Toshiyuki (Harold) Sakata
Olympic Weightlifter
Toshiyuki (Harold) Sakata (1920-1982) was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i. He dropped out of school at age 16 in order to help his family and their coffee farm. Inspired by a physical culture magazine, Sakata decided to start weightlifting. In 1948, he lifted a total of 410 kg in the light-heavyweight division and won silver for the United States at the Summer Olympics in London. Later, he became a professional wrestler and landed his first acting role as Oddjob in Goldfinger (1964).
(Portrait by Dayanit Duenas, SFSU 2016)