Mike Tyson in pop culture
Despite (or maybe because of) Mike Tyson’s imposing physicality, dramatic personal history and volatile personality, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world has long since transcended his sports notoriety and become a notable pop-culture figure. These days he’s as well-known just for being Mike Tyson as for any of his boxing accomplishments. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Mike Tyson, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, has transcended his sports notoriety and become a notable pop-culture figure. Here’s a look at some of Tyson’s appearances in film, television, theater and more.
By Noelene Clark, Patrick Kevin Day and Alaena Hostetter
After his release from prison, Tyson attempted to mount a boxing comeback. He won World Boxing Assn. and World Boxing Council titles, but lost his WBC title in court and then his WBA title in the ring to Evander Holyfield in 1996. Their rematch ended with a notably more savage Tyson biting off part of Holyfield’s ear in the ring. That grisly act turned Tyson from a tragic figure into a grotesque and comic figure, as evidenced by comedians such as Carrot Top (above) working gags about the incident into their acts. (John Gurzinski / Associated Press)
“The Hangover” helped reintroduce Tyson to the world as not only a boxer, but as a star who could laugh at himself and be a bankable celebrity. “The Hangover” won the Golden Globe for best picture, comedy or musical, in 2010, no doubt in part to Tyson’s scene-stealing rendition of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” Tyson later said he took the role in “The Hangover” to afford his drug habit. Tyson has done cameos in a number of TV series and feature films, including “Entourage,” “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles” and “Rocky Balboa.”
Tyson is shown with the cast of “The Hangover” after the film won the 2010 Golden Globe for best picture, comedy or musical. He is joined by Ed Helms, left, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham and Bradley Cooper. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
After the huge success of “The Hangover,” Mike Tyson reprised his role in the 2011 sequel “The Hangover Part II.” In the film, Tyson’s iconic facial tattoo was re-created on the face of Stu, played by actor Ed Helms, after a night of debauchery. Warner Bros. was later sued by the tattoo artist who inked Tyson’s famous face, claiming he retained all rights to the image. The dispute was settled out of court. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times; Warner Bros.)
Tyson’s autobiographical one-man Broadway show “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,” directed by Spike Lee, debuted in Las Vegas last year and is coming to Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre from March 8 through 10 as part of a national tour.
“My job is not to change anybody’s mind about me,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m going to talk about the issues that vanquished me. That’s the whole thing: I’m in this to win it from a moral perspective.... And I don’t care if people like me or not. My job is to entertain -- to put the data out there in a delightful way. I want people to say, ‘When can I see him perform again?!’”
Tyson is shown above with “Undisputed Truth” director Spike Lee, left, and Tyson’s wife Kiki during a curtain call for the show’s opening night in New York on Aug. 2, 2012. (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)
