Johnny Weissmuller

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Early life

Weissmller was an ethnic German born to Peter Weissmller and his wife Elisabeth Kersch, in Banat, Romania. The ship's roster from his family's arrival at Ellis Island lists his birthplace as Mea, in border area of Serbia,. It has been claimed that he was actually named Peter by his parents, but when he arrived in the US he used his brother's name, Johnny, because it was more American. However, the records of St Rochus Church in Freidorf show that Johann, son of Peter Weissmller and Elizabeth Kersch, was baptized there on 6 May 1904. The passenger manifest of the S.S. Rotterdam, which arrived in New York on 26 January 1905, lists Peter Weissmller, a 29-year-old laborer, his 24-year-old wife Elisabeth, and seven-month-old Johann, The family is listed as Germans, last residence Temesvr, despite the fact that they lived for a long time in Freidorf (Szabadfalu). They were going to join their brother-in-law Johann Ott of Windber, Pennsylvania. On November 5, 1905, Johann Peter Weissmller was baptized at St John Cantius Catholic Church in Windber. In the 1910 census, Peter and Elizabeth Weisenmller as well as John and Eva Ott were living at 1521 Cleveland Ave in the 22nd Ward of Chicago, with sons John, age six, born in Temesvr and Peter Jr., age five, born in Illinois. Peter Weissmller and John Ott were both brewers, Ott immigrating in 1902, Weissmller in 1904. The ethnic group known as Banat Swabians had lived for several centuries in that region and developed a distinctive dialect and cultural traits.

R. Brever, B. Skelton, Johnny Weissmuller. c. 1925 hein gericke motorcycle jacket

When Weissmller was a small child, the family emigrated to the United States aboard the S.S. Rotterdam as steerage passengers. They left Rotterdam on January 14, 1905, and arrived at Ellis Island in New York harbor twelve days later as Peter, Elisabeth and Johann Weissmller. The passenger list records them as ethnic Germans and citizens of Romania. After a brief stay in Chicago, visiting relatives, they moved to the coal mining town of Windber, Pennsylvania. (For most of Weissmller's career, show business biographies incorrectly listed him as having been born in Pennsylvania. Some sources state that Weissmller lied about his birthplace in order to ensure his place on the US Olympic swimming team.) Peter Weissmuller worked as a miner, and his youngest son, Peter Weissmller, Jr., was born in Windber on 3 September 1905. Peter Jr. is listed on one census as born in Illinois. motorcycle leather racing suit

At age nine, Weissmller 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, Weissmller continued swimming and eventually earned a spot on the YMCA swim team. While living in Chicago, Weissmller's father owned a bar for a time and his mother became head cook at a famed restaurant. After Peter's business failed, he began drinking heavily and abusing both his wife and children. Elizabeth Weissmller eventually filed for, and was granted, a divorce (various biographies erroneously state that Weissmller's father died of tuberculosis leaving her a widow). According to draft registration records for World War I, Peter and Elizabeth were apparently still together as late as 1917. On his paperwork, Peter was listed as a brewer, working for the Elston and Fullerton Brewery. He and his family were living at 226 West North Avenue in Chicago. In his book, Tarzan, My Father, Johnny Weissmuller Jr. stated that although rumors of Peter Weissmller living to "a ripe old age, remarrying along the way and spawning a large brood of little Weissmllers" were reported, no one in the family was aware of his ultimate fate. Peter signed his consent for 19-year old John "Weissmuller"'s passport application in 1924, preceding Johnny's Olympic competition in France. In the 1930 federal census, Elizabeth Weissmller, age 49, has listed with her, her sons John P. and Peter J., and Peter's wife Dorothy. Elizabeth is listed as a widow. leather motorcycle racing suit

Careers

Swimming

Medal record

Men 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 water polo

Bronze

1924 Paris

Team

As a teen, Weissmuller attended Lane Technical H.S. before dropping out to work various jobs including a stint as a lifeguard at a Lake Michigan beach. While working as an elevator operator and bellboy at the Illinois Athletic Club, Weissmuller caught the eye of swim coach William Bachrach. Bachrach trained Weissmuller and in August 1921, Weissmuller won the national championships in the 50-yard and 220-yard distances. Though he was foreign-born, Weissmuller gave his birthplace as Tanneryville, Pennsylvania, and his birth date as that of his younger brother, Peter Weissmuller. This was to ensure his eligibility to compete as part of the United States Olympic team, and was a critical issue in being issued an American passport. (This comment seems to be contradicted by data on his actual passport application - On his 1924 passport application, he listed his date of birth as June 2, 1904, and his place of birth as Windbar, Pennsylvania. His father, Peter signed an affidavit to this effect, giving his 19-year-old son permission to travel abroad to participate in the Paris Olympics and for other competitions in England and Belgium. His passport was issued in May, 1924.)

On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record on the 100-meters freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds. He won the title in that distance at the 1924 Summer Olympics, beating Kahanamoku for the gold. He also won the 400-meters freestyle and the 4 x 200 meters relay. As a member of the American water polo team, he also won a bronze medal. Four years later, at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, he won another two Olympic titles.

In all, he won five Olympic gold medals, one bronze medal, won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. Johnny Weissmuller never lost a race and retired from his amateur swimming career undefeated.

Motion pictures

In 1929, Weissmuller signed a contract with BVD to be a model and representative. He traveled throughout the country doing swim shows, handing out leaflets promoting that brand of swimwear, signing autographs and going on talk shows. In that same year, he made his first motion picture appearance as an Adonis, wearing only a fig leaf, in a movie entitled Glorifying the American Girl. He appeared as himself in the first of several Crystal Champions movie shorts featuring Weissmuller and other Olympic champions at Silver Springs, Florida.

He co-starred with Esther Williams in Billy Rose's Aquacade during the San Francisco World's Fair, 193941, pursuing her throughout a span of two years.

His acting career began when he signed a seven year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and played the role of Tarzan in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932). The movie was a huge success and Weissmuller became an overnight international sensation. Tarzan author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was pleased with Weissmuller, although he so hated the studio's depiction of a Tarzan who barely spoke English that he created his own concurrent Tarzan series filmed on location in Central American jungles and starring Herman Brix as a suitably articulate version of the character.

Weissmuller starred in six Tarzan movies for MGM with actress Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane (with whom he had a brief affair[citation needed]) and Cheeta the Chimpanzee. The last three also included Johnny Sheffield as Boy. Then, in 1942, Weissmuller went to RKO and starred in six more Tarzan movies with markedly reduced production values. 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. Sheffield appeared as Boy in the first five features for RKO. Another co-star was Brenda Joyce, who played Jane in Weissmuller's last four Tarzan movies. In a total of twelve Tarzan films, Weissmuller earned an estimated $2,000,000 and established himself as what many consider the definitive Tarzan. Although not the first Tarzan in movies, (that honor went to Elmo Lincoln), he was the first to be associated with the now traditional ululating, yodeling Tarzan yell. (During an appearance on television's The Mike Douglas Show in the 1970s, Weissmuller explained how the famous yell was created. Recordings of three vocalists were spliced together to get the effect soprano, an alto, and a hog caller).

When Weissmuller finally left that role, he immediately traded his loincloth costume for a slouch hat and safari suit for the role of Jungle Jim (1948) for Columbia. He made thirteen Jungle Jim films between (1948) and (1954). Within the next year, he appeared in three more jungle movies, playing himself. In 1955, he began production of the Jungle Jim television adventure series for Screen Gems, a film subsidiary of Columbia. His costars were Martin Huston and Dean Fredericks. The show produced only twenty-six episodes, which were subsequently played repeatedly on network and syndicated television. Aside from a first screen appearance as Adonis and the role of Johnny Duval in the 1946 film Swamp Fire, Weissmuller played only three roles in films during the heyday of his Hollywood career: Tarzan, Jungle Jim, and himself.

After movies

In the late 1950s, Weissmuller moved back to Chicago and started a swimming pool company. He 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.

According to David Wallechinsky's Complete Book of the Olympics, while playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Cuba in 1958, Weissmuller's golf cart was suddenly captured by rebel soldiers. Weissmuller sized up the situation, got out of the cart and gave his trademark Tarzan yell. The shocked rebels soon began to jump up and down, calling "Tarzan! Welcome to Cuba!" Johnny and his companions were not only not kidnapped, but were given a rebel escort to the golf course.

Sometime in the 1960s, Weissmuller built a doomed tourist attraction called Tropical Wonderland, aka Tarzan's Jungleland, on US 1 in Titusville, Florida. In September 1966, Weissmuller joined former screen Tarzans James Pierce and Jock Mahoney to appear with Ron Ely as part of the publicity for the upcoming premiere of the Tarzan TV series. The producers also approached Weissmuller to guest star as Tarzan's father, but nothing came of it.

In 1970, he attended the British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where he was presented to Queen Elizabeth II. That same year, he made a cameo appearance with former co-star Maureen O'Sullivan in The Phynx (1970).

Weissmuller lived in Florida until the end of 1973, then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a greeter at the MGM Grand Hotel for a time. 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.

Personal life

Weissmuller had five wives: band and club singer Bobbe Arnst (married 1931 divorced 1933); actress Lupe Vlez (married 1933 divorced 1939); Beryl Scott (married 1939 divorced 1948); Allene Gates (married 1948 divorced 1962); and Maria Baumann (married 1963 his death 1984).

With his third wife, Beryl, he had three children, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr. (September 23, 1940 July 27, 2006), Wendy Anne Weissmuller (b. June 1, 1942), and Heidi Elizabeth Weissmuller (July 31, 1944 November 19, 1962).

Declining health and death

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. At his request, he was buried in Acapulco at Valley of the Light Cemetery where, also at his request, a recording of the Tarzan yell he invented was played.

Influence

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."

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Johnny Weissmuller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Filmography

Film

Year

Film

Role

Notes

1929

Glorifying the American Girl

Adonis

Cameo appearance in the segment "Loveland"

1931

Swim or Sink

Himself

Short subject

Water Bugs

Himself

Short subject

1932

Tarzan, the Ape Man

Tarzan

The Human Fish

Himself

Short subject

1934

Tarzan and His Mate

Tarzan

1936

Tarzan Escapes

Tarzan

1939

Tarzan Finds a Son!

Tarzan

1941

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

Tarzan

1942

Tarzan's New York Adventure

Tarzan

1943

Tarzan Triumphs

Tarzan

Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan Triumphs

Tarzan's Desert Mystery

Tarzan

Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan's Desert Mystery

Stage Door Canteen

Himself

1945

Tarzan and the Amazons

Tarzan

Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Amazons

1946

Tarzan and the Leopard Woman

Tarzan

Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Leopard Woman

Swamp Fire

Johnny Duval

1947

Tarzan and the Huntress

Tarzan

Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Huntress

1948

Tarzan and the Mermaids

Tarzan

Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Mermaids

Jungle Jim

Jungle Jim

1948

The Lost Tribe

Jungle Jim

1950

Mark of the Gorilla

Jungle Jim

Captive Girl

Jungle Jim

Alternative title: Jungle Jim and the Captive Girl

Jungle Jim in Pygmy Island

Jungle Jim

Alternative title: Pygmy Island

1951

Fury of the Congo

Jungle Jim

Jungle Manhunt

Jungle Jim

1952

Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land

Jungle Jim

Voodoo Tiger

Jungle Jim

1953

Savage Mutiny

Jungle Jim

Valley of Head Hunters

Jungle Jim

Killer Ape

Jungle Jim

1954

Jungle Man-Eaters

Jungle Jim

Cannibal Attack

Johnny Weissmuller

1955

Jungle Moon Men

Johnny Weissmuller

Devil Goddess

Johnny Weissmuller

1970

The Phynx

Himself

1976

Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood

Stagehand #2

Television

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1956-1958

Jungle Jim

Jungle Jim

26 episodes

References

^ "Interview with Johnny Weissmuller, Jr.". germanhollywood.com. http://www.germanhollywood.com/tarzan_myfather1.html. 

^ "Johnny Weissmuller." Britannica Online Encyclopedia.

^ "Serbia: Monument to Tarzan". The New York Times. 2007-02-17. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/17/world/europe/17briefs-tarzanmonument.html?%20(ex=1172725200&en=a945f654fa0398cc&ei=5070. 

^ "Businessweek report."

^ Bio in Sports Illustrated

^ a b Rasmussen, Frederick N. (2008-08-17). "From the pool to Hollywood stardom". baltimoresun.com. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-id.backstory17aug17,0,2204240.column. Retrieved 2008-10-09. 

^ a b Weissmuller, Jr., Johnny; Weissmuller, Johnny; Reed, William (2002). Tarzan, My Father. Burroughs, Danton. ECW Press. pp. 2528. ISBN 1-550-22522-7. 

^ The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind. Macmillan. 2007. p. 943. ISBN 0-312-37659-6. 

^ Christopher, Paul J.; Smith, Alicia Marie (2006). Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition. Encouragement Press, LLC. p. 204. ISBN 1-933-76609-3. 

^ Kirsch, George B.; Othello, Harris; Nolte, Claire Elaine (2000). Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 488. ISBN 0-313-29911-0. 

^ Simonton, Dean Keith (1994). Greatness: Who Makes History and Why. Guilford Press. p. 156. ISBN 0-898-62201-8. 

^ The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography, By Esther Williams, Digby Diehl, Published by Harcourt Trade, 2000, ISBN 0156011352, 9780156011358.

^ a b Fury, David (1994). Kings of the Jungle: An Illustrated Reference to "Tarzan" on Screen and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 57. ISBN 0-899-50771-9. 

^ Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Christian; Cayton, Andrew Robert Lee (2007). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. p. 902. ISBN 0-253-34886-2. 

^ Weissmuller, Johnny, Jr.; Weissmuller, Johnny; Reed, William (2002). Tarzan, My Father. Burroughs, Danton. ECW Press. p. 83. ISBN 1-550-22522-7. 

Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

Further reading

Fury, David A. Fury. Johnny Weissmuller: Twice the Hero (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Artist's Press. 2000) ISBN 0924556021

Weissmuller, Johnny Jr. Tarzan My Father, Toronto: ECW Press 2002

External links

Johnny Weissmuller at the Internet Movie Database

Tarzan Fan Site

Louis S. Nixdorff, 1928 Olympic games collection, 1926-1978, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

The passenger list of the ship that brought the Weissmullers to Ellis Island

"Serbia: Monument to Tarzan", The New York Times, February 17, 2007. The article states that Johnny Weissmuller was born in Serbia.

Johnny Weissmuller at Find a Grave

v  d  e

Tarzan movies

Silent films (8)

Tarzan of the Apes (1918) The Romance of Tarzan (1918) The Revenge of Tarzan (1920) The Son of Tarzan (1920) The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927) Tarzan the Mighty (1928) Tarzan the Tiger (1929)

With

Johnny Weissmuller (12)

Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Tarzan and His Mate (1934) Tarzan Escapes (1936) Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) Tarzan Triumphs (1943) Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943) Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946) Tarzan and the Huntress (1947) Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)

With Lex Barker (5)

Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949) Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950) Tarzan's Peril (1951) Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952) Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)

With Gordon Scott (6)

Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955) Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958) Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)

Competing films

Tarzan the Fearless (1933) The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938) Tarzan Revenge (1938) Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)

Later RKO series films

and independent films

Tarzan Goes to India (1962) Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963) Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966) Tarzan and the Great River (1967) Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968) Tarzan's Deadly Silence (1970)

Later films

Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981) Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) Tarzan and the Lost City (1998) Tarzan of the Apes (1999) Tarzan (1999) Tarzan & Jane (2002) Tarzan II (2005)

v  d  e

Olympic Champions in Men's 100 m Freestyle

1896: Alfrd Hajs | 1904: (100 yards) Zoltn Halmay | 1906: Charles Daniels | 1908: Charles Daniels | 1912: Duke Kahanamoku | 1920: Duke Kahanamoku | 1924: Johnny Weissmuller | 1928: Johnny Weissmuller | 1932: Yasuji Miyazaki | 1936: Ferenc Csk | 1948: Walter Ris | 1952: Clarke Scholes | 1956: Jon Henricks | 1960: John Devitt | 1964: Don Schollander | 1968: Michael Wenden | 1972: Mark Spitz | 1976: Jim Montgomery | 1980: Jrg Woithe | 1984: Rowdy Gaines | 1988: Matt Biondi | 1992: Alexander Popov | 1996: Alexander Popov | 2000: Pieter van den Hoogenband | 2004: Pieter van den Hoogenband | 2008: Alain Bernard

v  d  e

Olympic Champions in Men's 400 m Freestyle

1904: (440 yards) Charles Daniels | 1906: Otto Scheff | 1908: Henry Taylor | 1912: George Hodgson | 1920: Norman Ross | 1924: Johnny Weissmuller | 1928: Alberto Zorrilla | 1932: Buster Crabbe | 1936: Jack Medica | 1948: William Smith | 1952: Jean Boiteux | 1956: Murray Rose | 1960: Murray Rose | 1964: Don Schollander | 1968: Mike Burton | 1972: Brad Cooper | 1976: Brian Goodell | 1980: Vladimir Salnikov | 1984: George DiCarlo | 1988: Uwe Daler | 1992: Yevgeny Sadovyi | 1996: Danyon Loader | 2000: Ian Thorpe | 2004: Ian Thorpe | 2008: Park Taehwan

v  d  e

Olympic Champions in Men's 4200 m Freestyle Relay

1908: Great Britain (Derbyshire, Radimilovic, Foster, Taylor) | 1912: Australasia (Healy, Champion, Boardman, Hardwick) | 1920: USA (McGillivray, Kealoha, Ross, Kahanamoku) | 1924: USA (Weissmuller, O'Connor, Glancy, Breyer) | 1928: USA (Weissmuller, Clapp, Laufer, Kojac) | 1932: Japan (Yusa, Miyazaki, Yokoyama, Toyoda) | 1936: Japan (Yusa, Sugiura, Arai, Taguchi) | 1948: USA (Ris, McLane, Wolf, Smith) | 1952: USA (Moore, Woolsey, Konno, McLane) | 1956: Australia (O'Halloran, Devitt, Rose, Henricks) | 1960: USA (Harrison, Blick, Troy, Farrell) | 1964: USA (Schollander, Clark, Saari, Ilman) | 1968: USA (Schollander, Spitz, Nelson, Rerych) | 1972: USA (Spitz, Kinsella, Tyler, Genter) | 1976: USA (Bruner, Furniss, Naber, Montgomery) | 1980: Soviet Union (Kopliakov, Salnikov, Stukolkin, Krylov) | 1984: USA (Heath, Larson, Float, Hayes) | 1988: USA (Dalbey, Cetlinski, Gjertsen, Biondi) | 1992: Unified Team (Lepikov, Pyshnenko, Tayanovich, Sadovyi) | 1996: USA (Davis, Hudepohl, Schumacher, Berube) | 2000: Australia (Thorpe, Klim, Pearson, Kirby) | 2004: USA (Phelps, Lochte, Vanderkaay, Keller) | 2008: USA (Phelps, Lochte, Berens, Vanderkaay)

Honorary titles

Preceded by

Frank Merrill

Actors to portray Tarzan

1932-1948

Succeeded by

Buster Crabbe

Persondata

NAME

Weissmuller, Johnny

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Weissmller, Peter Johann

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Swimmer and actor

DATE OF BIRTH

June 2, 1904

PLACE OF BIRTH

Temesvr, Austria-Hungary (now Timioara, Romania)

DATE OF DEATH

January 20, 1984

PLACE OF DEATH

Acapulco, Mexico

Categories: Tarzan films | Actors from Chicago, Illinois | American Roman Catholics | Austrian Americans | American film actors | American television actors | American swimmers | Austro-Hungarian Empire immigrants to the United States | Olympic swimmers of the United States | Olympic water polo players of the United States | Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics | Swimmers at the 1928 Summer Olympics | Water polo players at the 1924 Summer Olympics | Water polo players at the 1928 Summer Olympics | European American sportspeople | Deaths from lung disease | Danube Swabian | Naturalized citizens of the United States | People from Timioara | People from Somerset County, Pennsylvania | Olympic gold medalists for the United States | Olympic bronze medalists for the United States | People from Elk Grove Village, Illinois | 1904 births | 1984 deathsHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from April 2009 | Articles needing additional references from October 2008 | All articles needing additional references