Gene LeBell was married to Eleanor Smerch, and their union produced three children – stuntman David LeBell, Monica LeBell Pandis, and Danny “LeBell” Martindale.
The couple also have four grandsons, Jimmy James LeBell, Nicholas, Aleksander and Daniel Gene.
Who Was Gene LeBell?
Gene LeBell was a martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and former wrestler.
Born on October 9, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, Gene began training in Catch wrestling and boxing at a very young age.
His mother, at the time, was his biggest influence. She was a promoter of the wrestling and boxing sports.
At age 7, Gene was already training under Ed “Strangler” Lewis and then began learning judo in Japan, after earning his black belt.
Gene was nicknamed “the Godfather of Grappling”, because he was always grappling during fights.
In 2000, he became the 9th Dan in jujitsu and taihojutsu, a title conferred on him by the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF). Four years after, Gene was promoted to 10th Degree.
Aside from martial arts, Gene also worked on more than 1,000 films and TV shows and wrote 12 books.
Gene passed away on August 9, 2022. He was aged 89.