After school, he worked as a bellhop and elevator operator at the Plaza Hotel in Chicago and trained for the Olympics with a swim coach at the Illinois Athletic Club, where he developed his revolutionary high-riding front crawl. He made his amateur debut on August 6, 1921, winning his first AAU race in the 50-yard freestyle.
Appears on sleeve of The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
At age nine, Johnny Weissmüller contracted polio. At the suggestion of his doctor, he took up swimming to help battle the disease. After the family moved from Western Pennsylvania to Chicago, Weissmüller continued swimming and eventually earned a spot on the YMCA swim team. Johnny Weissmuller became one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records.
At his request, a recording of his trademark Tarzan yell which he invented was played as his coffin was lowered into the ground.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 858-859. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
Born at 6:30pm-LMT
During his appearance on German television show "Das aktuelle Sportstudio", a monkey removed his wife Maria's wig and threw it on the floor (1971).
During the making of the "Jungle Jim" movies, he was fined $5000 for every pound he was overweight.
Had three children with Beryl: Johnny Weissmuller Jr., Heidi Elizabeth Weissmuller and Wendy Anne Weissmuller.
He was born in Freidorf, Romania, but his parents (Hungarian nationals) came to America when he was 3. Because of Olympic eligibility issues, he told everyone he was born in Windber, PA.
He was the first speaking Tarzan and he died in January 1984, the month after the last surviving silent Tarzan, James Pierce, died.
His stormy third marriage to spitfire actress Lupe Velez (1933-1939) received much coverage in the Hollywood scandal sheets. The makeup man on the "Tarzan" set reportedly had quite a time of it concealing bruises and bite and scratch marks from their many fights. Lupe later committed suicide in 1944.
His younger brother, Peter Jr., was born in the United States (Chicago). Both boys were strong, assertive swimmers.
In 1929, Weissmuller made his first motion picture appearance as an Adonis, wearing only a fig leaf, in the movie Glorifying the American Girl.
In 1970, he attended the British Commonwealth Games in Jamaica where he was presented to Queen Elizabeth.
In 1974, he broke a hip and leg. 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 the late 1950s after retiring from acting, Weissmuller moved back to Chicago and started a swimming pool company. He also lent his name to other business ventures, but did not have a great deal of success. He retired in 1965 and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was Founding Chairman of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Inducted into the Body Building Guild Hall of Fame in 1976.
Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, 1983 (charter member).
Johnny Weissmuller won five Olympic gold medals, one Olympic bronze medal, 52 United States National Championships and set 67 world records.He never lost a race and retired with an unbeaten Amateur record.