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William James "Jim" Myers (April 16, 1937 – February 16, 2017), better known by his ring name George "The Animal" Steele, was an American professional wrestler, school teacher, author and actor. His career lasted from 1967 until 1988, though he made occasional wrestling appearances into the 1990s and 2000s. Steele portrayed Swedish wrestler and actor Tor Johnson in Tim Burton's film Ed Wood. On February 16, 2017, Myers died in hospice care due to kidney failure, at the age of 79
Myers was born in Detroit on April 16, 1937, and was raised in Madison Heights, Michigan. During high school, he found success in track, baseball, basketball and football. In 1956, Myers entered Michigan State University as a football player for the Michigan State Spartans, but his career as a football player was immediately cut short as a result of knee problems. In 1961, he was with the Grand Rapids Shamrocks (UFL) 1st place Western Division. After earning a bachelor of science degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree from Central Michigan University, Myers became a teacher, amateur wrestling coach, and football coach at Madison High School in Madison Heights, Michigan. There he would eventually become a member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame.
Myers had dyslexia and was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 1988, an inflammatory bowel disease which currently has no cure but can be brought into remission. In 1998, doctors told Myers that his Crohn's Disease had gone into remission and that he no longer suffered from any of the disease's symptoms. In 2002, to prevent the symptoms from returning, Myers had his colon removed. Myers was a devout Christian. He attended the First Baptist Church Merritt Island, and lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida with his wife Pat, whom he married before he entered Michigan State in 1956. Together, Pat and Jim have two sons, Dennis and Randy, and a daughter, Felicia.
