Johnny Weissmuller died of pulmonary edema on January 20, 1984. Elizabeth is listed as a widow. After retiring from competitions, he became the sixth actor to portray Tarzan, a role he played in twelve feature films. Olympic gold medals and set 67 world records in the 1920's. [22] Within the next year, he appeared in three more jungle movies, playing himself due to the rights of the name "Jungle Jim" being taken by Screen Gems. [sic]" he demanded. Johnny Weissmuller. Then the chimpanzee tore the wig from Weissmuller's wife Maria Baumann and threw it on the floor. In 1958, while on a golfing holiday in Cuba, Johnny Weissmuller ran into a serious problem. He lent his name to other business ventures, but did not have a great deal of success. Although foreign-born, Weissmuller gave his birthplace as Tanneryville, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, and his birth date as that of his younger brother, Peter Weissmuller. Brenda Joyce took over the role of Jane in Weissmuller's last four Tarzan movies (the first two RKO films had not featured Jane). Johnny Weissmuller, giving every last ounce of energy, managed one final push to overtake Arne Borg with 1.50 metres to go, while Charlton, who was finishing the strongest out of the three, was right on the heels of the Swedish champion,” wrote Drigny. Johnny Weissmuller has one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century: He was one of the world's fastest swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals for swimming and one bronze medal for water polo at the Olympic Games in 1924 (Paris) and 1928 (Amsterdam). That’s roughly what Johnny Weissmuller represented in the 1920’s and 1930’s. ", This page was last edited on 16 April 2021, at 15:51. Have a look back of Olympic Athletes who switched the rings for a star. He also competed in the 1928 Olympics where the U.S. team finished in seventh place. His costars were Martin Huston and Dean Fredericks. Discipline. "John Clayton," he said, "Lord Greystoke--Tarzan of the Apes!" Movie celebrities raised profile in the pool, but multiple Olympic medal winners have shattered their times and become true megastars. He also won gold in the 400m freestyle and a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris. Suddenly recognition lighted the eyes of Jerry Lucas. WEISSMULLER, Peter John ("Johnny")(b. According to the book by Weissmuller's son, Tarzan, My Father, while playing golf in Cuba in 1958 during the Cuban Revolution, Weissmuller's golf cart was suddenly surrounded by rebel soldiers. He came 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. Unlike MGM, RKO allowed Weissmuller to play other roles, though a three-picture contract with Pine-Thomas Productions led to only one film, Swamp Fire, being made, co-starring Buster Crabbe. Information on Olympics athlete Johnny Weissmuller on ESPN.com. 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 known for playing Edgar Rice Burroughs' ape man Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s and for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. After the family moved from western Pennsylvania to Chicago, he continued swimming and eventually earned a spot on the YMCA swim team. • A legendary swimming superstar, Johnny Weissmuller was the first Olympic winner who attained five gold medals in his career. [26] He was honored with a 21-gun salute, befitting a head-of-state, which was arranged by Senator Ted Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan. Select from premium Johnny Weissmuller of the highest quality. Sheffield also appeared as Boy in the first five features for RKO. His 1927 world record for the 100 yard freestyle was unbeaten for 17 years. His thin veneer of civilization had been consumed by the fires of battle. Swimming Johnny Weissmuller Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the United States Olympic Games Gold 1924 Paris 100 m freestyle Gold 1924 Paris 400 m freestyle Gold 1924 Paris 4 x 200 m freestyle Gold 1928 Amsterdam 100 m freestyle Gold 1928 Amsterdam 4 x 200 m freestyle Men's water polo Bronze 1924 Paris Team As a teen, Weissmuller attended Lane Technical College Prep High … Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984), who played the role of Tarzan in films made during the 1930s, was one of the best swimmers of the twentieth century. In a total of 12 Tarzan films, Weissmuller earned an estimated $2,000,000 and established himself as what many movie historians consider the definitive Tarzan. After his swimming career, Weissmuller became a movie star. He won five Olympic gold medals, set 24 world records, and won 51 AAU titles. He also had a stepdaughter with Baumann, Lisa Weissmuller-Gallagher. In 1976, he appeared for the last time in a motion picture, playing a movie crewman who is fired by a movie mogul (played by Art Carney) in Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood, and he also made his final public appearance in that year when he was inducted into the Body Building Guild Hall of Fame. He was a Star (with a capital "S") and he gave off a special light and some of that light got into me. The Piscine Molitor in Paris was built as a tribute to Weissmuller and his swimming prowess. The tiger's great frame went limp and sank to the ground. Weissmuller's Tarzan leap from sport to film - aped by Arnie and a huge cast. This remained a world record for 17 years, although Weissmuller himself swam 48.5, as a 36-year-old, after he had joined the professional ranks. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. At the Paris 1924 Games, he won gold in the 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay. 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. Four years later, Weissmuller successfully defended his 100m freestyle and 4x200m relay team Olympic titles. [15][11] It was during this period that Weissmuller became an enthusiast for John Harvey Kellogg's holistic lifestyle views on nutrition, enemas and exercise. He co-starred with Esther Williams in Billy Rose's Aquacade during the New York World's Fair 1939–41, pursuing her for two years. Johnny Weissmuller (June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was a German-American swimmer and actor.He was born in Timisoara, Austria-Hungary to German parents.. 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