Ciaran Brown meets actor Joe Robinson

The first time that I met Joe Robinson was at Pinewood in June 2005 for the George Lazenby day that they held there. Joe signed a photograph for me and also my event programme.

I met him again at Kempton Park in September 2006 when he signed my Jeff Marshall lithograph. Until I came to do this webpage, I had no idea about his amazing prowess at martial arts!!

Joe Robinson was born in 1927 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, son of Joseph Robinson, and grandson of John Robinson who were both World Champion wrestlers!! Young Joe enjoyed wrestling too and, as "Tiger Joe Robinson", won wrestling's European Heavyweight Championship in 1952.

Acting was another of Joe's interests and he joined RADA (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). His first film role was in A Kid For Two Farthings (1955) with Celia Johnson, Diana Dors & Sid James.

Joe plays the part of Sam who, in the film, wrestles Python Macklin, played by no less than Bruno Carnera, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

Joe Robinson was not only a judo champion but also a black belt at karate, and he taught Honor Blackman judo self-defence for her part in The Avengers. Along with his brother Doug, Joe became a stunt-arranger for James Bond films. This led to him appearing in one of them, Diamonds Are Forever (1971) as diamond smuggler Peter Franks, who is killed by Bond (Sean Connery) during a fight in a lift.

Please be sure to click on Graham Rye's 007 Magazine link (below) as it contains some absolutely fantastic photographs of Joe Robinson's marvellous physique at various times in his career. There are shots of him in his role as 'Tarzan' in the Italian epic Le Gladiatrici (1963), although his character's name had to be changed to Thaur before the film could receive permission for its release.

Joe Robinson retired from acting after his Bond film appearance, to open a centre for martial arts. Joe's daughter Polly has kept up the family's martial arts tradition by becoming British Women's Judo Champion in 1990.

1962 saw Joe Robinson as Roach in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, and the following year he appeared on TV in an episode each of The Avengers and The Saint.

In 1961, Joe was in Carry On Regardless as the cowardly boxer 'Dynamite Dan'. His manager 'Lefty' was played by Freddie Mills, boxing's Light Heavyweight World Champion from 1948 to 1950.