Nathaniel Greene 'Nat' Pendleton was an American former Olympic wrestler turned actor. Two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) champion (1914-1915) in the 175-lb. class at Columbia University, Pendleton graduated Class of 1916. He wrestled for the United States at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, earning a silver medal, losing only one match due to a controversial point decision. After the Games he became a professional wrestler and was a big fan favorite, which led to Hollywood. In the 1920 census he was living in Manhattan with his first wife Juanita Alfonzo (age 22) and her brother Ramon Alfonso (age 13). He was working as a sports manager. Pendleton was usually cast as a circus strongman, brutish thug, dumb cop, or dense buffoon, but he had a college degree and in 1933 wrote the script for Deception (1932), in which he starred - not surprisingly - as a wrestler. Upon his death from a heart attack, his remains were interred at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory in San Diego, California. Nat Pendleton was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2006.
Movie | Complicated Women | Self (archive footage) | 2003-05-06 |
Movie | Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook | Bill Raymond (archive footage) | 1991-01-01 |
Movie | The World of Abbott and Costello | Sergeant Michael Collins in Buck Privates (archive footage) | 1965-04-01 |
Movie | The Big Parade of Comedy | William T. Magiz in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage) | 1964-09-02 |
Movie | Scared to Death | Bill 'Bull' Raymond | 1947-02-01 |
Movie | Buck Privates Come Home | Sgt. Michael Collins | 1947-04-04 |
Movie | Death Valley | Jim Ward | 1946-08-15 |
Movie | Swing Fever | 'Killer' Kennedy | 1943-11-01 |
Movie | Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case | Joe Weyman | 1943-05-08 |
Movie | The Mad Doctor of Market Street | Red Hogan | 1942-02-27 |
Movie | Jail House Blues | Sonny McGann | 1942-02-01 |
Movie | Calling Dr. Gillespie | Joe Weyman | 1942-08-01 |
Movie | Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant | Joe Weyman | 1942-11-01 |
Movie | Buck Privates | Sgt. Michael Collins | 1941-01-31 |
Movie | Top Sergeant Mulligan | Top Sgt. Herman Mulligan | 1941-10-16 |
Movie | Flight Command | C.P.O. 'Spike' Knowles | 1940-12-27 |
Movie | The Ghost Comes Home | Roscoe | 1940-03-08 |
Movie | Northwest Passage | 'Cap' Huff | 1940-02-23 |
Movie | Phantom Raiders | 'Gunboat' Jacklin | 1940-06-07 |
Movie | Dr. Kildare's Strange Case | Joe Wayman, Ambulance Driver | 1940-04-12 |
Movie | New Moon | Bondsman | 1940-06-28 |
Movie | Dr. Kildare Goes Home | Joe Wayman | 1940-09-06 |
Movie | Dr. Kildare's Crisis | Joe Wayman | 1940-11-29 |
Movie | The Golden Fleecing | 'Fatso' Werner | 1940-08-16 |
Movie | It's a Wonderful World | Sergeant Fred Koretz | 1939-05-19 |
Movie | 6,000 Enemies | Socks Martin | 1939-06-09 |
Movie | Calling Dr. Kildare | Joe Wayman | 1939-04-28 |
Movie | Burn 'Em Up O'Connor | Buddy Buttle | 1939-01-13 |
Movie | At the Circus | Goliath | 1939-10-20 |
Movie | The Secret of Dr. Kildare | Joe Wayman | 1939-11-24 |
Movie | On Borrowed Time | Mr. Grimes | 1939-07-07 |
Movie | Another Thin Man | John Guild | 1939-11-17 |
Movie | Fast Company | Paul Terison | 1938-07-05 |
Movie | Arsène Lupin Returns | Joe Doyle | 1938-02-25 |
Movie | Swing Your Lady | Joe Skopapolous | 1938-01-08 |
Movie | The Shopworn Angel | 'Dice' | 1938-07-15 |
Movie | The Chaser | Floppy Phil | 1938-07-29 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1938 | Joe (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1938-12-31 |
Movie | Young Dr. Kildare | Joe Wayman | 1938-10-14 |
Movie | The Crowd Roars | 'Pug' Walsh | 1938-08-06 |
Movie | Under Cover of Night | Police Sgt. Lucks | 1937-01-08 |
Movie | Song of the City | Benvenuto Romandi | 1937-04-02 |
Movie | Life Begins in College | George Black | 1937-10-01 |
Movie | Gangway | Smiles Hogan | 1937-08-19 |
Movie | The Great Ziegfeld | Sandow | 1936-04-08 |
Movie | The Garden Murder Case | Sergeant Ernest Heath | 1936-02-21 |
Movie | Trapped by Television | Rocky O'Neil | 1936-06-15 |
Movie | Sworn Enemy | 'Steamer' Krupp | 1936-09-11 |
Movie | Sing Me a Love Song | Rocky | 1936-12-25 |
Movie | Two in a Crowd | Flynn | 1936-10-03 |
Movie | Reckless | Blossom | 1935-04-19 |
Movie | Times Square Lady | Mack | 1935-03-08 |
Movie | Baby Face Harrington | Rocky Bannister | 1935-04-12 |
Movie | Murder in the Fleet | 'Spud' Burke | 1935-05-24 |
Movie | It's in the Air | Henry Potke | 1935-10-10 |
Movie | Calm Yourself | Knuckles Benedict | 1935-06-28 |
Movie | Here Comes the Band | 'Piccolo Pete' | 1935-08-30 |
Movie | Manhattan Melodrama | Spud | 1934-05-04 |
Movie | Sing and Like it | T. Fenny Sylvester | 1934-04-20 |
Movie | Fugitive Lovers | Legs Caffey | 1934-01-05 |
Movie | The Defense Rests | Rocky | 1934-07-15 |
Movie | Lazy River | Alfred 'Tiny' Smith | 1934-03-16 |
Movie | The Thin Man | Inspector John Guild | 1934-05-25 |
Movie | The Gay Bride | William T. 'Shoots' Magiz | 1934-12-14 |
Movie | Straight Is the Way | Skippy | 1934-08-10 |
Movie | Death on the Diamond | John 'Truck' Hogan | 1934-09-14 |
Movie | The Cat's-Paw | Strozzi | 1934-08-07 |
Movie | The Girl from Missouri | Life Guard | 1934-08-03 |
Movie | Child of Manhattan | Spyrene - Dance Hall Bouncer | 1933-02-11 |
Movie | Parachute Jumper | Motorcycle Policeman (uncredited) | 1933-01-28 |
Movie | Whistling in the Dark | Joe Salvatore | 1933-01-21 |
Movie | The Nuisance | Aloysius P. McCarthy (uncredited) | 1933-06-03 |
Movie | Goldie Gets Along | Motorcycle Officer Cassidy | 1933-01-27 |
Movie | The Chief | Big Mike | 1933-11-03 |
Movie | College Coach | Petrowski | 1933-11-04 |
Movie | Baby Face | Stolvich - Laborer (uncredited) | 1933-07-13 |
Movie | I'm No Angel | Harry (uncredited) | 1933-10-06 |
Movie | Penthouse | Tony Gazotti | 1933-09-08 |
Movie | Lady for a Day | Shakespeare | 1933-09-13 |
Movie | The Big Timer | Kid Melrose (uncredited) | 1932-03-10 |
Movie | Attorney for the Defense | Mugg Malone | 1932-05-21 |
Movie | Hell-Fire Austin | Bouncer | 1932-03-02 |
Movie | The Beast of the City | Abe Gorman (uncredited) | 1932-02-13 |
Movie | The Tenderfoot | Joe (uncredited) | 1932-05-23 |
Movie | A Fool's Advice | Kelly - Naughty Boy | 1932-02-20 |
Movie | The Sign of the Cross | Strabo | 1932-11-30 |
Movie | By Whose Hand? | 'Killer' Delmar | 1932-07-06 |
Movie | Flesh | Wrestler (uncredited) | 1932-12-08 |
Movie | The Night Club Lady | Mike McDougal | 1932-08-27 |
Movie | Deception | Bucky O'Neill | 1932-11-04 |
Movie | Exposure | Maniac Killer | 1932-08-20 |
Movie | Horse Feathers | MacHardie (uncredited) | 1932-08-19 |
Movie | The Ruling Voice | Board Member (uncredited) | 1931-09-10 |
Movie | Fair Warning | Purvis | 1931-02-01 |
Movie | The Star Witness | Big Jack | 1931-08-22 |
Movie | Blonde Crazy | Hank aka Pete | 1931-09-16 |
Movie | The Spirit of Notre Dame | Assistant Coach | 1931-10-13 |
Movie | Taxi! | Bull Martin (uncredited) | 1931-12-29 |
Movie | Manhattan Parade | Lady Godiva's Husband | 1931-12-24 |
Movie | The Secret Witness | Gunner - Bodyguard | 1931-12-12 |
Movie | The Big Pond | Pat O'Day | 1930-05-03 |
Movie | The Last of the Duanes | Bossamer | 1930-08-31 |
Movie | The Sea Wolf | Smoke | 1930-09-21 |
Movie | Crazy House | Chef (uncredited) | 1930-11-01 |
Movie | The Laughing Lady | James Dugan | 1929-12-28 |
Movie | Let's Get Married | Jimmy | 1926-03-01 |
Movie | The Hoosier Schoolmaster | Bud Means | 1924-02-14 |