jgambina@gmail.com


Born May 3, 1943 in Hollywood California. At the age of 8, Jimmy entered the the ring for the Catholic Youth Organization and won his first fight. Frankie Van, Universal Studio's physical trainer to the stars and boxing referee, noticed Jimmy and gave him a part in a Rock Hudson film in 1955. 'Never Say Goodbye'.  Jimmy was soon coached by Argentina Burnetti, whose students consisted of Richard Conte and other well-known actors. Jimmy tried his first boxing choreography for film when he met Sylvester Stallone for 'Rocky' in 1975. Jimmy was Technical Consultant, Boxing Choreographer and also co-starred in 'Rocky 1'. Special thanks to George Memmoli. The following year Jimmy was hired as a personal trainer and bodygaurd for John Travolta in 'Saturday Night Fever'. In 1978, he accepted the challenge to choreograph a  fight with John Voight and Randall (Tex) Cobb  in 'The Champ'. In 1982 'Heart of a Champion' (The Boom Boom Mancini story), took his skills to heights that today "are called spectacular". He then expanded his knowledge in boxing choreography while training many actors and fighters from his own gym since 1982. Brian DiPalma in 1998 hired Jimmy for 'Snake Eyes' to create a realistic boxing scene with Stan Shaw and Adam Flores. Jimmy's dedication and love for the sport will show in his latest film, 'Black Cloud' directed by Rick Shroder. He is truly dedicated to boxing and all the great champions of his time. He is also licensed in the state of California as a manager and trainer of many professional fighters. Listed below are movie titles he has worked on.

^{1975-1976 Rocky                         Chartoff/Winkler Production
1976 Winter Kills                                          Embassy Films
1977-1978 Saturday Night Fever           Paramount Productions
1978 The Champ                                            MGM Studios
1979 Long Days of Summer              Dan Curtis & Assoc./ ABC
1984 Hill Street Blues                                M.T.M. Productions
1985 Heart of a Champion                      Papazian Productions
1986 The 'A' Team                                    Steven J. Cannell
1987 Highway To Heaven               Michael Landon Productions
1990 Rocky V                                                  MGM Studios
1993 ESPN 2                                                             ESPN 
1995 Opposite Corners                             Metropolitan Pictures
1996 Arli$$                                                   HBO Productions
1998 Snake Eyes                                  Paramount Productions
1998 Knockout                                             DMG Productions
2004 Black Cloud                                         Rick Schroder Film
2008 Locker 13                                                Down and Out}

 Jimmy Gambina