Rudolph Ernst Boesch (/bɒʃ/ BOSH; January 20, 1928 – November 1, 2019) was a United States Navy SEAL, and two-time competitor on the reality competition show Survivor.

Starting in 1968 and 1970, Boesch completed two combat deployments during the Vietnam War, where he earned the Bronze Star for heroic action.

Designated the "Bullfrog", the longest-serving SEAL still on active duty, Boesch achieved considerable renown within the force for his physical fitness training regimens and his military appearance.

Boesch was born in Rochester, New York on January 20, 1928,[1] the son of Austrian immigrants Clara (a housewife) and August (a butcher).

[4] Too young to join the Marines, Boesch dropped out of high school and enlisted in the United States Navy in April 1945 at age 17.

[5][6] Following boot camp at Naval Training Station Sampson in New York,[7] he volunteered for the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders at Fort Pierce, Florida, where he was tentatively assigned to conduct covert reconnaissance of China's coastline.

[14] Orr Kelly's 1995 Never Fight Fair: Navy SEALs' Stories of Combat and Adventure contains a description by Marcinko, also a member of the team, of a near-suicidal mission that never took place – to parachute into Havana Harbor and attack strategic targets – and of Boesch fielding direct calls from President John F. Kennedy inquiring as to their readiness.

[16] In 1968, Boesch was sent on a combat deployment to the Vietnam War, as a platoon chief based in Mỹ Tho in the Mekong Delta.

[17] The general combat mission of SEALs in Vietnam was to do intelligence gathering and to conduct raids and ambushes and make prisoner grabs.

[7] In the 2010 Vietnam-era memoir SEAL Warrior: The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday, Thomas Keith describes Boesch leading a platoon in nighttime ambush raids against the Viet Cong during the war, operating in the delta and using LCM-8 "Mike boats" for access.

[26][note 1] Upon his retirement from the Navy on August 1, 1990, as a command master chief petty officer, he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal.

Editor Bill Fawcett included his story as the opening, 30-page recollection in his 1995 Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam.

"[32] In his aforementioned 2010 memoir, Thomas Keith portrayed Boesch as a master of the military art of gathering resources: "From weapons to the men who would use them, Rudy could scrounge like nobody else in the SEAL Teams.

"[19] Boesch was a physical training fanatic whose dog tag listed "PT" as his religion and who through the decades gained a reputation for leading grueling runs that men would look for ways to avoid by faking injuries or hiding in bushes.

[24][33] In former SEAL James Watson's 1995 memoir Point Man, he states of 1964 training that, "We had to be physically fit to perform what was expected of us.

[33] Even Boesch's physical appearance made a mark: Wasdin refers to him as an exemplar of military form;[24] another account talks of his haircut and uniform being perfect at 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning;[32] and, in 2002's One Perfect Op, former SEAL Dennis Chalker said that, among SEALs based on the U.S. East Coast in the late 1970s, the style was known as a "Rudy Boesch haircut", an even more severe version of the normal military crew cut.

"[36] Despite his earlier life of athleticism, Boesch struggled against the ageism of the younger castaways and needed Richard's alliance for his own safety.

[23] At the final challenge for tribal immunity, he single-handedly sprinted with a heavy wooden chest across the beach to seal his tribe's victory.

[40] Host Jeff Probst and the show's production staff thought Rudy was likely to win the final challenge and the game.

[46] The "Rudy" persona was based around his gruff, cantankerous manner, his flattop haircut and stoic approach to life on the island, and to his being a man of his word.

[47][48][note 2] Blunt about survival needs, the Catholic, but non-church-attending Boesch memorably said that the only use for the Bible on the island was as toilet paper.

[47] By the time the final episode arrived and four contestants were left, 69 percent of the viewing public wanted Rudy to win.

One was a claim from a voted-out contestant that show producer Mark Burnett had at one point influenced tribal council members to vote her out and not Rudy, because he had more appeal to viewers.

Initially placed in the Saboga tribe, he formed an early alliance with Rupert Boneham and again drank potentially tainted water.

[56] After he complained of pain from an injured ankle and the tribe lost its second straight immunity challenge, other members became concerned about his age and ability to compete.

[49] In February 2001, Blue Box Toys put out a 12-inch (30 cm) action figure of Boesch for its Elite Force Military History collection.

[66] Variety wrote that his hosting duties were "one-dimensional" and that, "Looking menacing and acting rigorous, his only job is to explain rules and oversee discharges.

[69] His uniform is on display at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Florida, a reflection both of his record-setting service with the SEALs and his fame from Survivor.

[72] In 2015, Boesch was one of three inductees into Xfinity's "Survivor Hall of Fame," alongside Jerri Manthey and Benjamin "Coach" Wade.

[80][81] The New York Times summarized his fame as "An ex-Navy man, he was the oldest, and probably bluntest, castaway ever to appear on CBS’s popular reality show, becoming a Season 1 fan favorite.