Johnny Stompanato

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John Stompanato
Stompanato with Lana Turner
Birth name	John Stompanato Jr.
Nickname(s)	Johnny, Jack, Handsome Harry, Johnny Stomp, John Steele, Oscar
Born	(1925-10-10)October 10, 1925 Woodstock, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 4, 1958(1958-04-04) (aged 32) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Place of burial	Oakland Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1943–1946
Rank	Private
Unit	Service Battalion, 1st Marine Division
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Peleliu Battle of Okinawa
Spouse(s)	Sara Utush ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1949)​ Helen Gilbert ​ ​ (m. 1949; div. 1949)​ Helene Stanley ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1955)​
Other work	Mob Bodyguard

John Stompanato Jr. (October 10, 1925 – April 4, 1958) was a United States Marine and gangster who became a bodyguard and enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen.

In the mid-1950s, he began an abusive relationship with actress Lana Turner. In 1958, he was stabbed to death by Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane, who said she did it to defend her mother from a vicious beating by Stompanato. His death was ruled as justifiable homicide because he had been killed in self-defense.