Louis Zamperini

Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II prisoner of war survivor, motivational speaker and track and field athlete.

Biography
Zamperini was a long-distance runner at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. During World War II, Zamperini was a soldier on a bomber airplane in the Pacific War. After the plane crashed, he and 2 crewmates survived 47 days in a lifeboat in shark infested water before being captured by the Japanese army. After the war, he became a motivational speaker.
In 2010, Laura Hillenbrand published Zamperini's biography Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, which became a bestseller. In 2014, actress Angelina Jolie directed the movie Unbroken, based on the biography. The movie was released on December 25, 2014.

In May 2014, he was chosen to be the 2015 Rose Parade grand marshal.

Personal life
Zamperini was born in Olean, New York, to Italian immigrant parents. He and his family moved to Torrance, California, at a young age. He did not speak English until school and was bullied because of this. He was married to Cynthia Applewhite from 1946 until her death in 2001. They had two children, Luke and Cynthia.

Zamperini died from pneumonia on July 2, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. He was 97.

References

Other websites




Category:1917 births
Category:2014 deaths
Category:American autobiographers
Category:American people of World War II
Category:American Protestants
Category:American long-distance runners
Category:Evangelicals
Category:Evangelists
Category:Military people from California
Category:People from Torrance, California
Category:Sportspeople from California
Category:Sportspeople from New York (state)
Category:Writers from California
Category:Writers from New York (state)
Category:Olympians for the United States
Category:Competitors at the 1936 Summer Olympics