US EditionThe Real Ping Pong Champion — and Hustler — Who Inspired 'Marty Supreme'
Marty Reisman won over 20 major titles and inspired the film Marty Supreme, showcasing his unique blend of showmanship, hustling, and competitive skill in table tennis.
- On Dec. 25, A24 released Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a character loosely inspired by Marty Reisman.
- Director Josh Safdie discovered Reisman's memoir after his wife Sara Safdie found The Money Player, inspiring Safdie and Ronald Bronstein to craft a story loosely based on Reisman's life.
- Marty Reisman, table tennis champion, built a career of titles and showmanship, winning 22 major titles including the 1949 English Open and two U.S. Opens while hustling with $1,000 gold smuggling trips and measuring nets with a $100 bill.
- The film's release has reignited interest in Reisman's story, prompting renewed discussion about its "broad strokes" approach while Timothée Chalamet spent years training to emulate Reisman's style.
- Reisman's legacy endures through clubs and spectacles he championed, running Manhattan's Riverside Table Tennis Club and performing with the Harlem Globetrotters while winning the 1997 United States Hardbat Championship at age 67 and playing until his death in 2012 at age 82.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Timothée Chalamet's character in 'Marty Supreme' is based on a real hustling ping-pong icon from the 1950s
Marty Reisman in 2007.Neville Elder/Corbis/Getty ImagesTimothée Chalamet's character in "Marty Supreme" is based on champion ping-pong player Marty Reisman.Reisman had a flamboyant style and was known for doing trick shots during games.Like Chalamet's character Marty Mauser, Marty Reisman also had some unique side hustles.Josh Safdie's sports drama "Marty Supreme" follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a talented but impulsive table tennis pl…
Inside the Chaotic True Story Behind 'Marty Supreme': All About Real-Life Table Tennis Legend (and Hustler) Marty Reisman
Marty Reisman, who inspired 'Marty Supreme,' won 22 major table tennis titles between 1946 and 2002A24 ; Bettmann/Getty Timothée Chalamet as Marty in 'Marty Supreme' (2025) ; National Junior Table Tennis Champion Marty Reisman.NEED TO KNOWMarty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, is inspired by the life of table tennis legend Marty ReismanReisman won 22 major titles throughout his life and opened for the Harlem GlobetrottersHe d…
The True Story Behind Marty Supreme
Warning: This post containers spoilers for Marty Supreme In Marty Supreme, out Dec. 25, Timothée Chalamet stars as a table tennis player who ping pongs between playing in tournaments and hustling for money in the seedy underworld of New York City so he can travel to more matches. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] His character Marty Mauser is loosely inspired by Marty Reisman, a New Yorker who was one of the world’s best table tennis players, bo…
Marty Supreme Ending Explained: Why The Ambiguous Fatherhood Twist Is Sparking Heated Fan Debates
Timothée Chalamet's Marty Mauser arrives on screen like a man convinced he's already won before the game even begins. Dropped into Josh Safdie's frenetic new comedy Marty Supreme, which hit cinemas on Christmas Day 2025, Chalamet embodies the ultimate American hustler—a ping-pong prodigy willing to lie, cheat and steal his way to the top, yet somehow harbouring a conscience that refuses to let him abandon all morality. The 1950s-set film, loosel…
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