Christos Theofilou ( el, Χρήστος Θεοφίλου; January 2, 1894 – August 19, 1975), better known as "The Golden Greek" Jim Londos (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Τζίμ Λόντος), was a Greek American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

. Londos was one of the most popular stars on the professional wrestling circuit in the 1930s and 1940s.

Career

Jim Londos was born Christos Theofilou in 1894 in Koutsopodi, Argos, Greece as the youngest of thirteen children of Theophilos and Maria. Before arriving in the United States, in his native Greece young Londos was a shepherd. His father, Theophilos was an

amateur wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

of considerable reputation, and is credited with having instructed his young son in the sport.Hackett, T: '' Slaphappy: Pride, Prejudice, and Professional Wrestling'', page 36.

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, 2006. At age thirteen he ran away from home and eventually emigrated to the United States. Working whenever he could, Theofilou took several odd jobs including cabin boy, construction jobs, and posing nude for figure drawing classes.Hackett, page 37. Theofilou landed a job as a catcher in a carnival acrobatic act. It was during this period that he was exposed to professional wrestling and began training. It was in the carnivals where Londos learned

catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission ...

. Londos studied several different wrestling styles extensively and also trained in

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...

, which he came in contact with living near the

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as a teenager.

Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 ...

stated in his autobiography that Londos was a very capable

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as well as a top attraction performer. Londos' first matches, from 1912, were as "The Wrestling Plasterer" Christopher Theophelus, a

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

that saw him coming to the ring in overalls. After a number of years, he dropped this in favour of wrestling under the name Jim Londos and being a no-nonsense professional wrestler. Londos became the most popular wrestler in the 1930s and 1940s while continuing to attract large crowds until 1959, competing against several world champions including Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Dick Shikat, Ray Steele and Joe Stecher. Londos was notably scheduled to wrestle a young

in the mid-30s, however Thesz's coach George Tragos pulled him out of the match, fearing fear Londos would try to hurt the up-and-comer and turn the match into a legit contest. In 1933, Londos competed in a mixed style exhibition contest against jiu-jitsu practitioner Oki Shikina. One of the notable stipulations was that Londos had to compete in a jiu-jitsu gi. The match ended a draw. Just before his retirement he married American woman Arva C. Rochwite (1912–1998), who was born in Clayton, Missouri. At the time of their marriage, Rochwite was described in press reports as a "St. Louis Aviatrix." The couple had three daughters: Diana, Demetra, and Christina. The Londos family moved to Escondido, California, where they settled on a 10-acre site nestled in an avocado grove. There, Londos quietly managed his orchard and other investments; he devoted the rest of his public life to charity. Londos was considered a national hero in Greece. When he traveled there, one of his matches drew a crowd estimated as nearly 100,000 fans.

Retirement

Londos retired in 1953. He spent the rest of his life working for charitable organizations. His favorite charity was Greek war orphans of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was honored by both United States President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and King Paul of Greece for his philanthropic efforts. Londos died of a heart attack August 19, 1975, and is buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park in

Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census. Ety ...

Championships and accomplishments

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** World Heavyweight Championship ''(Los Angeles version)'' (5 times) *

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**Posthumous Award (2020) * George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2015 *

International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (IPWHF) is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum that is located in Albany, New York. The museum was founded by Seth Turner, Tony Vellano, the founder of Professional Wrestl ...

**Class of 2022 * Maryland State Athletic Commission ** World Heavyweight Championship (Maryland version) (2 times) * Minnesota State Athletic Commission ** World Heavyweight Championship (Minneapolis version) (2 times) *

National Wrestling Association The National Wrestling Association (NWA) was an early professional wrestling sanctioning body created in 1930 by the National Boxing Association (NBA; now the World Boxing Association, WBA) as an attempt to create a governing body for professional ...

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus (wrestler), ...

( 1 time) *

New York State Athletic Commission The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...

** NYSAC World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – unified with NWA World Heavyweight Championship * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum ** Class of 2002 ( Pioneer Era) * ''

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'' **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of t ...

( Class of 1996) * WWE **

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...

(Class of 2018) * Other championships **

World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original version) The World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship was the first recognized professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created in 1905 to identify the best catch as catch can wrestler in the world. The subsequent legacy of the championshi ...

(1 time)

References

External links

* *
Biography from the Online Wrestling Museum

Biography from the San Diego Hall of Champions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Londos, Jim 1894 births 1975 deaths People from Argos-Mykines Greek emigrants to the United States 20th-century American male actors American male professional wrestlers Greek male professional wrestlers Greek wrestlers Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees Burials at Oak Hill Memorial Park (Escondido) 20th-century professional wrestlers