Professor Tanaka

This article is about the American professional wrestler. For the Japanese wrestler, see Minoru Tanaka (wrestler).

Professor Tanaka
Tanaka, c. 1973
Birth nameCharles J. Kalani Jr.
Born(1930-01-06)January 6, 1930
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
DiedAugust 22, 2000(2000-08-22) (aged 70)[1]
Lake Forest, California, U.S.
Alma materWeber State University
University of Utah
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Professor Tanaka
Professor Toru Tanaka
Billed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Billed weight280 lb (130 kg)[2]
Billed fromHiroshima, Japan[2]
Debut1958
Retired1986
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1955-1966
Rank Sergeant

Charles J. Kalani Jr. (January 6, 1930 – August 22, 2000) was an American professional wrestler, professional boxer,[3] martial artist and actor. He was known by the ring names Professor Toru Tanaka, or simply Professor Tanaka. He was best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1967 to 1978, and was a 3-time Tag Team Championship (with partner Mr. Fuji) and one-time International Tag Team Champion (with Mitsu Arakawa). In 2019, he was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a Legacy Member.[4]

  1. ^ "Charlie Kalani, 70, Remembered As Versatile Actor". Classic Wrestling Articles. December 26, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Encyclopedia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Charley Kalani". Boxrec Boxing Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).