{"id":7740,"date":"2019-09-02T00:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T04:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/?page_id=7740"},"modified":"2019-09-02T14:12:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T18:12:59","slug":"many-faces-of-jack-ohalloran","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/?page_id=7740","title":{"rendered":"The Many Lives of Jack O’Halloran"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bnews_July2016CoverFINAL\"<\/span>The Many Lives of\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>JACK O’HALLORAN<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nAn incredible individual whose journey started with a mobster father, to the gridiron of the NFL, to battling the likes of future heavyweight champions\u00a0George Foreman<\/em> and Ken Norton<\/em> as a top ranked\u00a0contender during\u00a0the golden age of boxing in the 1970’s, searching for King Kong<\/em><\/span>, to finally becoming a Kryptonian Villain who appeared in Superman The Movie<\/em><\/span> and Superman II<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By Alex and John Rinaldi<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1983 filmmaker Woody Allen made a fictional documentary titled Zelig about a man who achieves fame for his rather strange ability to look and behave like anyone he meets. In essence, he became a human chameleon. The same can be said of Jack O\u2019Halloran. Unlike Zelig, Jack is a human chameleon, who amazingly is for real.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-boxing-poster-second-try\"<\/a> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Born the illegitimate son of famed mobster Albert Anastasia, who headed the notorious hit squad for Organized Crime known as Murder, Inc., Jack O\u2019Halloran was only fourteen when he gazed upon the front page of the newspaper only to see his father\u2019s bloodied and bullet-holed body lying lifeless by a barber chair.<\/span><\/strong>
\n It became a benchmark moment for young Jack. Interestingly enough, it was also the beginning of a connection with his late father that would continue to this day. Originally from Philadelphia, Jack and his mother eventually settled in the Philly suburb of Runnemede in southern New Jersey.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-1437515666965_956x500\"<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran in his fighting prime.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

It was there where he grew into an enormous hulk of a man of 6\u20196\u201d tall, in a time when the average American <\/span><\/strong>male was a full foot shorter. He had connections, he had people watching and protecting him, but most importantly, he had talent.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-vs-ron-lyle\"<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran (L) fighting Ron Lyle (R)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

His first aptitude was football. The powerful Jack played professional football for the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles before embarking in 1966 on a career in boxing that would put him squarely in the middle of arguably the greatest heavyweight division in the history of the sport.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran (R) with screen legend Robert Mitchum in the movie Farewell My Lovely. (CLICK PHOTO TO SEE TRAILER OF MOVIE)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-vs-george-foreman\"<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran (R) squaring off with future heavyweight champion George Foremen<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Fighting as \u201cIrish\u201d Jack O\u2019Halloran, the young battler was undefeated in his first sixteen fights as he slowly rose to a solid place in the top ten of the division. During all this time, he was also working as an Enforcer for several Unions and other jobs relating to his late father\u2019s business.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-boxing-poster-1967\"<\/a>

O’Halloran vs. Watts poster<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

On October 17, 1969, Jack KO\u2019d the dangerous number one ranked heavyweight contender Manuel Ramos in seven rounds at the Inglewood Forum. With the impressive win, it looked like he had a clear direct road to the heavyweight title. Unfortunately, O\u2019Halloran lost in his very next bout on January 26, 1970 to future two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman in Madison Square Garden after being stopped in the fifth round in a thrilling slugfest.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

THE USA BOXING NEWS editors John and Alex Rinaldi present Jack O’Halloran with their 2016 Credit to Boxing Award in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a>

Krypton Villains including Jack O’Halloran (Center) about to be sent to the dreaded Phantom Zone in Superman<\/em> <\/span>movie!<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

During the course of his colorful career, Jack later beat top ranked heavyweights such as Terry Daniels, Rahman Ali and Alvin \u201cBlue\u201d Lewis as well as former heavyweight challenger Cleveland \u201cBig Cat\u201d Williams.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran (R) fighting future heavyweight champion Ken Norton (L)<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

In 1972, O\u2019Halloran eventually battled future Hall of Famer and WBC heavyweight king Ken Norton and beat him up pretty good, only to lose the bout by a controversial decision in Norton\u2019s hometown of San Diego.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SUPERMAN,<\/a>

SUPERMAN, Marlon Brando (L) , Terence Stamp, Jack O’Halloran, Sarah Douglas, in\u00a01978 (CLICK PHOTO TO SEE VIDEO OF VARIOUS FILM ROLES OF JACK O’HALLORAN)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Although there were several times that O\u2019Halloran came close squaring off against the legendary Muhammad Ali,<\/span> the bout never materialized.\"jack-o-halloran-as-non-in-superman-ii-1981\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jack won the USA California State Heavyweight Title with a 12-round points win over leading contender Henry Clark on August 9, 1972 and retained his laurels in two defenses against top heavyweights Robie Harris (KO-5) and Charlie Reno (W-12). Jack eventually retired from boxing in 1974 with a 34-21-2 (17 KO\u2019s) record, and was later inducted into both the California and New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fames.\"jack-ohalloran-family-legacy\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If a Jack O\u2019Halloran was boxing in recent years in the era of the Klitschko brothers, he would no doubt have been the heavyweight champion of the world. Sadly for him, he fought in an era when fistic immortals ruled the Earth.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-with-john-rinaldi\"<\/a>

John Rinaldi (L) with Jack O’Halloran (R)<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

It was after boxing that his fourth of his five talents came into play \u2013 acting. He initially was offered a role in the 1970 film, The Great White Hope, but turned it down to concentrate more fully on his boxing career.\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With the urgings of his friend actor Steve McQueen, O\u2019Halloran gave acting another chance.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jack\u2019s big break came in 1975 playing opposite the great actor Robert Mitchum in the classic film noir Farewell, My Lovely.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran in Farewell My Lovely.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Playing the hulking character Moose Malloy to Mitchum\u2019s famed Philip Marlowe, Jack gave a terrific performance and was nearly nominated for an Academy Award.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jack-ohalloran-superman-2\"<\/a>

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE BATTLE SCENE FROM SUPERMAN II<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Robert Mitchum said of his huge co-star, \u201cJack was one great find on this picture. At least, he’s a find if we can ever find him again. They hired him for $500 a week. He looked perfect for the part. One time he hit the producer. One of the producers. We had seven of them. We called them the Magnificent Seven. Jack was swinging this poor bastard around his head like an Indian war club. I tried to explain to him: ‘The guy can be talked to, <\/span>Jack.’ He shakes his head. ‘Mitch,’ he says, ‘I was crying too hard.\u2019 O\u2019Halloran gave a great performance in that film.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jack (second from Left) in KING KONG.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jack O’Halloran (second from right) in KING KONG. movie.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

He followed up that part with roles in King Kong (1976) and March or Die (1977), which brought him prestige in the acting community.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"superman-2-superman-20159920-1024-768\"<\/a>

CLICK PHOTO SEE TRAILER OF SUPERMAN II<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

It was not until, however, he was cast as the Kryptonian villain Non in the wonderful Superman and Superman II films that Jack received lifetime fame. It was in those roles that O\u2019Halloran became an icon and forever associated with the Superman franchise.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Alex and John getting inducted with Jack O’Halloran in New jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Jack later continued his acting in roles in such films as The Baltimore Bullet (1980), Dragnet (1987), Hero and the Terror (1988), Mob Boss (1990), and The Flintstones (1994).<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SUPERMAN<\/a>

SUPERMAN II, Terence Stamp, Jack O’Halloran, Sarah Douglas, 1980 (CLICK PHOTO TO SEE SCENES FEATURING THE KRYPTONIAN VILLAINS)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

O\u2019Halloran also made guest star appearances in such TV shows as Cannon, Knight Rider, Hunter, Best of the West, Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, and the Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter TV movie.\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010 O\u2019Halloran authored and released the book Family Legacy, where he outlined his relationship with his father Albert Anastasia in thrilling semi-fiction story.\"bnews_page1coverdec2016\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong>From football player, to boxer, to enforcer, to actor, to writer, Jack O\u2019Halloran is arguably one of the most remarkable men who ever lived. His friends have included acting legends such as Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Robert Mitchum and Bruce Lee, along with mobsters such as Frank Costello and Meyer Lansky, additionally with boxing greats such Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore, and Ken Norton. He is surely a man of a thousand faces – a true chameleon.\"Bnews_July2016CoverFINAL\"<\/span><\/strong>Jack was recently honored by The USA Boxing News with the publication’s \u201cCredit to Boxing\u201d Award.\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The USA Boxing News has an exciting and hard-hitting interview series with Jack O’Halloran in the past issues and into the next couple of issues.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Many Lives of\u00a0 JACK O’HALLORAN An incredible individual whose journey started with a mobster father, to the gridiron of the NFL, to battling the likes of future heavyweight champions\u00a0George Foreman and Ken Norton as a top ranked\u00a0contender during\u00a0the golden age of boxing in the 1970’s, searching for King Kong, to finally becoming a Kryptonian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7740","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theusaboxingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}