Johnny Weissmuller (/ˈwaɪsmʌlər/; born Johann Peter Weißmüller [ˈʋaɪ̯smʏlɐ]; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an Austro-Hungarian born American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. He set world records alongside winning five gold medals in the Olympics. He won the 100m freestyle and the 4 × 200 m relay team event in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Weissmuller also won gold in the 400m freestyle, as well as a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris.
Following his retirement from swimming, Weissmuller played Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan in twelve feature films from 1932 to 1948; six were produced by MGM, and six additional films by RKO. Weissmuller went on to star in sixteen Jungle Jim movies over an eight year period, then filmed 26 additional half-hour episodes of the Jungle Jim TV series.
Early life
Johann Peter Weißmüller was born on June 2, 1904, in Szabadfalva, in the Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary (now part of Romania, and called Freidorf) into an ethnically Banat Swabian family. He was the sixth generation Weißmüller born in Hungary. An ancestor had immigrated from Baden c. 1749. Three days later he was baptized into the Catholic faith by the Hungarian version of his German name, as János. Early the next year, January 26, 1905, his father, Peter Weißmüller, and mother, Elisabeth Weißmüller (née Kersch), took him on a twelve-day trip on the S.S. Rotterdam to Ellis Island. Soon they arrived in Windber, Pennsylvania, to live with family. Johnny's brother Peter was born the following September.
Three years later they relocated to Chicago to be with his mother's parents. His parents rented a single level in a shared house where he lived during his childhood. At age nine, Weissmüller contracted polio. His doctor recommended swimming to help his recovery from the disease. Fullerton Beach on Lake Michigan is where Johnny's love for swimming took off, having his first swimming lessons there. He excelled immediately and began entering and winning every race he could. Johnny's father deserted the family when Johnny was in the eighth grade. He left school to begin working in order to support his mother and younger brother.
When Weissmuller was 11 he lied to join the YMCA, which had a 12 year old minimum rule to join. He won every swimming race he entered and also excelled at running and high jumping. Before long he was on one of the best swim teams in the country, the Illinois Athletic Club.
Careers
Swimming
Weissmuller tried out for swimming coach Bill Bachrach. Impressed with what he saw, he took Weissmuller under his wing. He also was a strong father figure and mentor for Johnny. On August 6, 1921, Weissmuller began his competitive swimming career. He entered four Amateur Athletic Union races and won them all. He set his first two world records at the A.A.U. Nationals on September 27, 1921, in the 100m and 150yd events.
On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds. He won the title for that distance at the 1924 Summer Olympics, beating Kahanamoku for the gold medal. He also won the 400-meter freestyle and was a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×200-meter relay.
Four years later, at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, he won another two gold medals. It was during this period that Weissmuller became an enthusiast for John Harvey Kellogg's holistic lifestyle views on nutrition, enemas and exercise. He went to Kellogg's Battle Creek, Michigan sanatorium to dedicate its new 120-foot swimming pool, and break one of his own previous swimming records after adopting the vegetarian diet prescribed by Kellogg.
In 1927, Weissmuller set a new world record of 51.0 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, which stood for 17 years. He improved it to 48.5 seconds at Billy Rose World's Fair Aquacade in 1940, aged 36, but this result was discounted, as he was competing as a professional.
As a member of the U.S. men's national water polo team, he won a bronze medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the 1928 Olympics, where the U.S. team finished in seventh place.
In all, Weissmuller won five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal, 52 United States national championships, and set 67 world records. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle under one minute and the 440-yard freestyle under five minutes. He never lost a race and retired with an unbeaten amateur record. In 1950, he was selected by the Associated Press as the greatest swimmer of the first half of the 20th century.
Films
Weissmuller's first film was the non-speaking role of Adonis in the movie Glorifying the American Girl. He appeared wearing only a fig leaf while hoisting actress Mary Eaton on his shoulders. He was noticed by the writer Cyril Hume, which led to his big break playing Tarzan in Tarzan the Ape Man in 1932.
When asked to play Tarzan, Weissmuller was already under contract to model BVD underwear. MGM agreed to have actresses such as Greta Garbo and Marie Dressler featured in BVD ads so that he could be released from his BVD contract. The author of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was pleased with Weissmuller, although he so hated the studio's depiction of Tarzan as an individual who barely spoke English that he created his own concurrent Tarzan series starring Herman Brix as a suitably articulate version of the character (as is true to the original books).
Personal life
Weissmuller was married five times: band and club singer Bobbe Arnst (married 1931, divorced 1933); actress Lupe Vélez (married 1933, divorced 1939); Beryl Scott (married 1939, divorced 1948); Allene Gates (married 1948, divorced 1962); and Maria Gertrude Baumann (born 1921, died 2004; married from 1963 until his death in 1984).
With his third wife, Beryl, he had three children, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr. (1940–2006), Wendy Anne Weissmuller (born 1942), and Heidi Elizabeth Weissmuller (1944–1962), who was killed in a car crash. He also had a stepdaughter with Baumann, Lisa Weissmuller-Gallagher.
Later life
In 1974, Weissmuller broke both his hip and leg, marking the beginning of years of declining health. While hospitalized he learned that in spite of his strength and lifelong daily regimen of swimming and exercise, he had a serious heart condition. In 1977, Weissmuller suffered a series of strokes. In 1979, he entered the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, for several weeks before moving with his last wife, Maria, to Acapulco, Mexico, the location of his last Tarzan movie.
On January 20, 1984, Weissmuller died from pulmonary edema at the age of 79. He was buried just outside Acapulco, Valle de La Luz at the Valley of the Light Cemetery. As his coffin was lowered into the ground, a recording of the Tarzan yell he invented was played three times, at his request. He was honored with a 21-gun salute, befitting a head of state, which was arranged by Senator Ted Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan
Legacy
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Johnny Weissmuller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He is on the album cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).
His former co-star and movie son Johnny Sheffield wrote of him, "I can only say that working with Big John was one of the highlights of my life. He was a Star (with a capital "S") and he gave off a special light and some of that light got into me. Knowing and being with Johnny Weissmuller during my formative years had a lasting influence on my life."
In 1973, Weissmuller was awarded the George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.
The Piscine Molitor in Paris was built as a tribute to Weissmuller and his swimming prowess.
Edgar Rice Burroughs himself paid tribute to Weissmuller's powerful screen persona in the last Tarzan novel that he completed
Weissmuller was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 after becoming its founding chairman.
- SERVES
- 4
- SERVING SIZE
- 1-1/2 cups
- COOK TIME
- 20 Min
This simple goulash recipe is a skillet sensation! Made with ground beef, macaroni, and lots of mozzarella cheese for a hearty weeknight dinner everyone will love. Plus, we added a little bit of our favorite Italian seasonings. Because it's so easy to make, we know our Italian Goulash Skillet is going to be one of your favorites too!
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 (24-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, saute beef and onion, stirring to break it up until no pink remains; drain excess liquid.
- Add spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; mix well. Stir in pasta and heat 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
- Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and serve.
Each year on July 16th, National Personal Chef Day recognizes the dedication and hard work of personal chefs across the United States.
There’s a difference between a personal chef and a private chef. A private chef usually works exclusively for one client and typically lives in a person’s home or on the property. A personal chef may have many clients, run their own business, or work for a company.
The services a personal chef provides may include preparing meals in the clients’ homes or delivering meals already prepared. They may also create a meal plan according to dietary needs or the client’s preferences. Clients then follow instructions provided by the chef for heating the meals. Some personal chefs offer catering services as well.
Since being a personal chef is a competitive business, experience, and training is necessary. While not all personal chefs attend a culinary program, they do have years of experience and have honed their skills in the trade.
The days can be long for a personal chef. Depending on the client, their duties include shopping, preparation, and clean up. A dedicated chef with several clients will also spend long hours on their feet. Personal Chef Day acknowledges the hard work and often long lonely hours a chef puts into their craft. Many days also require additional research for clients with allergies or special diets. However, their passion for cooking and bringing nutritious, delicious meals to the table keeps them striving to create in the kitchen. The celebration dedicates the day to personal chefs with the drive to keep growing their skills and their business.
Some celebrate this holiday in February of each year.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL PERSONAL CHEF DAY
For anyone aiming to become a personal chef or run their own business, this day is for you. Pat yourself on the back. If you know someone interested in being a personal chef, encourage them. Be their taste tester. Thank a personal chef you know for their outstanding work. Give them a shout out or a recommendation.
NATIONAL PERSONAL CHEF DAY HISTORY
The United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA) founded National Personal Chef Day.
