Robert Swenson
Swenson with his wife and daughter in 1996
Birth nameRobert Alexander Swenson Jr.
Born(1957-01-05)January 5, 1957
San Antonio, Texas, United States
DiedAugust 18, 1997(1997-08-18) (aged 40)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Jeep Swenson
Jeep the Mercenary
The Final Solution
The Ultimate Solution
Billed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight405 lb (184 kg; 28.9 st)
Billed fromSan Antonio, Texas & Durban South Africa
Debut1987
Retired1996

Robert Alexander "Jeep" Swenson Jr.[1] (January 5, 1957 – August 18, 1997) was an American professional wrestler, stuntman and actor.

Career

Wrestling

Swenson wrestled for World Class Championship Wrestling in 1987 and 1988 as Jeep Swenson for manager Gary Hart.[2] He debuted on March 7, 1987, defeating Perry Jackson in a 2-minute challenge match. His main feud was with Bruiser Brody, who was wrestling as the masked "Red River Jack".[2] Brody defeated him at the Parade of Champions 1987 event.[3] According to Swenson, he had the largest biceps in the world at that time (they were recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records).[4][5] From 1993 to 1994, he wrestled for Global Wrestling Federation in Texas, where he feuded with Ahmed Johnson.[2]

Swenson returned to wrestling for a match at World Championship Wrestling's Uncensored pay-per-view on March 24, 1996.[6] He performed as a member of the "Alliance to End Hulkamania".[2] He was named The Final Solution, but following complaints from Jewish organizations to the Turner corporate offices, his character was renamed The Ultimate Solution.[5] WCW claimed they were unaware that The Final Solution was the name Adolf Hitler gave to his plan to destroy the Jews.[5] The Alliance consisted of the Dungeon of Doom, the Four Horsemen, The Ultimate Solution and Z-Gangsta, working to end Hulk Hogan's career.[2][4]

Boxing

Swenson boxed as an amateur middleweight and later had a short career as a professional boxer.[7] He won his first two bouts by knockouts, but his third fight was stopped in round one after he was knocked down twice by Frankie Garcia in his pro debut.[7]

Acting

Swenson (middle, with full Bane makeup) with his parents in 1997

Swenson's first role was as an uncredited thug in early Jackie Chan movie The Big Brawl.[2] Swenson also appeared as pit fighter "Lugwrench" Perkins in the 1989 Hulk Hogan film No Holds Barred. He played the masked version of Dorian in the 1994 film The Mask. He also played James Caan's bodyguard Bledsoe in the Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler film Bulletproof, before playing possibly his best known character Bane in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.[2][8] His actual blood vessels were outlined in ink for “Batman” by the makeup experts at Warner Bros.[4] He was also featured in many magazines and television commercials.[2][9]

Batman & Robin

Swenson was highly criticized for his performance as Bane, as it was infamously unfaithful to the original character, who was portrayed as being both intelligent and strong, while the movie depicted him as a mindless goon for Poison Ivy instead, he also rarely spoke and when he did, it would usually be one or two-word sentences, or his own name.

Personal life

Swenson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Patricia Maxine (née Wells) and Robert Alexander Swenson Sr.[4] His nickname, "Jeep", was derived from his dad (a soldier known as "Tank"), whose logic was that every tank needed a Jeep.[2] He was married to Erin Hillsman; the couple had a daughter named Kayleigh.[2]

Death

On August 18, 1997, Swenson died of a heart attack at the UCLA Medical Center at the age of 40.[2] Hulk Hogan, Davey Boy Smith, and James Caan gave eulogies at his funeral.[5][9] He was an avid user of steroids and started to use them in his early 20s. Because of this, he reportedly could not take a shower properly, put on a shirt, or walk up stairs.[10] His death also shocked George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Uma Thurman, his co-stars in the Batman & Robin film.[10] After the funeral, Swenson was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in an undisclosed location.[10]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980The Big BrawlThugUncredited
1989No Holds BarredLugwrench Perkins
1996BulletproofBledsoe
1997Batman & RobinBane
1997The Bad PackMissouri MuleFinal film role
2005Beyond Batman: Frozen Freaks and Femme Fatales -
The Makeup of 'Batman & Robin'		Himself
(archive footage)		Documentary

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993–1995Walker, Texas RangerJumbo Stark / Sammy2 Episodes[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Will, Gary (December 1998). "Gary Will: Deceased Pro Wrestlers – A Tribute to Mat Stars of the Past". GaryWill.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Jeep The Mercenary profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Parade of Champions 1987 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jeep Swenson; Actor, Professional Wrestler and Bodybuilder". Los Angeles Times. August 27, 1997. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bovingdon, Edward (August 8, 2012). "The tragic story of the original Bane". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Uncensored 1996 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Robert Swenson's BoxRec profile". BoxRec. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ Fin Martin and Antohy Evans (August 2003). "Know their Roles". Power Slam Magazine. Lancaster, Lancashire, England. pp. 26–31. 109.
  9. 1 2 Oliver, Greg (June 26, 2010). "Jeep Swenson dies of heart failure". SLAM! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 Lines, Andy (August 28, 1997). "BATMAN FAT MAN KILLED BY STEROIDS; 25-stone star dies at 38". The Mirror. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
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