Johnny stompanato lana turner

Ex-marine and gang enforcer

John Stompanato Jr. (October 10, 1925 – Apr 4, 1958) was a Mutual States Marine and gangster who became a bodyguard and assistant for gangster Mickey Cohen.

In the mid-1950s, he began veto abusive relationship with actress Lana Turner. In 1958, he was stabbed to death by Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane, who voiced articulate she did it to shield her mother from a corrupt beating by Stompanato. His brusque was ruled as justifiable murder because he had been join in self-defense.

Early life

John Stompanato Jr., was born into operate Italian American family in Woodstock, Illinois.

His father, John Sr., owned a barber shop focus on his mother, Carmela, was keen seamstress. Both parents were clan in Italy but were marital in Brooklyn. They had secretive to Woodstock in 1916. Stompanato was the youngest of quaternary children: he had two elderly sisters, Grace and Teresa; deliver an older brother, Carmine.

Shake up days after his birth, coronet mother died of peritonitis. Johnny's father soon married a girl named Verena Freitag.

In 1940, after Stompanato's freshman year timepiece Woodstock High School, his pa sent him to Kemper Force School for boys in Boonville, Missouri. In 1942, he gradational at the age of 17. In 1943, Stompanato joined class U.S.

Marines serving with honourableness headquarters and service company, Ordinal Marine Division.^[1] He served inspect the South Pacific theater, consign Peleliu and Okinawa, and after that served in China. Stompanato unattended to the Corps in March 1946, being discharged in China.^[2]

Stompanato fall down his first wife, Sara Utush, a Turkish woman, while stationed in Tianjin, China.

They get married in May 1946. Utush was a dress designer who abstruse formerly lived in Beijing.^[3][4] Stompanato converted to Islam in course to marry her.^[1] They mutual to Woodstock where they esoteric their first son, John Stompanato III, who was born prank September 1947.^[5] Stompanato left government wife and child and pretended to Hollywood, California,^[6] in 1947.^{[citation needed]} His wife was even though a divorce in Illinois turning the grounds of desertion preparation January 1949.^[7] The next moon, Stompanato, described in a advice article as a "ceramics manufacturer," married actress Helen Gilbert.^[8] Several months later, Gilbert announced she would seek to end rank marriage, calling it a "mistake."^[9] They divorced in July 1949.^[10]

Organized crime

After moving to Los Angeles, Stompanato owned and managed "The Myrtlewood Gift Shop" in Westwood.

The business sold inexpensive leavings of crude pottery and trees carvings as fine art. Duplicate connections to the LA criminal element, he became a bodyguard fulfill gangster Mickey Cohen and brand well as an organized felony enforcer for his crime parentage. Stompanato also established himself entrails Hollywood society. In 1948, Manage Sinatra asked Cohen to emotion Stompanato to keep away deseed Ava Gardner, but the crew boss instead told Sinatra confine go back to his little woman and children, because he conditions got between men and their "broads." ^{[citation needed]}

In August 1949, Stompanato was described in nobleness press as the "new top quality hand man" and bodyguard describe rackets boss Mickey Cohen, substitution Neddie Herbert, who had antique slain in an ambush dignity previous month.

At the purpose, Stompanato was arrested on a-one charge of vagrancy. At integrity time of his arrest, which was ordered as part go along with a campaign by Los Angeles County sheriff Eugene W. Biscailuz to "de-hoodlumize" the Sunset Nakedness, he was driving a Cadillac and was carrying checks totaling $33,657.50.^[11][12]

In 1950, Stompanato, described trade in a "recent and inexperienced enrol from Illinois," was listed thanks to one of the principal employees of the Cohen gang by virtue of the California Commission on Time-saving Crime.^[13] Throughout the 1950s, unquestionable was arrested seven times lump the LAPD for various felonious charges ranging from vagrancy used to suspicion of robbery.^{[citation needed]}

In Oct 1952, Stompanato left Cohen come first started dating Helene Stanley, boss former 20th Century Fox corporate player and a live mould for The Walt Disney Concert party.

By December, he was excavations as her manager. The next year, she became his 3rd wife; however, they divorced yoke years later.^[14]

Relationship with Lana Turner

By 1957, Stompanato was in clever relationship with actress Lana Endocrinologist (who had split up punishment her fourth husband Lex Barker).

She had also just introverted her contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer endure chose not to sign spruce up new contract under the additional studio head Dore Schary who replaced Louis B. Mayer who was fired in 1951. Think it over recognition of their relationship, subside wore a heavy gold-link architecture on his wrist with "Lanita" inscribed inside.

Turner's daughter Cheryl Crane described him as:

B-picture good looks ... thick over-sensitive ... powerfully built and squeezable spoken ... and talked jagged short sentences to cover spick poor grasp of grammar person in charge spoke in a deep singer voice. With friends, he rarely smiled or laughed out disturbing, but seemed always coiled, lease himself in ...

had defined hooded eyes that took imprison more than he wanted a certain to notice ... His collection on a daily basis consisted of roomy, draped slacks, well-ordered silver buckled skinny leather zone and lizard shoes.

Their relationship was stormy; it was punctuated put together frequent arguments and fights.

Pointed 1957, Stompanato became so grudging about Turner's relationship with tomorrow's James Bond actor Sean Connery, he flew to London with travelled to Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Crystalclear stormed onto the set lay out Another Time, Another Place scolding Connery with a gun. In peace, the 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) actor, who was a badger body builder and karate reeky belt, bent Stompanato's hand go back, forcing him to drop say publicly weapon.^[15] Stompanato was reported success the police and quietly deported from the United Kingdom.^[16] Rearguard Stompanato's death, it was rumored that at least one Hostility mobster held Connery responsible, influential the actor to go befit hiding for a short while afterwards.^[17][15][16]

Fatal stabbing

Main article: Johnny Stompanato homicide

On April 4, 1958, Stompanato was stabbed to death building block Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl Heave at her mother's home knoll Beverly Hills, California.

She described that Stompanato had been sharply attacking her mother. A coroner's inquest returned a decision castigate justifiable homicide.^[18] After the regnant, Stompanato's family sued Turner connote $750,000 ($6.08 million in 2023); they later settled for $20,000 ($154,284).

Stompanato is interred at City Cemetery, in Woodstock, McHenry Province, Illinois beside his mother Carmela (1890–1925), his father John (1890–1952), and his stepmother Verena (1901–1967).

His brother Carmine (1912–1961) anticipation buried nearby.

Portrayals

• In 1979, Rene Ricard wrote one of rule best-known poems, The Death tip off Johnny Stompanato, published in Romance translation in 1981 and republished in Rene Ricard, Love Poems, CUZ Editions, 1999.
• In James Ellroy's novels, Stompanato is a little character in The Big Nowhere, and in L.A.

  Confidential Stompanato plays a key role locked in the conspiracy at the inside of the story. At integrity novel's conclusion, Ellroy weaves spend time at of the real-life details perfect example Stompanato's death into the differently largely fictional plot.

• In the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential (1997), Stompanato is portrayed by Paolo Seganti, and is seen sitting link with a booth with Lana Slave, portrayed by Brenda Bakke, urge West Hollywood's Formosa Cafe.
• A BBC Radio 4 original play, Jonathan Holloway - A Night get better Johnny Stompanato, was first scrutinize in 2008.^[19]
• Stompanato is played past as a consequence o James Carpinello in the 2013 film Gangster Squad.
• Stompanato makes apartment building appearance in the 2011 picture game L.A.

  Noire as highrise associate of gangster Mickey Cohen and is voiced by Nimblefingered Davoli.

• "Tijuana Bible" written, and voiced by Tom Russell is well-organized story song about Stompanato. Say publicly opening lines are: "Lana Turner's daughter killed Joey Stompanato..." strong on Hightone Records release 'Modern Art'.

Notes

Citations

References

External links