- Born
- Birth nameJames George Janos
- Nicknames
- "The Mind"
- "The Body"
- Height6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
- Jesse Ventura was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Bernice Martha (Lenz), a nurse who was of German descent, and George William Janos, a steam fitter of Slovak ancestry. In November 1990, professional wrestler turned actor Jesse Ventura was elected to a four-year term as mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis with a population of around 56,000. After his mayoral term, he purchased a small hobby farm in nearby Maple Grove, Minnesota and moved from Brooklyn Park. In November 1998, Ventura, as a member of the Reform Party, was elected Governor of Minnesota. Jesse served as governor from 1999 to 2003 and did not run for a second term.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Joseph Sexton ([email protected])
- SpouseTheresa Larson Masters(July 18, 1975 - present) (2 children)
- Unique voice and cunning wit
- Shaven head and mustache (as governor)
- Often acted as the heel announcer where he would openly root for the heel wrestler and bully the other "babyface" analyst. Often Gorilla Monsoon or Vince McMahon was the babyface analyst. McMahon in reality was Ventura's boss.
- While a professional wrestler in the 1980s he began lobbying his fellow wrestlers to form a labor union. Once news of this reached Ventura's then friend Hulk Hogan, Hogan informed World Wrestling Entertainement owner Vince McMahon, who immediately put a stop to the proceedings. Hogan never bothered to tell Ventura what he did. Ventura eventually learned for himself in the 1990s, at which point he ceased to consider Hogan a friend.
- Wrote his autobiography a couple of years back when he was still governor of Minnesota. The title of his book was "I Ain't Got Time to Bleed", which was also one of his memorable lines in Predator (1987).
- In 1984, just before a scheduled Madison Square Garden main event with Hulk Hogan, Jesse was rushed to the hospital in San Diego with a pulmonary embolism. Treatment of the blood clot required blood thinners, any bleeding in the ring would have been dangerous. He claimed it was due to being exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- During the filming of the movie Predator (1987) became close friends with star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Is a Vietnam veteran although he did not actually see combat.
- [what he says his motto was as a wrestler (not as a politician)] Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.
- [interview in Minnesapolis Star-Tribune] You need to hunt something that can shoot back at you to really classify yourself as a hunter. You need to understand the feeling of what it's like to go into the field and know your opposition can take you out. Not just go out there and shoot Bambi.
- [on the possibility of running for US President] I'm a great believer in destiny, and if I'm destined to be there, it will happen. If I'm not, it won't.
- I think, in 2008, we need a pro wrestler in the White House.
- [on the state of religion and politics in the US as of 2008] If Jesus came back today, I think he'd throw up.
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