Barry Bremen

Barry Bremen
Born
Barry Bremen[1]

(1947-06-30)June 30, 1947
DiedJune 30, 2011(2011-06-30) (aged 64)
OccupationInsurance salesman/marketing executive/novelty goods salesman
Years active1979–1986
Known forProlific sports impersonations
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
TitleThe Great Imposter
SpouseMargo
Childrenat least 40[2]

Barry Bremen (June 30, 1947[3] – June 30, 2011)[1] was a West Bloomfield, Michigan, insurance[4] and novelty goods salesman[1] and marketing executive[3] known in the sports world as The Great Imposter. From 1979 to 1986, the 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m),[5] "lean"[6] Bremen posed as a Major League Baseball umpire in the World Series, a player in a Major League Baseball All-Star Game, a player in a National Basketball Association All-Star Game, a referee in the National Football League, a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and a professional golfer. He also posed as an Emmy Award accepter.

Bremen was a self-proclaimed jock who regularly played touch football, basketball, and softball. His wife Margo, in a 1980 People magazine profile of the imposter, said Bremen was "fulfilling a grand fantasy to be in the limelight. He feels if you have no guts you have no glory in your life." His advice to other impostors: "Don't do it. It's against the law. Stay away. This is my act."[5]

He is known to be the biological donor father of at least 40 children.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d e Vitello, Paul (July 10, 2011). "Barry Bremen, Professional Impostor, Dies at 64". New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. ^ Chandler Engelbrecht (July 11, 2022). "The Great Imposter and Me: New ESPN documentary reveals Detroiter Barry Bremen's biggest secret". Detroit Free Press.
  3. ^ a b Lynch, Eamon. "That Man's An Imposter: Former NFL cheerleader Barry Bremen crashed the 1985 U.S. Open," Golf magazine (2005). Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  4. ^ Kenyon, J. Michael. "Real action in '79 was outside the lines," Seattle Post-Intelligencer (July 6, 2001). Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Greenwalt, Julie. "When Barry Bremen Tried to Infiltrate the Dallas Cowgirls, the Team Found It a Drag," People, vol. 13, no. 2 (Jan. 14, 1980).
  6. ^ Rubin, Neal. "Great Impostor sidelined today," Detroit News (February 5, 2006). Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  7. ^ Chandler Engelbrecht (July 11, 2022). "The Great Imposter and Me: New ESPN documentary reveals Detroiter Barry Bremen's biggest secret". Detroit Free Press.