Theodoros Vetoyanis ( Greek Θεόδωρος Βετογιάνης , English Theodore Vetoyanis ; February 28, 1908 , Pueblo , Colorado , USA - May 22, 1984 , Tampa , Florida , USA ) [1] - American professional wrestler of Greek origin, a sports promoter. He performed in the ring under the name George Zakharias ( Greek Γεώργιος Ζαχάριας , English George Zaharias ), as well as in the 1930s. was commonly known as The Crying Greek from Cripple Creek and The Greek Hyena . He was a member of the US-Greek Progressive Enlightenment Union .
| George Zacharias | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Theodoros Vetoyanis |
| Names in the ring | George Zacharias The Crying Greek from Cripple Creek , The Greek Hyena , Gorgeous George Zaharias Colorado Crooner The Pueblo Pigeon ( The Pueblo Pouter ) The meanest guy ( The Meanest Man ) |
| general information | |
| Declared Weight | 140 kg |
| Citizenship | |
| Date of Birth | |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
| Debut | OK. 1930 |
| End of career | 1938 |
Biography
Born February 28, 1908 in the city of Pueblo ( Colorado , USA ) in a family of Greek workers Gus and Dimitra Vetoyanis, a native of the city of Tripoli ( Arcadia , Peloponnese , Greece ), where Teodoros's father worked at a steel plant , and upon arrival in Colorado became a farmer .
The name given to him at birth (Theodoros), he, like many immigrants, Americanized . His promoter gave him the nickname "Zacharias" (from the Greek. Ζάχαρη - sugar). Two brothers and the nephew of Theodoros were engaged in wrestling under the same name.
One of the most famous fights of Zakharias took place on November 19, 1931 at the Maple Leaf Gardens arena in Toronto ( Canada ), where Zakharias met with another professional wrestler of Greek origin Jim Londos , having been defeated [2] . This fight gathered the largest audience of spectators (14,350 people) from all other wrestling matches held in Toronto that year [3] .
In 1938, Zacharias met Babe Didrikson , a talented young athlete , better known as a golfer . In the same year, they got married, and Zakharias left wrestling, becoming the sports manager of his wife. He was also involved in organizing a wrestling show and was the owner of a tobacco store in Denver ( Colorado ) [4] . When Babe's career went up, he ran a sewing workshop, a women's sportswear store in Beverly Hills, California , and a golf course in Florida , where the couple retired.
In 1975, actor Alex Carras portrayed Zacharias in the television movie “Babe,” along with his future wife Susan Clarke , who played the role of Didrickson. The picture told the story of an athlete who won two gold medals in athletics at the X Summer Olympics of 1932 in Los Angeles , and then became the champion in golf , as well as about her fight against cancer .
The couple Zakharias did not have children, but received a categorical refusal from her authorities for her request for adoption of a child.
George Zacharias survived his late wife for 28 years. In January 1960, he married actress Betty Burgess in Las Vegas, Nevada . [5] The wrestler’s last wife was his childhood sweetheart and former tennis champion Harriet Apostolos [6] .
He died on May 22, 1984 in the city of Tampa ( Florida ) [7] .
Notes
- ↑ Contributed by Jean Griesen and Karen Mitchell. George Zaharias (English) . kmitch.com.
- ↑ The Inside Cradle . Canoe.ca (November 10, 2003).
- ↑ Top drawing matches, year-by-year, 1929-1974 . Toronto Wrestling History . Archived December 27, 2014.
- ↑ Whatta Woman . Time (March 10, 1947).
- ↑ George Zaharias Weds Actress Betty Burgess // The Ocala Star-Banner. - 1960. - January 1. - S. 12 .
- ↑ George Zaharias. Biography imdb.com .
- ↑ George Zaharias, HusbandOf Babe Didrikson, Is Dead . The New York Times (May 24, 1984).
Links
- Susan E. Cayleff . Babe Didrikson: The Greatest All-Sport Athlete of All Time . Conari Press (July 16, 2000).
- George Zaharias - Biography