Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller
Weissmuller c. 1940s
Born
Johann Peter Weißmüller

(1904-06-02)June 2, 1904
Freidorf, Temes County, Austria-Hungary
DiedJanuary 20, 1984(1984-01-20) (aged 79)
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Occupations
  • Olympic swimmer
  • water polo player
  • actor
Years active1929–1976
Spouses
Bobbe Arnst
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(m. 1931; div. 1933)​
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(m. 1933; div. 1939)​
Beryl Scott
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(m. 1939; div. 1948)​
Allene Gates
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(m. 1948; div. 1962)​
Maria Gertrude Baumann
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(m. 1963)​
Children3
Sports career
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1]
Weight190 lb (86 kg)[1]
SportSwimming, water polo
ClubIllinois Athletic Club[2]
William Bachrach, Coach
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Swimming
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 4×200 m freestyle
Water polo
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1924 Paris Team

Johnny Weissmuller (/ˈwaɪsmʌlər/ WYSSE-mul-ər; born Johann Peter Weißmüller, German: [ˈjoːhan ˈpeːtɐ ˈvaɪsmʏlɐ]; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an 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.[3] 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.[4][5]

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.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b Johnny Weissmuller. espn.com
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Johnny Weissmuller". Olympedia. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "Johnny Weissmuller - Olympic Swimming, Water Polo | USA". International Olympic Committee. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Johnny Weissmuller (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  6. ^ "Johnny Weissmuller". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).