Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later World Wrestling Federation, WWF), now known as WWE. There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. Dubbed "The Living Legend" during his lifetime, Sammartino was widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
Sammartino's wrestling style was less mat-oriented than was typical of wrestlers from his era. His brawling, power moves and personal charisma helped him become the most popular American wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s.