Wilhelm Von Homburg (Prinz) boxer
- bouts
- 47
- won
- 30
- lost
- 11
- draw
- 6
- Status
- inactive
- Division
- heavyweight
- Debut
- 1962-07-20
- Height
- 6′ 1″/186cm
- Reach
- -
- Age
- 63
- Born
- 1940-08-25
- Death
- 2004-03-10
- Nationality
- Germany
Norbert Grupe (born August 25, 1940 – March 10, 2004), better known outside Germany by his stage name Wilhelm von Homburg, was a German boxer, actor, and professional wrestler known for his villainous supporting roles in various high-profile films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters II, the henchman James in Die Hard, and Souteneur in Werner Herzog's Stroszek.Norbert Grupe was born in Berlin on August 25, 1940. He was the son of Richard Grupe (1905 - August 5, 1988), who worked as a baker in Nazi Germany, and later become both a championship-winning boxer and a local policeman who worked at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Richard would later say of this period, "I was never a Nazi. I never joined the party. I was not in the Hitler Youth...I was a pastryman...I have no much luck with the Jewish people. But I never hated them. Never hated them. I'm very sorry for what Hitler did to the Jewish people." After the war, Richard boxed professionally from 1946 to 1952, earning a record of 26 wins (20 by knockout), 8 losses, and 6 draws. He then toured Europe as a wrestler. Later, Richard's first wife gave birth to Grupe's brother Winfried. Richard's second wife Ursula, much younger and closer in age to Grupe himself, gave birth to Grupe's sister, Rona. Ursula left the family five years later. According to Rona, Grupe exhibited a bitter jealousy toward Winfried, because Winfried's mother was a daily presence for him, whereas Grupe's absent mother would not even speak to him.Years later, when Rona was in her mid-teens, Richard informed her that at some point in 1959, the year prior to Rona's birth, Richard was away from home, most likely on a wrestling trip, and Ursula was home alone. Grupe climbed the fire escape into the house and raped her. Richard said it was possible that Grupe was Rona's biological father. Decades later, however, when Richard was in a coma near his death, Rona had a blood test, which proved that Richard was her father.In his youth, Grupe worked as a meatpacker, stevedore, butcher, longshoreman, and a waiter. By the time he finished school, Grupe, who had begun trainining in boxing at age 10, had won several amateur boxing matches. Around 1960, Richard emigrated to the United States to further wrestling career, and Grupe, who stoold at 6'3" and 227 pounds by this time, would soon follow, spending time at California's notable Venice weight pen, where he became acquatined with future film star Arnold Schwarzenegger. The father and son do would don Viking costumes, with which they were billed as the tag-team by the name of The Vikings, wrestling at the Los Angeles Coliseum and Madison Square Garden. They subsequently changed their name to the Von Homburg Brothers, under which they performed as heels for less than a hundred dollars a night in total. Grupe thought his last name sounded too much like the word groupie, and changed it to Prince Wilhelm von Homburg. He sometimes wore a monocle and German eagle. He would later regret using it in Hollywood, saying, "In an industry that was ruled by the Jews, it was really dumb to call myself 'von Homburg.' Who do they think that is? A Nazi nobleman." After their wrestling partnership ended, the father and son grew estranged.
Date | Opponent | Last Opponents' Results | Place | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1970-12-11 | Rudiger Schmidtke | WWWWLD | Cologne | LOST Points |
1969-12-12 | Juergen Blin | LLDWWW | Sporthalle, Cologne | LOST Points |
1969-11-14 | Rudiger Schmidtke | WWWWWW | Festhalle, Frankfurt | LOST Points |
1969-06-20 | Oscar Bonavena | WWWWLW | Sportpalast, Schoeneberg | LOST Technical knockout |
1969-04-02 | Giulio Rinaldi | LDLLW | Sportpalast, Schoeneberg | WIN Technical knockout |
1969-02-14 | Giulio Rinaldi | DLDLL | Ernst Merck Halle | LOST Points |
1969-01-03 | Giulio Rinaldi | LDLDL | Sportpalast, Schoeneberg | WIN Technical knockout |
1968-11-08 | Gerhard Zech | LDDWLL | Ernst Merck Halle | WIN Points |
1968-09-18 | Franklin Arrindell | LLLLW | Stadion Hohe Warte, Vienna | WIN KO |
1968-08-30 | Rudolf Nehring | WWWLDL | Sporthalle, Schoeneberg | WIN Technical knockout |
1968-04-11 | Dave Bailey | LLWLLL | Sportpalast, Schoeneberg | LOST Points |
1967-12-15 | Paul Roux | WLWLLW | Circus Krone, Munich | WIN KO |
1967-05-03 | Ray Patterson | WWLDLL | Westfalenhalle, Dortmund | DRAW Points |
1966-12-09 | Archie McBride | WDLLDL | Festhalle, Frankfurt | WIN KO |
1966-11-19 | Piero Del Papa | WLWWL | Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg | LOST |
1966-05-14 | Erich Schoppner | WWWDWL | Westfalenhalle, Dortmund | DRAW Points |
1965-05-28 | Archie McBride | WWWDLL | Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg | DRAW Points |
1965-04-29 | Bas van Duivenbode | WDWWWL | Neue Sporthalle, Hannover | WIN KO |
1965-04-02 | Jose Angel Manzur | LWLLWL | Stadthalle, Vienna | WIN Technical knockout |
1965-02-20 | Ulli Ritter | LWDWLL | Ostseehalle, Kiel | WIN Technical knockout |
1965-01-16 | Piero Tomasoni | WWWLLW | Westfalenhalle, Dortmund | LOST Points |
1964-12-05 | Joseph Syoz | LDLLLL | Sporthalle, Cologne | WIN Technical knockout |
1964-11-27 | Pauli Kraus | LDDLWL | Ostseehalle, Kiel | WIN KO |
1964-11-06 | Lars Olof Norling | WWDLLW | Ernst Merck Halle | WIN Technical knockout |
1964-05-29 | Jean Huiban | LLLLLW | Weser-Ems-Halle, Oldenburg | WIN KO |
1964-05-08 | Ulli Ritter | LLWWLW | Ernst Merck Halle | DRAW Points |
1964-04-07 | Roy Crear | LLL | Stockyards Coliseum, Oklahoma City | WIN Technical knockout |
1964-01-06 | Bob McKinney | LWWWLW | New York Coliseum, Bronx | WIN Technical knockout |
1963-11-18 | Monroe Ratliff | LWLLLL | Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica | WIN Split-decision |
1963-09-19 | Billy Stephan | WLLLLL | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | LOST Points |
1963-07-23 | Chuck Leslie | WWWWLL | Coliseum, San Diego | LOST Points |
1963-06-24 | Bobby Sands | LLLWLL | Moulin Rouge, Hollywood | WIN Technical knockout |
1963-06-01 | Tommy Merrill | WLLLLL | Convention Center, Las Vegas | DRAW Majority decision |
1963-05-20 | Bobby Sands | LLLLWL | Moulin Rouge, Hollywood | WIN Technical knockout |
1963-03-25 | Pete Gonzales | LL | Moulin Rouge, Hollywood | WIN KO |
1963-02-25 | Gus Calf Robe | WWLWWL | Moulin Rouge, Hollywood | WIN KO |
1963-02-19 | Clifford Gray | LLLDLL | Coliseum, San Diego | WIN Technical knockout |
1963-02-15 | Bob Mumford | LLLLLL | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | WIN KO |
1963-01-22 | Roy Smith | LLLLLL | Coliseum, San Diego | WIN Unanimous decision |
1963-01-15 | Roy Smith | LLLLLL | Coliseum, San Diego | WIN Points |
1962-12-18 | Clifford Gray | LLLLLL | Coliseum, San Diego | WIN Points |
1962-12-14 | John L Davey | W | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | WIN Points |
1962-10-25 | Freeman Hardin | LWLLLL | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | LOST KO |
1962-09-21 | Al Cummings | LLL | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | WIN KO |
1962-08-24 | Tony Fern | debut | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles | WIN KO |
1962-08-16 | Bob Brown | LLDL | Coliseum, San Diego | WIN KO |
1962-07-20 | Sam Wyatt | LW | Sports Arena, Los Angeles | DRAW Points |