Robert Swenson

{{Short description|American professional wrestler, stuntman and actor (1957–1997)}}

{{Infobox professional wrestler

|name =Robert Swenson

|image =Jeep Swenson 1996.jpg

|caption =Swenson with his wife and daughter in 1996

|alt =

|birthname =Robert Alexander Swenson Jr.

|birth_date ={{birth date|1957|1|5}}

|birth_place =San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

|death_date ={{death date and age|1997|8|18|1957|1|5}}

|death_place =Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|names =Jeep Swenson
Jeep the Mercenary
The Final Solution
The Ultimate Solution
Bane

|height ={{height|ft=6|in=4}}

|weight ={{convert|405|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

|billed =San Antonio, Texas and Durban, South Africa

|trainer =

|debut =1987

|retired =1996

}}

Robert Alexander "Jeep" Swenson Jr.{{Cite web|last=Will|first=Gary|date=December 1998|title=Gary Will: Deceased Pro Wrestlers – A Tribute to Mat Stars of the Past|url=http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/decwres.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523154127/http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/decwres.htm|archive-date=May 23, 2015|access-date=February 16, 2022|publisher=GaryWill.com}} (January 5, 1957 - August 18, 1997) was an American professional wrestler, stuntman and actor.

Career

=Wrestling=

Swenson wrestled for World Class Championship Wrestling in 1987 and 1988 as Jeep Swenson for manager Gary Hart. He debuted on March 7, 1987, defeating Perry Jackson in a 2-minute challenge match. His main feud was with Bruiser Brody, who was wrestling as the masked "Red River Jack". Brody defeated him at the Parade of Champions 1987 event.{{Cite web|title=Parade of Champions 1987 results|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/misc/wccw/parade.html|access-date=February 15, 2022|website=|publisher=Pro Wrestling History}} According to Swenson, he had the largest biceps in the world at that time (they were recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records).{{Cite web|date=August 27, 1997|title=Jeep Swenson; Actor, Professional Wrestler and Bodybuilder|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-27-mn-26325-story.html|access-date=February 15, 2022|work=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}} From 1993 to 1994, he wrestled for Global Wrestling Federation in Texas, where he feuded with Ahmed Johnson.{{Cite web|title=Jeep The Mercenary profile|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/bios/j/jeep-the-mercenary/|access-date=February 15, 2022|website=|publisher=Online World of Wrestling|language=en-US}}

Swenson returned to wrestling for a match at World Championship Wrestling's Uncensored pay-per-view on March 24, 1996.{{Cite web|title=Uncensored 1996 results|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wcw/uncensor.html#96|access-date=February 15, 2022|publisher=Pro Wrestling History}} He performed as a member of the "Alliance to End Hulkamania". He was named The Final Solution, but following complaints from Jewish organizations to the Turner corporate offices, his character was renamed The Ultimate Solution.{{Cite web|last=Bovingdon|first=Edward|date=August 8, 2012|title=The tragic story of the original Bane|url=https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-editors/tragic-story-original-bane-140556217.html|access-date=February 15, 2022|website=|publisher=Yahoo! Movies|language=en-GB}} WCW claimed they were unaware that The Final Solution was the name Adolf Hitler gave to his plan to destroy the Jews. The Alliance consisted of the Dungeon of Doom, the Four Horsemen, The Ultimate Solution and Z-Gangsta, working to end Hulk Hogan's career.

=Boxing=

Swenson boxed as an amateur middleweight and later had a short career as a professional boxer. He won his first two bouts by knockouts, but his third fight was stopped in round one after Frankie Garcia knocked him down twice in his pro debut.{{Cite web|title=Robert Swenson's BoxRec profile|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/186585|access-date=February 15, 2022|website=BoxRec}}

=Acting=

File:Jeep and Parents 1997.jpg

Swenson's first role was as an uncredited thug in early Jackie Chan movie The Big Brawl. Swenson also appeared as pit fighter "Lugwrench" Perkins in the 1989 Hulk Hogan film No Holds Barred. He played the masked version of Dorian in the 1994 film The Mask. He also played James Caan's bodyguard Bledsoe in the Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler film Bulletproof, before playing possibly his best known character Bane in the critically panned 1997 film Batman & Robin.{{cite magazine |author=Fin Martin and Antohy Evans |title=Know their Roles |pages=26–31 |magazine=Power Slam Magazine |id=109 |date=August 2003 |location=Lancaster, Lancashire, England}} His actual blood vessels were outlined in ink for “Batman” by the makeup experts at Warner Bros. He was also featured in many magazines and television commercials.{{cite web|last=Oliver|first=Greg|date=June 26, 2010|title=Jeep Swenson dies of heart failure|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2010/06/26/jeep-swenson-dies-of-heart-failure/|access-date=December 31, 2018|work=SLAM! Sports|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer}}

Personal life

Swenson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Patricia Maxine (née Wells) and Robert Alexander Swenson Sr. His nickname, "Jeep", was derived from his dad (a soldier known as "Tank"), whose logic was that every tank needed a Jeep. He was married to Erin Hillsman; the couple had a daughter named Kayleigh, who is a model and music composer and goes by the name Viking Barbie.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/viking.barbie/?hl=en | title=Instagram }}

Death

On August 18, 1997, Swenson died of a heart attack at the UCLA Medical Center at the age of 40. Hulk Hogan, Davey Boy Smith, and James Caan gave eulogies at his funeral.{{cite web|last=Oliver|first=Greg|date=June 26, 2010|title=Jeep Swenson dies of heart failure|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2010/06/26/jeep-swenson-dies-of-heart-failure/|access-date=December 31, 2018|work=SLAM! Sports|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer}} He was an avid user of steroids and started to use them in his early 20s. Because of this, he reportedly could not shower properly, put on a shirt, or walk upstairs. His death also shocked George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Uma Thurman, his co-stars in the Batman & Robin film. After the funeral, Swenson was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in an undisclosed location.{{Cite web|last=Lines|first=Andy|date=August 28, 1997|title=BATMAN FAT MAN KILLED BY STEROIDS; 25-stone star dies at 38|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/BATMAN+FAT+MAN+KILLED+BY+STEROIDS;+25-stone+star+dies+at+38.-a064828247|access-date=February 15, 2022|website=|publisher=The Mirror}}

Filmography

=Film=

Year	Title	Role	Notes
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="white-space:nowrap"
1980	The Big Brawl	Thug	Uncredited
1989	No Holds Barred	Lugwrench Perkins
1996	Bulletproof	Bledsoe
1997	Batman & Robin	Bane
1997	The Bad Pack	Missouri Mule
2005	Beyond Batman: Frozen Freaks and Femme Fatales - The Makeup of 'Batman & Robin'	Himself (archive footage)	Documentary