Mark Tendler (March 4, 1932 – February 15, 1990) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He worked for in Hawaii in the late 1950s and the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the 1970s.[2][3]
| Mark Tendler | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1932 Bronx, New York, United States |
| Died | February 15, 1990 (aged 57) Stony Brook, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Murdered by gunshot |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 264 lb (120 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | George Tragos |
| Debut | 1955 |
| Retired | 1979 |
Professional wrestling career
editOriginally a boxer, Tendler made his professional wrestling debut in 1955 in New Jersey after being trained by George Tragos. In 1956, he went to Hawaii to work for 50th State Big Time Wrestling as Prince Charming. In 1959 he went to his hometown of New York City and worked for Capitol Wrestling Corporation. Later that year Tendler took a hiatus from wrestling to focus on his acting career.
In 1974, he came out of retirement and returned to Capitol Wrestling Corporation now renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation.[4] He worked as a jobber and his biggest victory was a disqualification win over WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz in December 1975[5] and a pinfall win over Rodz in August 1978.[6] He worked for the WWWF until 1979.
In 1979, he worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
His last match was on July 7, 1979, for WWWF now WWF (World Wrestling Federation) when he defeated Tony Altomare in Poughkeepsie, New York.[7] He would retire from wrestling after that match.
Personal life
editHe was married to wrestler Kitty Adams who worked the WWWF from the mid to late 1970s.
Outside of wrestling during the 1960s he worked as a full-time lingerie salesman.
Tendler trained wrestlers The Sandman,[8] Chris Michaels, Sonny Blaze and Brian Donahue.
Death
editOn February 13, 1990, Tendler was at the parking lot of the Crazy Clown in Riverhead, New York where he was the manager of the club. He was found shot in the head in his car. He was flown by helicopter to University Hospital in Stony Brook, where he died two days later on the 15th. He was 57. As of September 2023[update], the killer has not been found.[9][better source needed][10]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Hercules In New York | Samson | Film |
| 1973 | Badge 373 | Harobur Lights Boucher | Film |
| 1979 | Night-Flowers | Referee | Film |
References
edit- ^ "Mark Tendler: Profile". CageMatch.
- ^ "1976".
- ^ "1977".
- ^ "1974".
- ^ "1975".
- ^ "1978". Thehistoryofwwe.com. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "1979".
- ^ "Sandman Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ Wade, P. W. (September 6, 2023). "Mark Tendler: Murder at the Crazy Clown". ProWrestlingStories. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ "Crazy Clown Conspiracy: The Shocking Murder that Rocked Mark Tendler's World". ProWrestlingStories. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
Further reading
editGeneral
- "To Mark, It's a Lot More Things". Newsday (Nassau Edition). Melville, New York. January 31, 1974. p. 133.
- "Mystery Over Motive In Attack Outside Bar". Newsday (Norfolk Edition). Melville, New York. February 15, 1990. p. 16.
External links
edit- Mark Tendler at IMDb