Ann Calvello
Acting
Biography
Ann Theresa Calvello was an American athlete and notable personality in the sport of roller derby. Calvello competed in roller derby for seven decades, the 1940s through the 2000s. She broke into the sport in 1948 originally skating for a league called International Roller Speedway. Calvello, who often sported dyed hair and color-coordinated uniforms, was known for her temper. She traveled the world skating in Europe, Guam, Philippines, Cuba, Australia and all over the United States. Calvello was inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame when she returned to the original Derby in 1968. In 2001, Calvello was featured in "Demon of The Derby," a biographical documentary film about her life. It has been released on DVD, and is occasionally screened at fundraisers organized by roller derby leagues. On February 27, 2006, Calvello was featured in the reality television show "Rollergirls" that was broadcast on the A&E Network. Texas Roller Derby has named their championship the Calvello Cup in her honor. Calvello also appeared in the season finale where the Rhinestone Cowgirls and the Holy Rollers battled for the championship. Calvello never officially retired from roller derby, but had not competed since 2000, although in 2001 she returned to the track one final time to win a match race on the finale of the tv show "RollerJam." In early 2006, she was diagnosed with liver cancer, and died at the age of 76 soon after.
Known For
Rollergirls was a 2006 A&E Network reality show examining the personalities, antics and motivations of the women involved with the Austin, Texas Lonestar Rollergirls roller derby league. The show focused primarily on the lives of Cha Cha and Venis Envy of Las Putas Del Fuego; Punky Bruiser, Miss Conduct, and Sister Mary Jane of the Holy Rollers; Lunatic and Clownsnack of the Hellcats; and Lux of the Rhinestone Cowgirls. Many other skaters were also highlighted. The league, now known as Texas Roller Derby or TXRD, was founded in 2001 and is run as a "skater-owned and operated" company that continues to this day. The five home teams are the Cherry Bombs, Hellcats, Holy Rollers, Las Putas Del Fuego and Rhinestone Cowgirls. Episodes were initially broadcast on Monday nights beginning on January 2, 2006, with repeated showings throughout the week. Rollergirls was produced by Gary and Julie Auerbach, the creators of MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The show ended after one season.
Rollergirls
Roller derby legend Ann Calvello, now in her 70s, refuses to give up the limelight. She is still bashing heads on the banked track of any upstart league that will have her and still acting like the bawdy bad girl of the Derby, even as she bags groceries at her part-time job at Safeway. In the two years the documentary follows her, Ann simultaneously grapples with her declining ability to skate and her determination to be the first professional athlete to have competed continuously in a sport for six decades.
The Demon of the Derby
Roller derby is the bond between individuals of every strain; the film-makers capture both on-track footage and elucidating moments before and after bouts.