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Charles Kalani, Jr.

Charles "Charlie" J. Kalani, Jr. (January 6, 1930 - August 22, 2000) was an American professional wrestler, professional boxer, college football player, Soldier, actor, and Martial Artist who, in fighting rings, was also known as Professor Toru Tanaka, or simply, Professor Tanaka.

Biography

Early life

He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of Charles J. Kalani and Christina Leong Kalani (who was part Chinese). Charlie began studying judo at age nine. At Iolani High School (class of 1949), he was a natural at many sports, and Doris Kalani credited his time on the football team with keeping him away from trouble. "He was a street kid getting into trouble and would have ended up in reform school if Father [Kenneth] Bray hadn't helped him out by bringing him to Iolani. He felt Iolani saved him," she told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

He would leave Hawaii for Utah's Weber Junior College (now Weber State University). On December 6, 1951, the Associated Press reported he received honorable mention for playing football at the University of Utah. It was at the University of Utah that he also met his wife Doris in 1952. On December 3, 1952 the Associated Press reported Charlie would become a professional boxer. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1955, Charlie would rise to the rank of sergeant, and excelled on the pistol team.

For four years, Charlie and Doris were at the base in Nuremberg, Germany.

Career

Pre-Wrestling

After his discharge from the service in 1966, the couple moved to Monterey, California, where Charlie ran a Judo and Danzan-ryu Jujitsu academy with Professor John Chow-Hoon. San Francisco promoter Roy Shire asked him to wrestle in 1967, but he had to get meaner. "Charlie was almost full-blooded Hawaiian," said Doris. "In wrestling, Hawaii seemed not as exciting as Japan, so they talked him into becoming a Japanese wrestler."

Wrestling

Charlie's most famous tag team partner was Harry Fujiwara (better known as Mr. Fuji), whom he knew from high school in Hawaii. In his book, Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks, Freddie Blassie explored the relationship between the two "Japanese" heels.

Post-Wrestling

By the early 1980s, Kalani's body couldn't handle the beatings in the ring any longer, and he moved into the film world on a more permanent basis. His first film was 1981's An Eye for an Eye and his last film was 1995's Hard Justice.

Charlie died of heart failure on August 22, 2000 at the age of 70. He had a full military funeral.

Filmography

Hard Justice (1995)
Last Action Hero (1993)
3 Ninjas (1992)
Deadly Game (1991)
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Alligator II: The Mutation (1991)
Darkman (1990)
Martial Law (1990)
Black Rain (1989)
Tax Season (1989)
Dead Heat (1988)
The Running Man (1987)
Catch The Heat (1987)
Shanghai Surprise (1986)
The A-Team - The Maltese Cow (1983)
The Spy Who Mugged Me (1986)
Bad Guys (1986)
Volunteers (1985)
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984)
Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
Off the Wall (1983)
Little House on the Prairie - A new beginning - "Alden's Dilemma" Season 9 aired first on December 6 1982
An Eye for an Eye (1981)

Trivia

Professor Tanaka was also featured in a television commercial for a brand of rice in Puerto Rico. His other appearance in a commercial was for Colgate toothpaste with Pat Morita. Tanaka was seen as an extra in a few of David Lee Roth's music videos in the mid-1980s.

Tanaka was one of three semi-retired professional wrestlers to compete in a tug-of-war match with two other wrestlers teamed up against a large group of children on the Nickelodeon series Wild and Crazy Kids in the early 1990s.

In wrestling

Finishing and signature moves

*Cobra clutch

Managers

*Grand Wizard (Ernie Roth)

*Fred Blassie

*Lou Albano

Wrestlers managed

*Mando Guerrero

Championships and accomplishments

Championship Wrestling from Florida

*NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dick Slater

Continental Wrestling Association

*AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mr. Fuji

Georgia Championship Wrestling

*NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mr. Fuji

International Wrestling Alliance

*IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Skull Murphy

L&G Promotions

*L&G Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time) (First)

National Wrestling Alliance

*NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (2 times)¹

NWA Big Time Wrestling

*NWA American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

*NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Thunderbolt Patterson

*NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship (2 times)

NWA Hollywood Wrestling

*NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dr. Hiro Ota

NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions

*NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)

NWA New Zealand

*NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Southeastern Championship Wrestling

*NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mr. Fuji

World Wide Wrestling Federation

*WWWF International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mitsu Arakawa (First)

*WWWF World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Mr. Fuji

¹Records don't show which NWA affiliate Tanaka worked for when his two reigns with the title began. While usually defended in Southeastern Championship Wrestling, it was occasionally used in other promotions.