Professor Tanaka
Tanaka, c. 1973 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles J. Kalani Jr. January 6, 1930 Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | August 22, 2000 (aged 70) Lake Forest, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Weber State University University of Utah |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Professor Tanaka Professor Toru Tanaka |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 280 lb (130 kg) |
| Billed from | Hiroshima, Japan |
| Debut | 1958 |
| Retired | 1986 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Service years | 1955-1966 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
Charles J. Kalani Jr. (January 6, 1930 – August 22, 2000), known by the ring names Professor Toru Tanaka or simply Professor Tanaka, was an American professional wrestler, professional boxer, martial artist and actor. He was best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1967 to 1978, and was a 3-time Tag Team Championship (with partner Mr. Fuji) and one-time International Tag Team Champion (with Mitsu Arakawa). In 2019, he was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a Legacy Member.