Mike Mazurki (25 December 1907 â€" 9 December 1990) was an American
actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films.
His towering 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence and intimidating face usually
got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and
gangsters.Mazurki was born Markiyan (Mykhailo) Mazurkevych (Ukrainian:
ÐœÐ°Ñ€ÐºÑ–Ñ Ð½ (Михайло) Мазуркевич) (Polish:
Markijan (Mychajlo) Mazurkiewicz) in the village of Kupchyntsi (in
present-day Kozova Raion), near what was then Tarnopol, Galicia,
Austria-Hungary (now Ternopil, Ukraine). He was from an ethnic
Ukrainian family. In 1913, he emigrated with his family to the United
States living in Cohoes, New York, just outside Albany, in old mill
housing on Olmstead Street with his mother.Mazurki attended LaSalle
Institute in Troy, for high school. Upon finishing school, he changed
his name to "Mike". He played football and basketball at Manhattan
College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930.
After earning his bachelor's degree, Mazurki graduated from Fordham
Law School and became an attorney. He later said he took up
professional wrestling because he could earn around ten times what he
could as a lawyer. Mazurki was also a professional American football
and basketball player.Mazurki was discovered by Josef von Sternberg
and given a bit part in his film The Shanghai Gesture (1941). This led
to a long film and television career. Possibly his most memorable role
was that of slow-witted thug Moose Malloy in the film noir Murder, My
Sweet (1944), opposite Dick Powell. He portrayed the psychotic,
knife-wielding murderer Splitface in the original Dick Tracy (1945).
He played a wrestler nicknamed "The Strangler" in Night and the City
(1950) and a role imitating the manner of a George Raft henchman in
the Billy Wilder comedy, Some Like It Hot (1959). He continued to
wrestle during his acting career. His slurred speech was reportedly
due to a wrestling injury to his Adam's apple.
actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films.
His towering 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence and intimidating face usually
got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and
gangsters.Mazurki was born Markiyan (Mykhailo) Mazurkevych (Ukrainian:
ÐœÐ°Ñ€ÐºÑ–Ñ Ð½ (Михайло) Мазуркевич) (Polish:
Markijan (Mychajlo) Mazurkiewicz) in the village of Kupchyntsi (in
present-day Kozova Raion), near what was then Tarnopol, Galicia,
Austria-Hungary (now Ternopil, Ukraine). He was from an ethnic
Ukrainian family. In 1913, he emigrated with his family to the United
States living in Cohoes, New York, just outside Albany, in old mill
housing on Olmstead Street with his mother.Mazurki attended LaSalle
Institute in Troy, for high school. Upon finishing school, he changed
his name to "Mike". He played football and basketball at Manhattan
College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930.
After earning his bachelor's degree, Mazurki graduated from Fordham
Law School and became an attorney. He later said he took up
professional wrestling because he could earn around ten times what he
could as a lawyer. Mazurki was also a professional American football
and basketball player.Mazurki was discovered by Josef von Sternberg
and given a bit part in his film The Shanghai Gesture (1941). This led
to a long film and television career. Possibly his most memorable role
was that of slow-witted thug Moose Malloy in the film noir Murder, My
Sweet (1944), opposite Dick Powell. He portrayed the psychotic,
knife-wielding murderer Splitface in the original Dick Tracy (1945).
He played a wrestler nicknamed "The Strangler" in Night and the City
(1950) and a role imitating the manner of a George Raft henchman in
the Billy Wilder comedy, Some Like It Hot (1959). He continued to
wrestle during his acting career. His slurred speech was reportedly
due to a wrestling injury to his Adam's apple.
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