Pope Francis: Now helping people through the gates of heaven rather than keeping them out of the bars of Buenos Aires.
Photo: Luca Zennaro
He made the revelation on a visit to the outskirts of Rome last week. He told parishioners in a working-class neighbourhood about his past — adding security to a list that now includes sweeping floors and working in a chemical laboratory.
Nowadays Pope Francis is more accustomed to helping people through the gates of heaven than keeping them out of the bars of Buenos Aires. And he now leads the list of famous former security professionals, excepting ex-military types such as Andy McNab.
Here are three more surprising former security guards.
It seems incredible, but the legendary freedom fighter, Nobel laureate, and former South African president spent time in the early 1940s working as a security guard in a gold mine.
He fled the threat of an arranged marriage and took the job when he moved to Johannesburg in 1941, but he was sacked after the foreman found out that he was a runaway.
The late Sopranos star worked as a bouncer at a campus pub while studying communications at Rutgers University in the early 1980s. After graduating, Gandolfini continued working as a security guard and bar manager at clubs in New York before he found fame in the 1990s.
Clearly, this was good preparation for later when he became famous for playing mob boss Tony Soprano on the hit HBO TV show. One of the many businesses his crew ran was the Bada Bing nightclub.
The Fast and Furious actor (who was born Mark Vincent) invented his stage name when he was working as a bouncer at the New York nightclub The Tunnel. Unlike in the UK, where it’s customary (and legally required) for security guards to use their real name and to wear an ID proving they are licensed, bouncers in parts of the US often use fake names.
His friends gave him the name Diesel because he never ran out of energy. In the video interview above, Diesel said that he “fought every night,” and that he and 10 others oversaw 3,000 revellers a night.
He he I can imagine him “doing the doors” in some essex dive in the 80’s !!
Ben
Security MHQ
“He fled the threat of an arranged marriage..” I don’t know why that line sticks out to be but he is lucky he dodged that one… of all the things that happened in his life. Its funny to see all the people you would never expected to be in security Vin Diesel I could see, the Pope that was a surprise.
I can imagine him talking any potentially violent customers down very well, can’t you?
Yes the Pope is a bit of a surprise but if you break it down then it starts to make a little more sense. Being a bouncer doesn’t require extensive training and it offers odd hours for those who have regular jobs or who are putting themselves through school. It is also a way for those who are looking for ways to do good things to get into the action. They are there to keep order and protect patrons, this isn’t all the shocking that a guy like the Pope or Mandela would take such a position.
Honesty I would argue they need as well, and obviously have
interesting point Rob, I think you are right… I could not agree more…
Rob, I agree with you 100%