Hélio Gracie
| Hélio Gracie | |
|---|---|
Gracie in 2004
|
|
| Born |
October 1, 1913 Belém do Pará, Brazil |
| Died | January 29, 2009 (aged 95) Petrópolis, Brazil |
| Other names | "Caxinguelê" ("Squirrel") |
| Style | Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Judo |
| Teacher(s) |
Carlos Gracie Orlando Americo da Silva |
| Rank | 10th degree Red Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Notable students | Rickson Gracie, Royler Gracie, Royce Gracie, Relson Gracie, Rorion Gracie, Carlos "Caique" Elias |
Hélio Gracie (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛlju ˈɡɾejsi]; October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who, together with his brother Carlos Gracie, founded the martial art of Gracie jiu-jitsu and with Luiz França and Oswaldo Fadda the martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). According to Rorion Gracie, his father Hélio is one of the first sports heroes in Brazilian history; he was named Man of the Year in 1997 by the American martial arts publication Black Belt magazine. A patriarch of the Gracie family, he was the father of Rickson, Royler, Royce, Relson, and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder Rorion Gracie, among other sons and daughters. According to one of his most notable opponents, Masahiko Kimura, Gracie held the rank of 6th dan in judo.
Gracie was born on October 1, 1913, in Belém do Pará, Brazil. A very athletic boy, he trained in rowing and swimming from his childhood, and had his first contact in martial arts at 16, when he started training judo (at that time commonly referred to as "Kano Jiu-jitsu" or simply "Jiu-Jitsu"), with his brothers Carlos and George. He also learned catch wrestling under the renowned Orlando Americo "Dudú" da Silva, who also taught his brothers for a time. When he was 16 years old, he found the opportunity to teach a judo class and this experience led him to develop Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. A director of the Bank of Brazil, Mario Brandt, arrived for a private class at the original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro, as scheduled. The instructor, Carlos Gracie, was running late and was not present. Helio offered to begin the class with the man. When the tardy Carlos arrived offering his apologies, the student assured him it was no problem, and actually requested that he be allowed to continue learning with Helio Gracie instead. Carlos agreed to this and Helio Gracie became an instructor.
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