Swenson boxed as an amateur middleweight and later had a short career as a professional boxer.[7] He won his first two bouts by knockouts, but his third fight was stopped in round one after he was knocked down twice by Frankie Garcia in his pro debut.[7]
Acting
Swenson (middle, with full Bane makeup) with his parents in 1997
Swenson's first role was as an uncredited thug in early Jackie Chan movie The Big Brawl.[2] Swenson also appeared as pit fighter "Lugwrench" Perkins in the 1989 Hulk Hogan film No Holds Barred. He played the masked version of Dorian in the 1994 film The Mask. He also played James Caan's bodyguard Bledsoe in the Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler film Bulletproof, before playing possibly his best known character Bane in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.[2][8] His actual blood vessels were outlined in ink for “Batman” by the makeup experts at Warner Bros.[4] He was also featured in many magazines and television commercials.[2][9]
Swenson was highly criticized for his performance as Bane, as it was infamously unfaithful to the original character, who was portrayed as being both intelligent and strong, while the movie depicted him as a mindless goon for Poison Ivy instead, he also rarely spoke and when he did, it would usually be one or two-word sentences, or his own name.
Personal life
Swenson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Patricia Maxine (née Wells) and Robert Alexander Swenson Sr.[4] His nickname, "Jeep", was derived from his dad (a soldier known as "Tank"), whose logic was that every tank needed a Jeep.[2] He was married to Erin Hillsman; the couple had a daughter named Kayleigh.[2]
