Franco Columbu
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Template:Infobox bodybuilder Franco Columbu (August 7, 1941, Ollolai, Sardinia) is an Italian actor and bodybuilder.
Starting out his athletic career as a boxer, Columbu progressed into the sport of powerlifting and later bodybuilding, winning the title of Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981. At 5 feet and 5 inches in height, Columbu is shorter than most of his bodybuilding competitors, but that did not prevent him from achieving widespread success.
Franco Columbu is a long time friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he met in Munich in 1965 and competed against in several international-level bodybuilding competitions. For the Mr. Olympia competitions however, he competed in the under 200 lb (90.7 kg) category, whereas Schwarzenegger was in the over 200 lb category. The final champion was determined by a pose down between the two class winners. The IFBB has since abandoned weight classes.
At one time Franco Colombu was considered to be one of the world's strongest men and held a number of powerlifting and weightlifting world records. Franco was invited to compete in the first edition of the World's Strongest Man contest in 1977 along with fellow bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. On a nationally telecast show, Franco became a footnote in the history of ABC Television and the World's Strongest Man contest when his knee dislocated while he was carrying a refrigerator during a contest event. Franco recovered from his injury, and in 1981 returned to bodybuilding competition.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Columbu has also made intermittent minor forays into acting. Appearing alongside Arnold in Pumping Iron, he has also appeared in cameo roles in Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, The Running Man and starred in his own films, notably, Beretta's Island.
He holds doctorates in chiropractic and nutrition and currently sits on the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners.[1]
Contents |
Achievements
Bodybuilding titles
- 1966 Mr. Europe, 4th
- 1968 NABBA Mr. Universe (Most Muscular)
- 1969 IFBB Mr. Europe (Medium)
- 1969 NABBA Mr. Universe (Most Muscular)
- 1969 NABBA Mr. Universe (Short)
- 1969 IFBB Mr. Universe (Short)
- 1970 IFBB Mr. Europe (Short & Overall)
- 1970 AAU Mr. World (Pro Short)
- 1970 IFBB Mr. World (Short)
- 1970 IFBB Mr. Universe (Short & Overall)
- 1971 IFBB Mr. Universe (Short & Overall) *Disqualified for selling bodybuilding booklets - considered as a professional*
- 1971 IFBB Mr. World (Short & Overall)
- 1974 Mr. Olympia (Lightweight)
- 1975 Mr. Olympia (Lightweight)
- 1976 Mr. Olympia (Lightweight & Overall)
- 1981 Mr. Olympia
Powerlifting titles
- Champion of Italy
- Champion of Germany
- Champion of Europe
- World Champion
Powerlifting world records
- Bench press 525 lb (238 kg)
- Squat (exercise) 655 lb (297 kg)
- Deadlift 750 lb (340 kg)
Weightlifting records
- Olympic press 325 lb (147 kg)
- Snatch 270 lb (122 kg)
- Clean and jerk 400 lb (181 kg)
Boxing
- Amateur Boxing Champion
Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. (June 2007) The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into other sections and removing inappropriate items. |
- In the movie Pumping Iron Columbu is shown to lift an awkwardly parked Fiat car out of its park.
- Columbu was the best man at Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's 1986 wedding.
- One of Columbu's feats of strength was to blow up a hot water bottle until it burst.
- In the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero, the words "A Franco Columbu film" appear on the screen at the beginning of Jack Slater IV (a film within the film) as a tribute to Columbu.
- In the opening scenes of Conan the Barbarian, Columbu plays a 'pictish scout', complete with mustache, wig and blue body-paint.
- In The Terminator, Columbu plays the infiltrating Terminator in Reese's flashback/dream in which the picture of Sarah Connor is destroyed by fire. The Columbu Terminator also features as a boss character in the Terminator 3 video game.
- Columbu competed in the 1977 World's Strongest Man competition and finished fifth[1], despite not being able to complete all the events having dislocated his knee in the 'Refrigerator Carry' event.
See also
List of male professional bodybuilders
External links
- Columbu.com - official site
| Mr. Olympia | ||
| Preceded by: Arnold Schwarzenegger | First (1976) | Succeeded by: Frank Zane |
| Preceded by: Arnold Schwarzenegger | Second (1981) | Succeeded by: Chris Dickerson |
fr:Franco Columbu it:Franco Columbu nl:Franco Columbu ja:フランコ・コロンボ fi:Franco Columbu sv:Franco Columbu
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
