John Lester Johnson (born John Leslie Johnson; August 13, 1893 – March 27, 1968) was an American

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

and actor. He is perhaps best known for his 1916 boxing match against

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

, and his 1933 performance as Bumbo, the titular character in the

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

comedy short ''

The Kid From Borneo ''The Kid from Borneo'' is a short subject film in the ''Our Gang'' (Little Rascals) comedy series. It was produced and directed by Robert F. McGowan for Hal Roach Studios, and was originally released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on April ...

''.

Early life and boxing career

Johnson was born in Aug. 13, 1893, in Suffolk, Virginia, one of 11 children. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Johnson served in the 367th Infantry, a

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

outfit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. From 1912-1929, Johnson amassed a professional boxing record of 39-29-6, with 23 of his wins by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

. In 1916 Johnson fought future world

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

champion

to a 10-round draw, during which Dempsey suffered several broken ribs. Although a draw, Dempsey later said, "I thought he ohnsonlicked me. I didn't know how to fight then and Johnson did. Yes, I think he won." Johnson also had fights against the notable boxers

Joe Jeanette Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

Harry Wills Harry may refer to: TV shows *Harry (American TV series), ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin *Harry (British TV series), ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons *Harry ...

Kid Norfolk Kid Norfolk (born William Ward, 10 July 1893 – 15 April 1968) was an American professional boxer who fought as a Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight from 1910 through 1926, holding wins over many notable boxers of his day including Joe Jeanette ...

, and Bill Tate.

Acting career

image:Bumbo, the Wild Man from Borneo.JPG, 250px, Colorized image of John Lester Johnson as Bumbo, in ''

'' Johnson appeared in the 1933

comedy ''

'' as Bumbo, a circus attraction billed as a "Wild Man from Borneo." Garbed in elaborate tribal attire and repetitively saying "Yum Yum, eat 'em up!" at the sight of candy, Bumbo is mistaken by some of the

children as both a

cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

and their Uncle George, the latter earlier described by their mother as "the

black sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

of the family." A frenetic chase ensues when Bumbo attempts to take the children's candy, during which he and the children demolish much of a home's furnishings. Along with two

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

films, Johnson's other film credits include ''Radio Patrol'' (1932), ''

A Scream in the Night ''A Scream in the Night'' is a 1934 American film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and starring Lon Chaney Jr. It is distinct from the 1919 silent film of the same name, co-directed by Leander de Cordova and Burton L. King, and starring Ruth Budd ...

'' (1934), ''

The Glory Trail ''The Glory Trail'' is a 1936 American Western film. Directed by Lynn Shores, the film stars Tom Keene, Joan Barclay, and E. H. Calvert. It was released on September 15, 1936. Cast list * Tom Keene as Captain John Morgan * Joan Barclay as Lu ...

'' (1936), ''

Tarzan's Revenge ''Tarzan's Revenge'' is a 1938 American adventure film starring Glenn Morris in his only outing as Tarzan. Eleanor Holm, a popular swimming star, co-starred as Eleanor Reed. The film was produced by Sol Lesser, written by Robert Lee Johnson and ...

'' (1938), ''

Mr. Washington Goes to Town ''Mr. Washington Goes to Town'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and Jed Buell, and starring F. E. Miller, Mantan Moreland and Maceo Bruce Sheffield. The film was marketed primarily to black audiences and written and fil ...

'' (1942), and ''

Professor Creeps ''Professor Creeps'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring Mantan Moreland. Cast * Mantan Moreland as Washington * F. E. Miller as Jefferson * Arthur Ray as Professor Whackingham Creeps * Florence O'Brien as D ...

'' (1942).

Illness and Death

In a 1960 article published in ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...

'', Johnson disclosed that following his acting career he worked as a special officer at

Cheli Air Force Station Cheli Air Force Station, formerly located within Bell in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, was a United States Air Force installation and a Cold War Radar Bomb Scoring site of the Strategic Air Command, from 1947 to 1961. History It w ...

, and that he suffered a series of disabling strokes in the late 1950s, resulting in partial paralysis. Johnson lived at the Veterans Administration Hospital in West Los Angeles until his death in 1968. Johnson is interred at the Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, John Lester African-American boxers Light-heavyweight boxers American male film actors 1893 births Boxers from Virginia American male boxers 20th-century American male actors Our Gang Buffalo Soldiers 1968 deaths Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles People from Suffolk, Virginia Actors from Virginia Boxers from Los Angeles