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 George Foreman, shown here on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Show, appeared as himself in the Sanford and Son episode titled "The Director" (#5.21). | ||||
| Vital Information | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Born: | January 10, 1949 | |||
| Birthplace: | Houston, Texas, U.S. | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Former Heavyweight boxing champion, entrepenuer, businessman, actor, author, clergyman, TV infomerical spokesperson, TV personality | |||
| Years active: | 1969-present | |||
| Family/Personal information | ||||
| Spouse(s): | Mary Martelly (25 March 1985 - present) 6 children Andrea Skeete (28 April 1982 - 4 February 1985) (divorced) 2 children | |||
| Related to: | 12 children in total | |||
| Character/series involvement | ||||
| Appeared on/ Involved with: |
Sanford and Son | |||
| Episodes appeared in: | "The Director" in Season 5 | |||
| Character(s) played: | Himself | |||
Former Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman (born January 10, 1949) apeeared as himself in the Sanford and Son episode titled The Director (Season 5, Episode #21). Since he retired from boxing for good since 1997, the former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ordained Baptist minister has become a highly successful author, part time actor, motivational speaker and entrepreneur.
Biography[]
Early life and boxing career[]
After dropping out of school at the age 15, and joining the Job Corps at age 16, Young George, who was born in Marshall, Texas, and who grew up in nearby Houston's notoriously tough Fifth Ward, was sent to train in California as a boxer for a couple of years, he went on to be a gold medalist at the 1968 Olympics, Foreman won the World Heavyweight title with a second round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. He made two successful title defenses before losing to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He fought on but was unable to secure another title shot and retired following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 and, after suffering from what he described as "a near death experience", along with, a possibly partly because of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, he claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. Then, at that moment, on the spot, he became a Born Again Christian, and then by 1978, an ordained minister.
The Boxing Comeback with Jesus Christ[]
Nine years later, in 1987, Foreman announced a return from retirement to boxing again, to raise money for his church, Church Of The Lord Jesus Christ, and a youth center which he started in 1978, which was short of funds, in spite of detractors, many of them news reporters, who poked fun at his girth, at the time at about 300 lbs., which he gained during his 9 years out of the ring; within several months, George was able to shed about fifty pounds, embarking on the long trek back to title contention usually fighting at between 240-250 pounds. In November 1994, at age 45, after several years of working his way back up the heavyweight ranks, he regained the Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Michael Moorer. He remains the oldest Heavyweight Champion in history. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76–5, including 68 knockouts.
George and Redd Foxx in scene from ''"The Director"'' (#5.21).
Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) rates Foreman as the eighth greatest heavyweight of all-time.[1] In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring magazine.[2] The Ring ranked him as the 9th greatest puncher of all-time.[3] He was a ringside analyst for HBO's boxing coverage for twelve years, leaving in 2004.[4]
The George Foreman Grill and other ventures[]
Outside of boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and is known for his promotion of the 'George Foreman Grill', which has sold over 100 million units worldwide.[5] In 1999 he sold the naming rights to the grill for $138 million.[6]
Family snd private life[]
Foreman has 12 children. His 5 sons are George Jr, from his first marriage to AdrienneCalhoun, The other sons, from his marriage to present wife Mary Martelly are George III ("Monk"), George IV ("Big Wheel"), George V ("Red"), and George VI ("Little Joey"). The 2 daughters from his marriage to wife Mary are Natalia and Leola; his 3 daughters from former marriages are Michi, Freeda, and Georgetta. He adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009; and another, Courtney Isaac (Foreman), in 2012.
References[]
- ↑ George Foreman bio at ibroresearch.com, first accessed November 12, 2011
- ↑ George Foreman biography at About.com: Boxing
- ↑ Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers, by Andrew Eisel for About.com: Boxing
- ↑ George Foreman Leaves HBO Sports After Twelve Great Years, PR Newswire, December 4, 2003 article, accessed 2012-01-21.
- ↑ History of the George Foreman Grill, GeorgeForemanCooking.com, accessed 2012-01-21.
- ↑ Millionaire High School Dropouts Page 2 of 2, Forbes.com, by Helen Coster January 30, 2010.