| Kalla Pasha | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph T. Rickard March 5, 1879 Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Died | June 10, 1933 (aged 54) Talmage, California, USA |
| Other names | Kalla Pascha Kala Pasha Kella Pasha |
| Occupation | Wrestler, Vaudevillian and Screen Actor |
| Years active | 1919 – 1931 |
Kalla Pasha (5 March, 1879 – 10 June 1933) was an American professional wrestler, vaudeville comedian and screen actor active during the silent era.
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Kalla Pasha was the stage name of Joseph T. Rickard, a native of Detroit. [1] He was the professional wrestler Hamid Kalla Pasha, whom the press called "The Crazy Turk" [2] before performing on vaudeville and appearing in 74 films between 1919 and 1931. Rickard's success with Mack Sennett enabled him to be a free-spender, claiming later he would often go about town with a 150 thousand dollars strapped around his waist. [3] The money did not last though, and not long after Reikard's career faded he was arrested for striking a man over the head with a milk bottle during a dust-up involving five-cents. As a result, Rickard was sent to Mendocino State Hospital for psychiatric care, where he would die a little over a year later from heart disease.[4][5][6]