Joe Lewis, American martial artist and actor (b. 1944)
Joseph Henry Lewis (March 7, 1944 – August 31, 2012) was an American karateka, kickboxer, and actor. As a fighter, Lewis gained fame for his matches in the 1960s and 1970s, and was nicknamed "the Muhammad Ali of karate." He has twice been voted the greatest fighter in karate history, having won innumerable karate tournaments, and has attained the titles of "United States Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion," "World Heavyweight Full Contact Karate Champion," and "United States National Black Belt Kata Champion."His friend and training partner Bruce Lee coined him "The Greatest Karate Fighter Of All Time." He was also named by the STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings as the "STAR Historic Undisputed Heavyweight World Champion" and is credited on their site as the "Father of Modern Kickboxing".