Ivan Linow

Ivan Linow
Ivan Linow about to fight Joel McCrea in 1930's The Silver Horde.
Born	Janis Linaus (1888-11-21)November 21, 1888 Latvia
Died	November 21, 1940(1940-11-21) (aged 52) London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Wrestler, actor
Years active	1918–1935

Ivan Linow, also known as Jack Linow, was a Latvian-born American wrestler, who would go on to become a character actor in American films during the silent and early sound film eras. Born in Latvia on November 21, 1888, he would begin wrestling in the United States in 1918. Between 1918 and 1933, he would participate in 92 matches, with a record of 38 wins and 23 losses. Linow's monikers in the ring were "the Cossack" and the "Russian Man-Eater". During his wrestling career he would face other notable wrestlers of that era, such as Joe Stecher and Ed Lewis.

Using his popularity as a wrestler, Linow entered the film industry during the 1920s, his first film being Cappy Ricks (1921). In his fifteen-year acting career he would appear in over forty films in supporting and bit parts. While appearing in films, Linow would continue his wrestling career, his final match would be in July 1931, under the pseudonym, Jack Leon, in which he would defeat Young Sandow. Linow would retire from films two years later, in 1935; his final film was The Black Room, starring Boris Karloff. On November 21, 1940, while in London, Linow would die of a heart attack.

(Per AFI database)