Roddy Piper

Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015)[1] better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. During his career, Piper worked for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Roddy Piper
Born(1954-04-17)April 17, 1954[1]
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan[1]
DiedJuly 31, 2015(2015-07-31) (aged 61)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Roddy Piper[2]
The Masked Canadian[1]
Piper Machine[1]
Roddy the Piper
Roderick Piper
Piper
Billed fromGlasgow, Scotland[2]
Trained byTony Condello[1]
Stu Hart
Alfred Eloquin
Debut1969
RetiredApril 18, 2008

Early life

Piper was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Career

Piper hosted a popular interview segment on WWE Raw, called "Piper's Pit". The segment mainly aired during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It has been abandoned since Piper left the WWE, but is still done on special occasions when Piper makes a special appearance. In 2005, Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Ric Flair.

Piper also acted in many movies and television shows. One of his most well known roles was as a drifter in the 1988 movie They Live.

Death

Piper died of cardiopulmonary arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism on July 31, 2015 in Hollywood, California.[3] A ten-bell salute for Piper was held at the beginning of the August 3, 2015 episode of WWE Raw.[4]

Acting

Movies
  • That Obscure Object of Desire - Unknown (1977)
  • The One and Only - Leatherneck Joe Grady (1978) (Uncredited)
  • Body Slam - Quick Rick Roberts (1986)
  • Hell Comes to Frogtown - Sam Hell (1988)
  • They Live - John Nada (1988)
  • Buy & Cell - Cowboy (1989)
  • Tagteam - Rick McDonald (1991)
  • Immortal Combat - John Keller (1992)
  • Back In Action - Frank Rossi (1993)
  • No Contest - Ice (1994)
  • Tough & Deadly - Elmo Freech (1994)
  • Jungleground - Lt. Jacob 'Jake' Cornell (1995)
  • Terminal Rush - Bartel (1996)
  • Marked Man - Frank Gibson (1996)
  • Sci-Fighters - Det. Cameron Grayson (1996)
  • First Encounter - Unknown (1997)
  • Dead Tides - Mick Leddy (1997)
  • The Bad Pack - Dash Simms (1998)
  • Hard Time - Randy (1998)
  • Last To Surrender - Nick Ford (1998)
  • Legless Larry & the Lipstick Lady - Legless Larry (1999)
  • Shepherd - Miles (1999)
  • Jack of Hearts - Detective Deeks (2000)
  • Three Wise Guys - Pastor Roberts (2005)
  • Honor - LT Tyrell (2005)
  • Domestic Import - Bronco Bill (2006)
  • Costa Chica: Confession of an Exorcist - Lucas McMurter (2006)
  • Shut Up and Shoot! - Yokum The Bartender (2006)
  • Night Traveler - The Pyro Messiah (2006) (voice)
  • Blind Eye - Fred Mears (2006)
  • Urban Legends: The Ghosts of Goldfield - Jackson Smith (2007)
  • Super Sweet 16: The Movie - Mitch (2007)
  • Legion: The Final Exorcism - Unknown (2008)
  • The Mystical Adventures of Billy Owens - William Thurgood (2009)
  • A Gothic Tale - Narrator (2009)
  • The Portal - Homeless George (2010)
  • Lights Out - Detective Callahan (2010)
  • Billy Owens and the Secret of the Runes - William Thurgood (2010)
  • Alien Opponent - Father Melluzzo (2010)
  • Clear Lake - Wayne (2011)
  • Pizza Man - Roderick (2011)
  • Fancypants - Smiley (2011)
  • Black Dynamite Teaches a Hard Way! - Himself (2013)
  • Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies - Himself (2013)
  • Don't Look Back - Grandfather (2014)

Television
  • The Highwayman - Preacher (1987)
  • The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Himself (1989)
  • The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage - Maurice Steiger (1990)
  • Zorro - Will Adams / Bishop (1990-1991)
  • Silk Stalkings - Jimmy Snow (1992)
  • Walker, Texas Ranger - Cody "The Crusader" Conway (1998)
  • The Outer Limits - Marlon (1999)
  • Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends - Himself (1999)
  • Highlander - Immortal Anthony Gallen (1993)
  • It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Da' Maniac (2009)
  • Cold Case - "Sweet" Sil Tavern (2010)
  • Breaking In - Mr. Weller (2012)
  • Celebrity Wife Swap - Himself (2013)
  • Storage Wars - Himself (2013)
  • It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Da' Maniac (2013)
  • Adventure Time - Don John (2014)

Video games
  • Saints Row IV - Himself (2013)

References
  1. "Roddy Piper Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  2. "Roddy Piper WWE Hall of Fame Profile". WWE.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  3. "'Rowdy' Roddy Piper dies at 61 from cardiac arrest". TMZ. Time Warner. July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  4. "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 8/3: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - WWE Title match, Brock Lesnar returns, Roddy Piper tribute, six-man tag, Summerslam". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2015-08-14.

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