Professor Toru Tanaka (Dead)
Charles "Charlie" J. Kalani, Jr.
1930 - 2000
"Professor Toru Tanaka" Video
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Charlie Kalani was a former college football player, U.S. Army veteran and Judo instructor before he entered professional wrestling in 1967. Adopting the name Professor Toru Tanaka, he utilized his martial arts training to full advantage in the ring. Tanaka captured tag team titles in 1969, 1972, 1973 and 1977 with a variety of partners such as Mr. Fuji. Tanaka also appeared in several forgettable action flicks such as Revenge of the Ninja (1983), Catch the Heat (1987), Dead Heat (1988) and Alligator II: The Mutation (1991). Tanaka died of heart failure in 2000.
User Comments - Add a Comment
Gerry - 2009-11-09 14:17:05
I saw Tanaka after a match in Ottawa, in a restaurant with Mr Fugi, My friends and I were stting right next to him, he was eating a extra large pizza and a jug pitcher of beer to himself, Fugi was eating spaghetti and a normal size Labbatts beer, he is a big man with a big appetite.
big boy - 2009-07-26 06:46:00
it is sad that he died he was good playing the running man