This article is about the Canadian family. For the wrestling stable, seeThe Hart Dynasty. For the murderers of adoptive children, seeHart family murders.
All of Stu's eight sons were wrestlers and two of them, Bret and Owen, achieved considerable fame and success in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE),[3] with many of the WWF's biggest storylines in the mid-1990s being built around Bret and Owen and their brothers-in-law.[6][7] The family is closely associated with Canada in the North American wrestling landscape and its Canadian heritage has often been emphasized in wrestling storylines, even to the point of overt opposition toAmerican culture, but most of its members also have American citizenship through the family's American matriarch, Helen Hart.
As of 2024, the only Hart actively wrestling in WWE is Stu's granddaughterNatalie "Natalya" Neidhart, but Bret makes occasional guest appearances while WWE employsDungeon graduateTyson Kidd (also Neidhart's husband) as a producer.[8]
Helen Louise Smith Hart[9] (February 16, 1924 – November 4, 2001), matriarch of the Hart family. Was married to Stu Hart from December 31, 1947, until her death. Stu and Helen had 12 children, born from 1948 to 1965, as listed below. Helen had initially been told by doctors that she might not be able to bear children at all because she was born prematurely. This turned out to be incorrect[10] and Helen originally wanted to have 15 children but could not for medical reasons.[11][12]
Smith had six children, four of which are his biologically, daughters Tobi McIvor[21] with a woman named Marla Josephson, and Satania "Tania" Hart[22] (6 March 1985 – 14 March 2022) with his wife Maria Rosado Hart, a sonMatt Hart with Liane Reiger Herweg[23] and son Chad Pointen with "Zoe" Zo Amber Lee Beattie,[23][24]
Bruce has five children in total, daughters Brit,[25] and Lara as well as sons Bruce Jr, Torrin and Rhett Hart with his ex-wife Andrea Reding Hart. From 2000 to 2002, while Bruce was still legally married to Andrea, Andrea was in a relationship with Diana Hart's ex-husbandDavey Boy Smith, until Smith's death from a heart attack in May 2002.[26] On December 27, 2019, Andrea died at the age of 52.[27]
Keith has three children with his ex-wife Leslie duBerger Hart,[28] Stewart Hart II, Conor Hart and Brock Hart. After his divorce Keith would remarry with another woman named Joan in 2002.[29]
Dean had one child with his girlfriend Tammy, a daughter by the name of Farrah Hart, born in April 1990.[31]
Ellie had three daughters with her husband, wrestlerJim Neidhart.[32] Jennifer Neidhart,Natalie Neidhart (better known as Natalya), and Kristen Culbreth. Ellie and Jim divorced in 2001, but remarried to each other in 2010.[3][33][34]
Georgia had four children with her husband, bodybuilder, gym owner, fitness guru and part-time wrestlerBradley Joseph "BJ" Annis.[3] Edward, better known asTeddy Hart, Matthew, Annie and Angela Annis.[35] On July 4, 1996, Matthew fell ill and was diagnosed with the flesh eating diseaseNecrotizing fasciitis. On July 16, 1996, Matthew died at the age of 13.[36][37][38]
Bret and his first wife Julie Smadu Hart have four children,[39] Jade Lambros, Dallas Hart, Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart and Blade Hart. Bret and Julie divorced in 2002. Bret married his second wife Cinzia Rota in 2004, but they divorced in 2007.[40] Bret married his third wife Stephanie Washington in 2010.[41]
Alison Hart has two children with her ex-husband, wrestlerBen Bassarab, Lindsay and Brooke B Hart.[3][42] After their divorce Bassarab remarried to another woman.[43]
Diana married wrestlerDavey Boy Smith and had two children with him,[3]Harry and Georgia Smith.[44][45] Diana and Davey divorced in 2000. Diana has also dated pro wrestler James Trimble, who has worked for Ross and Bruce's incarnation of Stampede Wrestling.[46]
Owen and his wifeMartha had one son, Oje and one daughter, Athena.[47] The name Oje is a derivative of Owen's first and middle name Owen and James, it was also Owen's nickname when he was younger.[48][49][50] At the time of Owen's death in May 1999, he and Martha were planning on having a third child.[51][52]
Tom Billington and Michelle Smadu Billington's three children, one son named Marek, and two daughters named Bronwyne Jewel and Amaris Jayne, are counted among the Hart grandchildren, since their parents were considered part of the Hart family, largely due to Tom's big role inStampede Wrestling, Michelle being a sister of Bret Hart's first wife, Julie, as well as Tom being the cousin ofDavey Boy Smith.[53] After her divorce from Tom in 1991, Michelle would later on marry another man and have two twin children, Trey Liam Burbank and Trinity Eve Burbank.[54]
Tobi McIvor has three daughters, Jessica and Amanda Steed born in 1995 and 1996 respectively, and Isabella McIvor, born in 2006.[55] Tobi is married to a man named Mike McIvor.[56][57]
Edward Annis (Teddy Hart) has a son, Bradley Annis, with his ex-girlfriend Kim, born in 2001.[58] Hart has also married a woman named Fay. She has been involved in his wrestling career.[59][60][61] Annis and his wife have divorced.[62]
Jade Hart Lambros has a daughter named Kyra Beans (born June 2010) with her husband Steve Lambros.[63]
Alexandra Sabina Hart has a son, Grayson Knight Cassidy (born June 20, 2015, at 1:25 am).[64]
Dallas Hart has a daughter named Vylet Louise Hart.[65]
Kristen Culbreth has two sons with her husband: Lachlan, (pronounced Lock-lin)[66] and Maddox Culbreth.[67][68]
In his autobiography, wrestlerRoddy Piper (father of wrestlerTeal Piper) states that he is a cousin of the Hart family[76] he also made this statement in an interview on TNA.[77] This fact was used as a trivia question onRaw once.[78][79][80][81][unreliable source] Bret Hart has also stated that Piper was the only wrestler to visit him in the hospital after hisstroke and that they were as close as brothers.[82][83][84]
Wrestling promoterJack Pfefer was a very close friend ofStu Hart who asked him to be thegodfather of Hart's tenth child and seventh son,Ross.[85]
Brian Pillman was another very close wrestler to the family and the only person who wasn't related to the Harts through either blood or marriage to wrestle as a member of the Hart Foundation. He has stated that he considered Bret and Owen as brothers to him and that he would have done anything for them.[86][87] Pillman's sonBrian Pillman Jr. also works with and is close to the family.[88][89]
Chris Benoit was also very close to the Hart family. Bret Hart referred to him as like a family member.[90]
In the late 80s the Stampede storylines also included a fictional brother of Davey Boy Smith by the name ofJohnny Smith who feuded with Davey and Owen, the storyline also involved Diana Hart, who was worried over how Johnny's behaviour would affect their family.[91]
Stu Hart was an experienced grappler who held many national championships. Several of his sons, including Keith, Dean, Bret and Owen had experience in amateur wrestling.[92][93] With Bret and Owen being considered outstanding as young men.[94] Conor and Stewart Hart, two of Keith's sons pursued amateur wrestling, Conor did so at the University of Calgary[95][96] and Stewart won a medal in his school championship.[97][98]
The Hart family is one of the most well-known professional wrestling families in history. The patriarch of the family, Stu Hart was a professional wrestler and a trainer as well as the owner of Stampede Wrestling. Many of his children became professional wrestlers. He became involved with wrestling after retiring from his career with theEdmonton Eskimos of theCanadian Football League.[99] Stu beganpromoting wrestling in 1948 and operated Stampede Wrestling until selling it toVince McMahon in 1984. In 1985, however, he decided to revive the promotion, which remained in operation until December 1989.[100] It was brought back again in 1999 by Bruce and Ross Hart and remains active today.[101] Stu Hart has been noted from training some of North America's most famous wrestlers, includingAndré the Giant, the "British Bulldog"Davey Boy Smith,Dynamite Kid,Junkyard Dog, and dozens more in addition to his own sons.[99]
Bret Hart has won the most wrestling championships of anyone in the family. He won his first title belt in the World Wrestling Federation while teaming with brother-in-law Jim Neidhart (Ellie Hart's husband) to formThe Hart Foundationtag team. They had afeud with theBritish Bulldogs (Diana Hart's husband Davey Boy Smith and Bret Hart's sister-in-law's husband Dynamite Kid, who were first cousins in real life). On January 26, 1987, Hart and Neidhart defeated the Bulldogs to win theWWF Tag Team Championship.[102] After the Hart Foundation split up, Owen Hart began teaming with Neidhart asThe New Foundation. Bret went on to have a successful career as a singles wrestler, holding theWWF World Heavyweight Championship five times.[103]
The family connection played a role in two major WWF storylines. Four of the Hart brothers (Bret, Owen, Keith, and Bruce) formed a team atSurvivor Series 1993.[104] Animosity began to build between Bret and Owen, and Owenturned on Bret atRoyal Rumble 1994.[105] This led to a feud between the two brothers; Neidhart later became involved on Owen's side, while Smith sided with Bret.[106] The feud culminated with Owen costing Bret the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. While Bret was defending the title againstBob Backlund atSurvivor Series 1994, Owen tricked his mother Helen into throwing a towel into the ring to signify that Bret conceded defeat.[107]
Several years later, the Hart Foundation was formed again, this time as astable of anti-American wrestlers. Bret and Owen reconciled, and they were joined by Neidhart, Smith, andBrian Pillman (Pillman was not related, but had trained with the Hart family and was a friend of the family).[18][108][109] At theIn Your House: Canadian Stampede pay-per-view in Calgary on July 6, 1997, the Hart Foundation won a five-on-five match against"Stone Cold" Steve Austin,Ken Shamrock,Goldust, andThe Legion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal).[110] Bret Hart left the WWF in 1997 after what has come to be known as theMontreal Screwjob,[111] while Owen died as the result of a failed stunt during his ring entrance at theOver the Edge 1999 pay-per-view.[112] Bret would eventually return to the renamed WWE in 2010 after settling his differences with the promotion.
Three of Stu and Helen Hart's grandchildren have begun careers in professional wrestling. Nattie Neidhart, daughter of Ellie and Jim, trained in Calgary and now wrestles for World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the WWF) under thering name Natalya. She was the first female from the Hart family to win a championship gold, when she won theDivas Championship atSurvivor Series 2010.[113][114] Natalya would go on to have one of the most prolific careers of any female in WWE history, having the most matches of any female in WWE history, along with an on-going 15-year tenure, the longest of any active female wrestler in WWE. Harry Smith, son of Diana and Davey Boy Smith, currently uses the name Davey Boy Smith Jr. and also wrestled for WWE, under the name David Hart Smith.[113][115] Teddy Hart, son of Georgia Hart andB. J. Annis, has also competed in WWE, but was released by the company.[113][116]
In the mid and late 90s Harry Smith, T.J. Wilson, Teddy and his brother Matthew were all training together.[117] Matthew would later wrestle shortly together with Wilson, Smith and his brother before dying of a flesh eating disease in 1996.[95][118][119]
Two of Bruce Hart's sons Bruce Jr and Torrin have been involved in pro wrestling.[120] Torrin began wrestling when he was 17 years old.[121]
Two of Smith Hart's sons, Mike and Matt Herweg have started a career in wrestling.[122][123] They perform under the names Matt Hart and Mike Hart, using their father's surname. Matt gained his first championship on December 15, 2017, for theReal Canadian Wrestling promotion.[124]
Both of Alison's daughters, Lindsay and Brooke have had relationships with wrestlers, Lindsay with Randy Myers and Brooke with Peter Minnema better known under his ring name "Pistol" Pete Wilson.[69] Brooke and Peter Minnema are now married since 2014. Minnema was trained in by the Hart family and has appeared for theHart Legacy promotion.
Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart was at one point training to become a wrestler, hoping to eventually join her cousinNatalya as aWWE Diva.[125]
Helen Smith Hart was the daughter of noted marathoner and sprinterHarry J. Smith, finished 17th in the 1912 Olympic marathon and married a Greek woman, Elizabeth "Ellie" Poulis Smith[126]
In December 2011, Jade Hart, the eldest child of Bret Hart, launched a clothing line calledJade Hart Kimonos. Based out of Calgary the clothing line consisted of handmadekimono made from Canadian silks and other fabrics. The business suspended operations in 2013.[63]
Georgia Hart Annis is an employee at the Cookbook Co. in Calgary. She at one point helped her niece Jennifer Neidhart to get a job there too and Neidhart is now manager of catering for the Cookbook Co.[35]
Brit and her husband Jamie are also involved in the restaurant business, they both work for the Rouge restaurant in Calgary.
Georgia Smith is a model and voice over actress and her fiancéAdam Barry is a musician.
B. J. Annis, husband of Georgia Hart and father of Teddy Hart has operated BJ's Gym inDowntown East Village, Calgary since constructing it in 1971.[129] The gym was a place for Stampede Wrestling's workers to train. In November 2011, his daughter Angie Annis staged an art exhibition at the gymnasium prior to the establishment closing its doors.[129]
Lindsay Hart, named after her maternal uncle Ross Lindsay, is daughter of Alison Hart and Ben Bassarab, works as a make up artist and has worked on her cousin Natalie Neidhart on the reality showTotal Divas,[130] as well as working backstage forElite Canadian Championship Wrestling.[131] Natalya and her husband Tyson Kidd are featured heavily onTotal Divas. Family members including Bret, his wife Stephanie, Ellie, Jim and Jennifer Neidhart as well as Kristen, Lachlan and Maddox Culbreth have all appeared on occasion.[132]
Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology is a documentary produced and released by WWE Home Video in collaboration with Hart family members. The DVD chronicles the lineage of the Hart family beginning with the biography of patriarch Stu Hart. It gives a brief accounting of the lives of all twelve Hart children as well as parents Stu and Helen growing up in Calgary. It describes the deaths of Stu, Helen, Dean, Matthew, Owen, Brian Pillman, and Davey Boy Smith with recollections from their loved ones. The DVD concludes with a feature on the Hart Dynasty and their future in WWE. The bonus discs feature matches from Stampede Wrestling and WWF/WWE as well as candid home footage and interviews from the Hart family.
^McNeill, Pat (2002).The Tables All Were Broken: McNeill's Take on the End of Professional Wrestling as We Know It. iUniverse. p. 263.ISBN0-595-22404-0.
^Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 15, 2017)."TTPW Holiday Chaos".CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database.Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 26, 2023.
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