Jimmy Mataya

Jimmy Mataya was an American pool player and actor, born on September 25, 1950, who died in Henderson, Nevada, on March 22, 2024, at the age of 73. He started shooting pool at age 11 and within a few years was playing exhibitions with Willie Mosconi. He won three consecutive Michigan State Championships in 1966, 1967 and 1968, and at 21 he won the 1971 Los Angeles 9-Ball Championship. He went on to win many titles and joined the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1982 he married Ewa Svensson, later Ewa Laurance, forming pool first power couple. After leaving the tournament trail he became a television commentator and appeared as himself in instructional videos and in the film The Color of Money.