Who is the real Marty Supreme? Meet Marty Reisman, the ping-pong champ who inspired Timothée Chalamet’s character
The film, slated for a Christmas release in the US, is loosely based on the table tennis legend who was known for hustling and his eccentric style
The film, directed by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems), has been nominated for three Golden Globes and is loosely based on Marty Reisman, an American table-tennis champion who liked to wear bright clothing and Borsalino fedoras or panama hats, and would on occasion play sitting down or even blindfolded.
Here’s everything you need to know about the real Marty Supreme.
Marty Reisman is considered one of the best table tennis players
Marty Reisman was born in February 1930 to parents Sarah and Morris in Manhattan, New York. His father was a cab driver and a gambler described by Marty in his 1974 autobiography, The Money Player, as a “compulsive loser”.
Reisman’s parents split in 1940 and the young table tennis player lived with his mother until he was 14 before moving in with his father, per the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame website. Marty’s older brother David initially played table tennis while the then future champion was content just collecting the balls used in the game.
However, when he was nine years old, Reisman had a nervous breakdown and took up table tennis after finding it soothing. By the time he was 13, Reisman had become the city junior champion and was touring England at 16.
