Floyd Simmons

Floyd Simmons was an American athlete and actor who won bronze medals in the decathlon at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, he played football and ran track at Central High School, where he graduated in 1942 and won two state titles in the 120 yard hurdles. In college he was an All-American hurdler at North Carolina and reached the 220 yards hurdles final at the 1946 NCAA championships. In addition to his athletic career, he was signed by Universal Pictures, guest starred on many television shows, and appeared in more than a dozen films, most memorably South Pacific (1958). His other screen credits included The Deadly Mantis (1957), The Tattered Dress (1957), and Twice-Told Tales (1963). He kept competing in Masters athletics into his 80s, and in 2026 he received a posthumous induction from the North Carolina High School Track and Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame. He died in 2008.