Albano Taborda Curto Esteves (May 27, 1935 - September 9, 2005) was a Portuguese
professional wrestler, better known by the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Tarzan Taborda.
Career
Born in Aldeia do Bispo, Penamacor, Portugal, Esteves became a professional wrestler after coming second in the Mister Europe
bodybuilding competition. He wrestled over 4000
professional wrestling matches (without losing a single one in his native country) from the late 1950s until 1981, earning the nicknames Taborda Sputnik, Tarzan Curtys, White Angel (
France),
King Kong (Africa), Mr. Mexico, and Juan Perez, among others.
As achievements he was four times European Champion and five times World Champio
WrestlingPortugal
He also wrestled in the Middle East, in countries like
Iraq, where he performed in
Baghdad for
Saddam Hussein.
Tarzan Taborda was also a ballet dancer in
Le Lido, Paris, and a stuntman, where he worked with
Brigitte Bardot,
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...
,
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
and
Robert Mitchum on various movies.
In 1992 he published a book titled "Como prolongar a vida com força saúde e beleza ao alcance de todos com método de cultura física".
Until 1994, he was the
World Wrestling Federation's color commentator for their television airings in Portugal.
On September 9, 2005 he died of a
myocardial infarction at the age of 70.
References
External links
*
1935 births
2005 deaths
People from Penamacor
Portuguese male professional wrestlers
{{Prowrestling-bio-stub