Rafer Johnson
Biography
Rafer Johnson was an American decathlete who became an Olympic champion and later an actor and sportscaster. Born in Hillsboro, Texas, he grew up in Kingsburg, California, and broke the world record in the decathlon while a student at UCLA. He won gold at the 1955 Pan American Games, took silver at the 1956 Olympics, and claimed gold at the 1960 Rome Games, where he also carried the U.S. flag; in 1984 he lit the Olympic cauldron in Los Angeles. He began acting in 1960 and worked mostly in films that decade, among them The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961), Wild in the Country (1961) and Pirates of Tortuga (1961), and he later appeared in None but the Brave (1965), two Tarzan movies with Mike Henry, Licence to Kill (1989) and Think Big (1989). He also worked as a sportscaster, serving as a weekend sports anchor in Los Angeles, and helped found the California Special Olympics.
86years old at death
- Born Hillsboro
- Died Sherman Oaks
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Also credited as Rafer Lewis Johnson
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 28 years1961 to 1989
First and latest
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A role that slipped away
While training for the 1960 Olympics, Rafer Johnson read for and won the part of the Ethiopian gladiator Draba in Spartacus, but the Amateur Athletic Union forced him to turn it down because it would have made him a professional and cost him his Olympic eligibility.
Behind the award
In 1960, Johnson received the James E. Sullivan Award, given to the country's best amateur athlete, and by doing so he broke the award's color barrier.
Own stunts
Rafer Johnson was a starter on UCLA's 1958-59 basketball team under coach John Wooden, who considered him a great defensive player.
A change of course
In the 1959 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams took Johnson in the 28th round as a running back. The Los Angeles Jets also picked him as a guard in the 1961 ABL draft, but he never played for either team.
Rafer Johnson movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
Rafer Johnson shares two films with Ken Scott, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Ken Scott's page
Rachel Stephens's page
David Carradine's page
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister's page
Elvis Presley's page
Frank Sinatra's page
Philip DunneDirector, 1 film, 1961
All films by Philip Dunne
Jon TurteltaubDirector, 1 film, 1989
All films by Jon Turteltaub
Awards
Five awards and honors from 1960 to 2009.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2009 | California Hall of Fame | Won | |
| 1994 | Theodore Roosevelt Award | Won | |
| 1962 | Golden Plate Award | Won | |
| 1960 | Associated Press Athlete of the Year | Won | |
| Horatio Alger Award | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.