George Steele

George "The Animal" Steele
Steele in 2009
Birth nameWilliam James Myers
Born(1937-04-16)April 16, 1937
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 16, 2017(2017-02-16) (aged 79)
Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathKidney failure
Alma materMichigan State University
Central Michigan University
Spouse(s)
Pat Myers
(m. 1956)
Children3
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Animal Machine[1]
George Steele[1][2]
The Student[1][2]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[3]
Billed weight275 lb (125 kg)[3]
Billed fromDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
Trained byBert Rubi[4]
Debut1960
Retired2001

William James Myers (April 16, 1937 – February 16, 2017), better known by his ring name George "the Animal" Steele, was an American professional wrestler, school teacher, author, and actor. His career lasted from 1967 until 1988, though he made occasional wrestling appearances into the 1990s and 2000s.

Steele was known around the world as a professional wrestler for the WWE (then known as the WWF) and portrayed Swedish wrestler and actor Tor Johnson in Tim Burton's film Ed Wood.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference OWOW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Legends was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "George Steele". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference PWHOF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Maslin, Janet (September 23, 1994). "Ed Wood (1994) Film Festival Review; Ode to a Director Who Dared to Be Dreadful". New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2012.