If you’ve hung out around those bars in Aspen with the lights and music, you know the ones I’m talking about, you’ve probably seen a few celebrities. Which means you’ve probably seen a few bodyguards even if you didn’t realize it. They were the ones wearing nothing but black, lurking in the background, pretty easy to miss, if they weren’t all literally seven feet tall. For one reason or another, some celebrities, billionaires, and artists (or any combination of the above) like a little extra muscle when they go out in public. Let’s take a look at some of the not-so-gentle giants of the personal security industry.
Laurence Tureaud AKA Mr. T
I pity the fool that messed with Michael Jackson, Bruce Lee, or Muhammed Ali, because Mr. T guarded all of them. Famous in his own right for The A-Team, Mr. T had a rough start. Born in the projects of Chicago as the youngest of twelve children, it’s no surprise that Mr. T initially roughed people up for a living. After graduating high school, a young Mr. T served in the US Army Police Corps. T’s Platoon Sergeant once punished him by making him chop down trees early one morning. Between 6:30 AM and 10:00 AM Tureaud chopped down a total of seventy trees, and would have felled more had a Major not superseded the Sergeant’s orders. Take that George Washington.
After leaving the Army, Tureaud worked as a bouncer, then as a low level bodyguard working for everyone from prostitutes to preachers until he worked his way up to his A-Team of clients (ok, I had to). I’m not sure why Bruce Lee and Muhammed Ali needed a bodyguard, but the fact that they chose Mr. T speaks volumes to his power of intimidation.
Moshe Benabou
The words “ex-Israeli Military” strike fear into the heart of any would-be celebrity mugger. Benabou has worked for Justin Bieber and his family for several years. Working for a client who always seems to be in trouble is no easy task, and Benabou has had to fend off more than his fair share of Beliebers. Benabou is the owner and founder of IsraGuard security, specializing in providing Israeli-trained bodyguards for high-level clients. However, it looks like Justin will have to find some new muscle, as Benabou is suing Bieber for over $420,000 in unpaid overtime.
Benabou claims he worked seven days a week, and up to 18 hours a day protecting Bieber. In addition, the brawny Benabou claims Bieber once punched him in the chest several times during a temper tantrum. As a bodyguard or babysitter, Benabou has one tough job.
Anna Loginova
An oddity in an industry dominated by muscle-bound men, Loginova was a Russian fashion model turned bodyguard during the 90s and early 2000s. Having modeled for BMW, Maxim, and Chanel, Loginova could have easily stayed in fashion. Loginova walked away from the anorexic world of modeling to the overfed world of bodyguarding. She went on to run a renowned all-female bodyguard company that employed women trained by ex-KGB members. Loginova offered protection that allowed her clients to look unprotected, a former model is much less threatening than a giant man with an obvious anger management problem.
Unfortunately, Loginova’s was a life lived fast and ultimately cut short. She died at age 29 from injuries sustained fighting several car-jackers attempting to steal her Porsche.
Clint Hill
This farm boy from rural North Dakota protected one of the most iconic couples of the 20th century. John and Jackie Kennedy kept Clint close at hand, in 2012 he released a memoir entitled Mrs. Kennedy and Me, revealing much about the first lady’s private life. After graduating from Concordia College in Minnesota, Hill joined the Secret Service in 1958 and was originally part of the security detail protecting President Eisenhower. Hill would later go on to protect Lyndon B. Johnson and Spiro T. Agnew. President Kennedy did not like having agents ride on the bumper of his car during parades and motorcades. So on that fateful November day in Dallas, 1963, Hill was riding in the car behind the Kennedys, but lept out of the car and into the Presidential Limousine less than two seconds after Lee Harvey Oswald’s (or whoever for all you conspiracy theorists) final shot. The image of Hill leaping into the Presidential Limousine over Kennedy’s body became iconic.
As the last surviving passenger of the presidential limousine that day, maybe Hill knows who really killed Kennedy.
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About Today's Contributor:
The author of this article is Damien S. Wilhelmi. If you enjoyed this piece you can follow him on Twitter @JakabokBotch. Sometimes, more protection is needed than less, and if you are in need of a proper Security Consulting Firm, be sure to pay a visit to Elert.com.
About Today's Contributor:
The author of this article is Damien S. Wilhelmi. If you enjoyed this piece you can follow him on Twitter @JakabokBotch. Sometimes, more protection is needed than less, and if you are in need of a proper Security Consulting Firm, be sure to pay a visit to Elert.com.
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