Harold Sakata in the 1948 Olympics

You probably know him best as a James Bond henchman with a lethal bowler hat. But Harold Sakata’s career started as an Olympian.

Born in Hawaii, Sakata competed on the United States team in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. Sakata won a silver medal for lifting 380 pounds in the men’s weightlifting portion in the light-heavyweight division.

After the Olympics, he was a professional wrestler under the name of Tosh Togo in the 1950s and 1960s, according to the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame.

But despite his silver medal winning, Sakata’s athletics aren’t what he’s best known for.

Noticed for his muscular build, James Bond producers hired Sakata to play Oddjob, Auric Goldfinger’s personal bodyguard in the film “Goldfinger” (1964). Oddjob wore a steel-rimmed bowler hat that he would toss at enemies.

Harold Sakata in “Goldfinger” (1964) (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

Sakata played characters named Odd Job in two other films: 4 Schlüssel (1966) and “The Wrestler” (1974). This character was even used in 1970s Vicks cough syrup commercials.

He became so well-known for the Bond character that he even adopted “Odd Job” as his middle name.

He made a total of 30 film and TV appearances, with a recurring role on the TV series “Sarge” (1971-72). However, none of the films were as prominent as “Goldfinger.”

Don’t miss our other Olympic spotlights:

• Nat Pendleton
• Johnny Weissmuller
• Buster Crabbe
• Bruce Bennett
• Esther Williams

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