Rafer Johnson

Rafer Johnson

Johnson at the 1960 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Rafer Lewis Johnson
Born	(1934-08-18)August 18, 1934 Hillsboro, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 2, 2020(2020-12-02) (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)[1]
Medal record Representing  United States Olympic Games 1960 Rome Decathlon 1956 Melbourne Decathlon Pan American Games 1955 Mexico City Decathlon

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.

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).