Celebrity Aikidoka

Dean H. · 02-24-2002, 04:25 PM

Does anyone know of any celebrity Aikidoka?

Thank you,
Dean

ChrisDuSCAMB · 02-25-2002, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dean H.
Does anyone know of any celebrity Aikidoka?

Thank you,
Dean

Hi Dean,

Sorry, but I don't understand what do you mean with Celebrity Aikidoka ?
Can you explain us your question ?

thanks

Bye

Chris

JJF · 02-25-2002, 04:57 AM

How about Steven Seagal ? I'd recon he would qualify.

I have heard once that Sean Connery have been training aikido, but I don't know for sure.

ndiegel · 02-25-2002, 08:57 AM

I think I've only heard of Steven Segal. Well, unless you count O Sensei and some other Shihan as celebrities.

Noah

Dean H. · 02-25-2002, 10:13 PM

I really just wanted to know who, in your own opinion, would qualify as a celebrity Aikidoka. In my opinion, certainly Shihans qualify, but I am sure there are others who deserve to mentioned as well.

Thanks,
Dean

ndiegel · 02-26-2002, 09:30 AM

O Sensei, Shihans, and Steven Segal.

Noah

Chuck Clark · 02-26-2002, 01:35 PM

John Denver was a serious student of aikido before he was killed in a plane crash.

Arlo Guthrie used to train off and on many years ago.

Mike Marshall, a famous ballet dancer is a yudansha in both judo and aikido, I think.

Talk show host, interviewer, and comic Dick Cavett was a serious student of Yamada in NYC.

There are a couple of world government leaders that practice aikido and judo. I can't think of their names just now. President Putin of Russia is a judo yudansha and I think Vaclev Pavel was a student of aikido. There are others.

Regards,

PeterR · 02-26-2002, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Clark
There are a couple of world government leaders that practice aikido and judo. I can't think of their names just now. President Putin of Russia is a judo yudansha and I think Vaclev Pavel was a student of aikido. There are others.

Not to mention a recently deceased Japanese Prime Minister (Japan Aikido Association/Tomiki)

Dean H. · 02-26-2002, 07:23 PM

Thank you.
-Dean

Reuben · 03-03-2002, 08:57 PM

Well Malaysia's agricultural minister is studying with my sensei but i wouldn't call him exactly a celebrity. His reputation with women is a bit unsavoury

. Don't quote me on this hahaa.

And the princes of brunei also learned aikido too.

sceptoor · 03-08-2002, 10:43 PM

John Denver?? REALLY??

I'm quite surprised by that.

:O

Choku Tsuki · 03-10-2002, 01:23 PM

At one time or another and for what duration I dunno, but these are names I've heard and remembered and I'll try to note the attribution:

Loundon Wainwright III, father of Rufus
Mike Ovitz, ôber-mench and former Disney bigwig
Jerry Seinfeld (Ovitz biography)
Sean Connery, nidan (said so on Tonight Show; also said Mr. Seagal broke his wrist before Never Say Never Again started filming; didn't blend with the Shomenuchi and said it was his own fault)
Joan Baez (Aikido in America)
John Denver (Sensei was Thom Crum in Aspen; appears in credit for Mr. Crum's Aiki Energizer video)

--Chuck

Chocolateuke · 03-10-2002, 08:24 PM

sean connerys a ni dan didnt know that... no wonder he could escape in the Rock.

akiy · 03-10-2002, 09:08 PM

Although the IMDB entry for actor Philip Akin lists him as a "forth [sic] degree black belt," he's now actually a fifth dan in at the Yohsinkan headquarters dojo in Canada. He's a great guy and can do a heck of a nikyo, too.

-- Jun

Hogan · 04-06-2002, 02:41 PM

Actor Michael Rooker also was an Aikido student a long time ago in Chicago. He came back for a seminar at our dojo that was held in '96 or '97.

sceptoor · 04-19-2002, 12:02 AM

It says on Michael Rooker's filmography he was "guy in bar" in Above the Law.

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Rooker,+Michael

Could the filming of this flick be where/how he got started in Aikido??

Hogan · 04-26-2002, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sceptoor
It says on Michael Rooker's filmography he was "guy in bar" in Above the Law.

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Rooker,+Michael

Could the filming of this flick be where/how he got started in Aikido??

No - he started Aikido in the 70's....

sceptoor · 05-13-2002, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hogan

No - he started Aikido in the 70's....

Any info on what org?? Does he still train regularly?? He must be highly ranked by now, right?? Does he teach anywhere??

Hogan · 05-18-2002, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sceptoor

Any info on what org?? Does he still train regularly?? He must be highly ranked by now, right?? Does he teach anywhere??

He started with the late Fumio Toyoda (Aikido Association of America in Chicago) in the 70's sometime...he last visited the dojo, I believe, in 96-97 ??? He was wearing an old beaten-up brown belt - he had stopped when he was brown belt, and only occasionally trained - so, no, he didn't get that high in rank.

suebailey · 06-11-2002, 01:02 AM

Hey Sceptoor
Do u really want to know about Seagal and what he's doin'?
If it's because u want to train with him u'd b
out of luck he can teach but he doesn't, mainly cos of time i surpose.
If u wnat any thing with Segal i'd be on ur way to america and find out where the top dojo is there they'd point u in the right direction!

sue

Choku Tsuki · 08-18-2002, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Dean Hunkapiller (Dean H.) wrote:

Does anyone know of any celebrity Aikidoka?

Franka Potente, co-star in The Bourne Identity and star of Run Lola Run.

Neil Mick · 08-23-2002, 01:20 PM

Franke Polente?? REALLY? I think I'm off to Germany (lol)! I've had a crush since Run Lola Run

Add Joanie Mitchell to the list. She trained briefly with a nearby dojo in CA.

BC · 08-26-2002, 11:39 AM

How about Donovan Waite? I seem to remember reading an interview with him in which he mentioned amaking a brief appearance in a movie ("Johnny Suede" was it?).

batemanb · 11-29-2002, 01:49 AM

I was just browsing the following web site for something else and noted on the Bio page that Bo Svenson is listed as a black belt in Aikido

http://www.bosvenson.com/index.html

Creature_of_the_id · 11-29-2002, 04:20 AM

To all of those brits (and aussies) out there who who know who he is...

I heard a rumour that Rolf Harris studied aikido.

I would love to have that confirmed.

I can just imagine him teaching.. "can you guess what it is yet?"

and his kiai would be very interesting.