Introduction
William Joe Varga (January 10, 1919 – January 11, 2013), billed as Count Billy Varga, was an American professional wrestler and actor.He was born to Rose and Joe Varga; his father was a professional wrestler in Europe known as Count Joseph Varga and taught his son wrestling at the age of five. He attended Hollywood High School and graduated from the University of Southern California. Varga won the world's light-heavyweight title in 1941 and later joined the Navy until he arrived home in 1947. Varga's wrestling career began to fall apart in the 1970s as he was busy in television and movie work.
Personal life
Varga married Rosabelle Varga who died in 1992. He resided in Northridge, California. He had three sons, Billy, Courtland and Royce, all of whom preceded him in death, and five grandchildren. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease by the beginning of 2005 and died in 2013.
Championships and accomplishments
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sam Steamboat
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Hardy Kruskamp (2 times) and Mario LaPentero (1 time)