Harold Toshiyuki SAKATA

Though his name is almost unknown, Harold Sakata is probably the best recognized American weightlifter of all-time, but not for his weightlifting. Born Toshiyuki Sakata in Hawai’i, Sakata began a career as a professional wrestler shortly after the 1948 Olympics, using the name “Tosh Togo.” In the early 60s a movie producer saw him perform and launched him on a career as an actor that would later include guest appearances on American television shows such as Hawaii Five-O and Police Woman. Sakata is best remembered, however, for his role as the evil villain "Oddjob" in the James Bond movie, Goldfinger. During the filming of the movie, Sakata was once asked to put some realism into a karate chop and ended up putting star Sean Connery out of action for several days. Sakata himself suffered painful burns, but no permanent injuries, from the final electrocution scene at the end of the movie. Goldfinger was his first movie but he continued acting until his death in 1982.