Republicans Category:People from Silver Spring, Maryland Category:University of Miami alumni

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