Rafer Johnson
Rafer Lewis Johnson (August 18, 1934 – December 2, 2020) was an American decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. He had previously won a gold in the 1955 Pan American Games. He was the USA team's flag bearer at the 1960 Olympics and lit the Olympic cauldron at the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
Johnson at the 1960 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rafer Lewis Johnson |
| Born | August 18, 1934 Hillsboro, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 2, 2020 (aged 86) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) |
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg) |
| Spouse |
Elizabeth Thorsen (m. 1971) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Decathlon |
| Club | Southern California Striders, Anaheim |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 100 m – 10.3 (1957) 220 yd – 21.0 (1956) 400 m – 47.9 (1956) 110 mH – 13.8 (1956) HJ – 1.89 m (1955) PV – 4.09 m (1960) LJ – 7.76 m (1956) SP – 16.75 m (1958) DT – 52.50 m (1960) JT – 76.73 m (1960) Decathlon – 8392 (1960) |
Medal record | |
In 1968, Johnson, football player Rosey Grier, and journalist George Plimpton tackled Sirhan Sirhan moments after he had fatally shot Robert F. Kennedy.
After he retired from athletics, Johnson turned to acting, sportscasting, and public service and was instrumental in creating the California Special Olympics. His acting career included appearances in The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961), the Elvis Presley film Wild in the Country (1961), Pirates of Tortuga (1961), None but the Brave (1965), two Tarzan films with Mike Henry, The Last Grenade (1970), Soul Soldier (1970), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989), and Think Big (1990).