JT
Photo of Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe

Actor, Writer
Born May 22, 1887Died March 28, 1953 (65 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Francis Thorpe (Sac and Fox (Sauk): Wa-Tho-Huk, translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887 – March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.

Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe signed with the New York Giants, and he played six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships; he later played for six teams in the National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians.

From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41, the end of his sports career coinciding with the start of the Great Depression. He struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism, and lived his last years in failing health and poverty. He was married three times and had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953.

Thorpe has received various accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press named him the "greatest athlete" from the first 50 years of the 20th century, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of its inaugural class in 1963. A Pennsylvania town was named in his honor and a monument site there is the site of his remains, which were the subject of legal action. Thorpe appeared in several films and was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Meet John Doe
  • Barbary Coast
  • Yellowstone

Known For

  • Jim Thorpe -- All-American
  • Code of the Mounted
  • Wildcat Trooper
  • Wild Horse Mesa

Filmography

1950
Wagon Master · as Navajo Indian
1949
Yes Sir, That's My Baby · as Assistant Coach
1949
White Heat · as Big Convict (uncredited)
1945
Road to Utopia · as Collins - Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
1945
The Vampire's Ghost · as Native
1945
Beyond the Pecos · as Townsman
1944
Outlaw Trail · as Spike
1941
They Died with Their Boots On · as Indian (uncredited)
1941
Meet John Doe · as Extra (uncredited)
1940
1940
Knute Rockne All American · as Halftime Game Official
1940
Prairie Schooners · as Chief Sanche
1939
Henry Goes Arizona · as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
1939
Geronimo! · as Indian
1939
Man of Conquest · as Cherokee Indian
1939
Man from Texas · as Posse Rider (uncredited)
1938
Frontier Scout · as Henchman
1938
Start Cheering · as Head Linesman
1937
Born to the West · as Barfly
1937
San Quentin · as Convict
1937
Pick a Star · as Man In Audience At Talent Contest
1937
Green Light · as Indian
1936
Trailin' West · as Black Eagle
1936
1936
The Phantom Rider · as Indian (ch's 11,13)
1936
Wildcat Trooper · as Indian Fur Trapper
1936
Treachery Rides the Range · as Chief Red Smoke
1936
Under Two Flags · as Cast
1936
Silly Billies · as Medicine Man
1936
Sutter's Gold · as Man
1936
1935
Captain Blood · as Pirate (uncredited)
1935
Barbary Coast · as Janitor (uncredited)
1935
The Ivory-Handled Gun · as Henchman Jack (uncredited)
1935
1935
The Last Days of Pompeii · as Spectator Tossing Coins (uncredited)
1935
It's in the Air · as Indian Father (uncredited)
1935
1935
The Daring Young Man · as Convict
1935
She · as Captain Of The Guards (uncredited)
1935
1935
Alibi Ike · as Major League Baseball Player
1935
Code of the Mounted · as Murdered Indian
1935
The Miracle Rider · as Indian
1935
Under Pressure · as Mucker
1935
Rustlers of Red Dog · as Chief Scarface [chs. 6, 11]
1934
Behold My Wife! · as Indian Chief (uncredited)
1934
The Red Rider · as Bill Abel, Portos Henchman
1933
Sweepings · as Indian (uncredited)
1933
King Kong · as Native Dancer (uncredited)
1932
Wild Horse Mesa · as Indian Chief
1932
Air Mail · as Indian (uncredited)
1932
White Eagle · as Indian Chief
1932
Hold 'Em Jail · as Football Player
1932
My Pal, the King · as Black Cloud
1932
The Dark Horse · as Blackfeet Indian Chief
1931
Battling with Buffalo Bill · as Swift Arrow

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