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NEED TO KNOW
Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, is inspired by the life of table tennis legend Marty Reisman
Reisman won 22 major titles throughout his life and opened for the Harlem Globetrotters
He died in 2012 of heart and lung complications
In real life, Marty "the Needle" Reisman reigned supreme.
In A24'sMarty Supreme, which hit theaters on Christmas day,Timothée Chalametplays a table tennis legend named Marty Mauser. However, Mauser is inspired by Reisman, who became famous in the 1940s and '50s for his skills in the sport — in addition to his flashy style, which included wearing fedoras and colorful polos. Reisman made table tennis history after winning the World Championships in 1949, beating 37-time champion and legendary Hungarian table tennis player Viktor Barna, according to theDaily Beast.
Chalamet spent years learning table tennis to emulate Resiman's style, telling theBBCin December 2025 that the preparation was similar to learning to sing and play guitar for the role ofBob DylaninA Complete Unknown.
"I think the responsibility in this movie, like in the Bob Dylan movie, if you were a Dylan fan or a guitar player, [is to make sure] that that looks real to you on screen," he said. "Similarly here, if you're a ping-pong aficionado, that that looks believable to you."
However, the film isn't an exact biopic of Reisman.Marty Supremehas the "broad strokes" of the table tennis legend's life but "its own engine," Leo Leigh, the director of the 2014 documentaryFact or Fiction: The Life and Times of a Ping-Pong Hustler, toldSmithsonian Magazinein December 2025.
So, what is the true story behindMarty Supreme? Here's everything to know about the film's inspiration, Marty Reisman.
Reisman was born and raised in New York
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Reisman was a lifelong New Yorker, born in Manhattan on Feb. 1, 1930, according to theUnited States Table Tennis Hall of Fame. His father was a cab driver, a bookmaker and a gambler — "a compulsive loser," according to Reisman in his autobiographyThe Money Player. His parents divorced when he was 10, per the organization.
He began playing table tennis when he was 9 years old following a nervous breakdown. Reisman quickly climbed the ranks to become the city junior champion at age 13, perThe New York Times. Reisman lived with his mother until he was 14, at which point he moved in with his father who encouraged his table tennis success, according to the United States Table Tennis Hall of Fame.
WhenMarty Supremeopens, Chalamet's Marty Mauser is working as a shoe salesman — a position Reisman really held for a few days, according toSmithsonian Magazine.
He gained a reputation as a hustler
It wasn't long before Reisman took his skills to New York's table tennis parlors and began playing for cash, hustling players at Lawrence's Broadway Table Tennis Club — just like inMarty Supreme— per the Daily Beast. His bets sometimes got him into trouble — when he was 15 years old, he placed a $500 bet on himself with a man he thought was a bookie, but who turned out to be the president of the United States Table Tennis Association. Reisman was swiftly escorted out of the tournament.
Reisman went on to compete with a three-man exhibition team in England when he was 16 years old, according toThe New York Times. Three years later, Reisman became the opening act for the Harlem Globetrotters alongside fellow player Doug Cartland. The duo played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with frying pans and hit balls across the net with the soles of their sneakers, as is shown in the film.
His signature trick, however, was to bet someone that he could break a cigarette in half from across the table with a ball — which he successfully did onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1975 and theLate Show With David Lettermanin 2008, perSmithsonian Magazine.
Throughout his career, Reisman continued betting on himself, earning enough to become a three-time millionaire, but also losing enough to become a three-time former millionaire, according toThe New York Times. He became known for measuring the height of the net with a $100 bill, according to the outlet.
"I took on people in the gladiatorial spirit," Reisman toldThe New York Timesin March 2012. "Never backed down from a bet."
Once, he even offered aSports Illustratedphotographer a bet during a shoot, giving him an 18-point head start.
"His hustles were amazing," Manny Millan, the photographer, told the outlet in November 2021. "It's not like a one-time thing where he'd play somebody and just beat the hell out of them. He would get a person to say, 'I just lost.' And then they'd come back for more."
Reisman won 22 major titles
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Despite his occasional forays into showmanship and gimmick, Reisman was a truly gifted player. In a September 2005 interview withForbes, Reisman was credited with having "the greatest drop shot ever seen on the face of the earth." The outlet also noted that Resiman's forehand swing clocked in at 115 miles per hour.
He won his first world championship at just 19 years old against Barna. He went on to win 22 international and national championships between 1946 and 2002, including the U.S. Open twice and the British Open once, according toForbes.
He set a world record
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In the 1990s, the hardbat paddle — which was covered with a thick layer of pimpled rubber — made a comeback in popularity, according toSmithsonian Magazine. In 1997, Reisman won the inaugural U.S. National Hardbat Championship at 67 — a feat that made him the oldest national champion in any racket sport, perThe New York Times.
The Hardbat Championship was close to Reisman's heart. In the 1952 World Championship, Japan's Hiroji Satoh introduced a new kind of paddle to the professional stage — the Bombay — and used it to beat Reisman. Reisman played with the traditional hardbat paddle, while the Bombay, which has become the standard for table tennis, has a smooth, thin layer of rubber that propelled the ball at greater speeds, according toThe New York Times. The match played a crucial role inMarty Supreme.
Reisman maintained his crusade against the new paddles throughout his life, saying they lacked soul and the signature loud sound that he believed integral to the game.
"Before, there was a dialogue between the two players, wherein a 6-year-old child could understand the difference between offense and defense," Mr. Reisman toldThe New York Timesin 1998. "Today a point is made or lost with an imperceptible twist of the wrist."
Reisman was known for his style
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In addition to his flair at the table, Reisman was known for his bold outfit choices, which helped build what he proudly referred to as the "Reisman myth," according toForbes.
He had a penchant for vintage Borsalino fedoras and Panama hats, as well as bold acidic colors and high rise pants, according toThe New York Times.Reisman's pictures on the wall at SPiN, the downtown New York ping-pong club started by actressSusan Sarandon, feature him wearing leopard-print pants or high-waisted lime green slacks.
He founded a table tennis organization
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Resiman foundedTable Tennis Nationin 2010, with the goal of spreading information about the sport and making the sport more fun, according toThe Boston Globe.
That wasn't Reisman's first table tennis organization. People once came from all over the city and the world to play at his Upper West Side club, the Riverside Table Tennis Club, according toSports Illustrated.
Reisman died in 2012
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Reisman passed away in New York at the age of 82 on Dec. 7th, 2012, due to heart and lung complications, perThe New York Times.
He is survived by his wife, Yoshiko, his daughter, Debbie Reisman, and several grandchildren, according toThe New York Times.
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