Rafer Lewis Johnson (August 18, 1934 – December 2, 2020) was an American decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956.

Rafer Johnson (born August 18, 1934, Hillsboro, Texas, U.S.—died December 2, 2020, Los Angeles, California) was an American athlete and actor, who won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Actor: Licence to Kill. A distinguished American athlete and occasional actor with many other strings to his bow, Rafer Johnson was a UCLA basketball star who went on to become Pan American decathlon champion in 1955, a two time decathlon silver medallist at the Melbourne Olympics (despite injuries) and winner of gold four years later in Rome.

Dec 2, 2020 · Rafer Johnson, who carried the American flag into Rome’s Olympic Stadium in August 1960 as the first Black captain of a United States Olympic team and went on to win gold in a memorable...

Dec 2, 2020 · R afer Johnson, a UCLA alumnus and two-time Olympic medalist whose work helping to found the Special Olympics and advance racial and social justice transcended his athletic achievements, died today at his home in Sherman Oaks. He was 86.

Rafer Johnson is an American decathlete who earned the silver medal at the Olympic Games Melbourne 1956 and the gold medal at the Rome 1960 Games. Johnson attended UCLA where he competed in his first decathlon in 1954, and a year later won the gold medal at the 1955 Pan American Games.

Dec 2, 2020 · Here’s a look back at The Times’ coverage of an eventful life, during which Johnson broke racial barriers, played an unexpected role in the international relations of the Cold War and...

One of the greatest all-around track and field athletes in history, Rafer Johnson competed equally well in several events while a student at UCLA, where he also played basketball under legendary coach John Wooden, and quite naturally made his mark in the decathlon.

Rafer Johnson won the decathlon gold medal and was the first African American athlete to carry the U.S. flag in the Olympic procession in 1960.

Dec 1, 2020 · World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that 1960 Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson – widely regarded as one of the all-time greats in the combined events – died on Wednesday (2) at the age of 86.