Yuri Borienko

Yuri Borienko was a Polish wrestler and actor who became known for playing Grunther, the henchman of Blofeld, in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). He went to America in 1956, where he may have started wrestling, then came back to Britain in 1960. He worked for independent promoters until Joint Promotions signed him in 1962. His ring name came from the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and the wrestler Stanislaus Borienko. Through the rest of the decade he toured southern England against other heavyweights, sometimes leaving to appear on television and in movies. On screen he guest starred in British series including Z-Cars, Department S and The Persuaders!, and he appeared in several films. He got the part of Grunther after sparring with George Lazenby during Lazenby's screen test for Bond, an incident that helped Lazenby win the role. Borienko died in 1999.