Jannes Andersson

Jannes Andersson was the son of a farmer in Mora. In 1909, he was involved in the founding of IFK Mora. He won the 1912 district championship in shot put and came second in the decathlon. Subsequently, he was entered in shot put for the Olympic Games in Stockholm but did not start due to an injury. Nationally, he also competed in discus and javelin throw.

Andersson then started a coaching career in Russia (1913-14) but returned to Sweden just before the Russian Revolution. During World War I, he was occasionally active as a coach in Dalarna, where his activities were paid for by the famous artist Anders Zorn (1860-1920). Zorn was born near Mora and supported local athletes.

In 1915, Andersson travelled to the USA for the first time. In Sweden, he married Håll Edit Persson (later known as Edith Louise Peterson), with whom he had a son and a daughter. After a few years, the family decided to emigrate to the United States, where he worked as a track and field coach at the University of Southern California during the 1920s. On a return trip from Sweden in 1925 he met actress Greta Garbo and helped her with her back problems. Subsequently he became a masseur in Hollywood, where he was in charge of the film actors’ physical training. He died from arteriosclerosis in Los Angeles but was buried in Georgia, home of his second wife Ruth. In America, he went by the names “Bud”, “Jannes”, and “James”.