Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: James Thorpe , Wathahuck-Brightpath , James Francis Thorpe

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Prague, Indian Territory [now Oklahoma], USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 28

TV Involvements: 0


Most Famous Work

Biography

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.

Most Famous Work

White Heat
Average
8

White Heat

(1949) Big Convict (uncredited)
They Died with Their Boots On
Average
7

They Died with Their Boots On

(1941) Indian (uncredited)
Captain Blood
Average
7

Captain Blood

(1935) Pirate (uncredited)
Wagon Master
Average
7

Wagon Master

(1950) Navajo Indian
The Last Days of Pompeii
Average
6

The Last Days of Pompeii

(1935) Spectator Tossing Coins (uncredited)
The Vampire's Ghost
Average
5

The Vampire's Ghost

(1945) Native
Prairie Schooners
Average
0

Prairie Schooners

(1940) Chief Sanche
Sutter's Gold
Average
0

Sutter's Gold

(1936) Man

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
1950 Navajo Indian
1949 Big Convict (uncredited)
1945 Collins - Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
Native
1944 Spike
1941 Indian (uncredited)
1940 Indian
Chief Sanche
Gray Cloud
1939 Bus Passenger (uncredited)
Posse Rider (uncredited)
1938 Henchman
Head Linesman
1937 Jim Thorpe
1936 Black Eagle
Indian Fur Trapper
Chief Red Smoke
1st Indian
Medicine Man
Man
N/A
1935 Pirate (uncredited)
Indian Chief (uncredited)
Henchman Jack (uncredited)
Henchman
Carlisle Football Player
Spectator Tossing Coins (uncredited)
Indian Father (uncredited)
Charlie Jim
Convict
N/A
Murdered Indian
Chief Scarface [Chs. 6, 11]
1934 Bill Abel, Portos Henchman
1933 Indian (Uncredited)
1932 Indian Chief
Indian (uncredited)
N/A
Jim Thorpe
Blackfeet Indian Chief
Black Cloud
Year Character Movie/Tv

Crew

Year Role Movie/Tv
1951 Technical Advisor
Year Role Movie/Tv

Writing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1951 Novel
Year Role Movie/Tv

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