Rudolf Wanderone

For the fictional pool player after whom Wanderone nicknamed himself, see Minnesota Fats.
Rudolf Wanderone
Wanderone on the front cover of "Minnesota Fats" on Pool, 1967
Born
Rudolf Walter Wanderon Jr.

(1913-01-19)January 19, 1913[1]
New York City, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedJanuary 15, 1996(1996-01-15) (aged 82)[1]
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.[1]
Other namesMinnesota Fats
New York Fats
Broadway Fats
Chicago Fats
Double-Smart
Triple-Smart Fats
OccupationProfessional pocket billiards player
Spouse(s)Evelyn Graff, Theresa Bell

Rudolf Walter Wanderone (né Rudolf Walter Wanderon Jr.; January 19, 1913 – January 15, 1996),[2][3] commonly known as Minnesota Fats, was an American professional pool player. Although he never won a major pool tournament as "Fats", he was at one time perhaps the most publicly recognized pool player in the United States—not only as a player, but also as an entertainer.[4] Wanderone was inducted in 1984 into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame for his decades-long public promotion of pool.

Wanderone began playing at a young age in New York City. As a teenager, he became a traveling pool hustler. Later, in his thirties, he moved to Du Quoin, Illinois, where he met and married his first wife, Evelyn. She was a waitress at a steakhouse, The Perfection Club. They married two months after they met.[5] During World War II, he hustled servicemen in Norfolk, Virginia. With the end of the war, Wanderone returned to Illinois and entered semi-retirement.

Wanderone, who was sometimes known by the nickname "New York Fats" in his role as a pool player,[6] adopted the name "Minnesota Fats" from the character of that name in the 1961 film The Hustler, claiming that the character, played by Jackie Gleason, was based upon him.[6]

He parlayed the association with the film into his own book deals and television appearances, including a series of matches with rival Willie Mosconi. Later in life, Wanderone divorced Evelyn and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he married his second wife, Theresa, with whom he remained until his death.

  1. ^ a b c d "Rudolph Walter "Minnesota Fats" Wonderon Jr". Find A Grave.
  2. ^ "'Rudolf W. Wanderon' Waymark". Waymarking.com. Seattle: Groundspeak. January 26, 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2008. Includes three photos of his grave marker; provides birth and death dates, and legal surname spelling.
  3. ^ 1920 United States Federal Census. Washington, DC: United States Census Bureau. 1920. "Rudolph Wanderon" entry in New York City (the only one there). Retrieved May 12, 2016. Provides surname spelling without the terminal "e", name with "Jr.", age of 7 as of 1920, mother's name as "Rosa" or "Rose", New York City residence. Copy is poor; data columns verified by comparison to legible blank 1920 census form Archived 2008-10-31 at the Wayback Machine. Census-taker's handwriting poor as well, but "e" clearly absent. Note: Full details of search results, including scan of document, only available to site subscribers, but original document on file in US National Archives.
  4. ^ Dyer, R. A. (September 2008). "Fats Family Breakthrough". Billiards Digest ("Untold Stories" column ed.). Chicago: Luby Publishing: 46–49.
  5. ^ Parker, Molly (Jan 24, 2016). "Remembering Minnesota Fats: The real, imagined and exaggerated". TheSouthern.com.
  6. ^ a b Putnam, Pat (October 14, 1968). "Victimized by a Kids' Game". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 29, no. 16. p. 82.