Three generations of Ulrich’s have been in the public eye, and the middle Ulrich’s talents span an array of sports and artistic boundaries.
Metallica is one of the biggest names in rock-and-roll history. James Hetfield was the lead vocalist. Kirk Hammet was on guitar with Jason Newsted on bass. And a guy by the name of Lars Ulrich was the group’s drummer.
Many of Metallica’s fans don’t know that Ulrich’s father, Torben (now 90 years of age), was a pro tennis player of note. He was the son of Einer Ulrich, also a tennis player. Torben followed in his father’s footsteps, making his pro debut in 1969 at the ripe age of 40.
Courtesy: Gallery 30 South
From there, Torben had a distinguished pro career, including becoming the top-ranked Danish player in 1976. One year later, he became the oldest player–at age 49–to participate in the Davis Cup. Overall, Torben played in 100 Davis Cup matches for Denmark.
A multi-talented person, Torben was also an accomplished jazz artist, both as a writer and as a performer. He wrote jazz reviews for a variety of magazines.
But Torben’s talents didn’t stop with tennis, music, and writing.
He was a painter whose works have appeared in museums around the world. And, to top it off, he’s an actor (1969 film debut) and a director, too. He even appeared in a ballet.
Yes, Lars Ulrich is well known to rock-and-roll fans. He’s famous. But his father, Torben, is a “Renaissance Man” with talents that span a wide range of creative boundaries.
