Johnny weissmuller wife

Johnny Weissmuller

American swimmer, water-polo player, and actor (1904–1984)

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

(m. 1931; div. 1933)​

Lupe Vélez

(m. 1933; div. 1939)​

Beryl Scott

(m. 1939; div. 1948)​

Allene Gates

(m. 1948; div. 1962)​

Maria Gertrude Baumann

(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

Swimming career

In the era of "false news" and partial truths, Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984) is mostly remembered, when he is remembered, as the actor who made Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan character world famous. But Janos Weissmuller had a previous notoriety: as a five-time gold medalist for the United States at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, as a champion freestyle swimmer. Born in Szabadfal, Romania (also known as Freidorf in German, due to the large German population), his "family belonged to the group of Donauschwaben (Danube Swabians), who came to the United States after the turn of the twentieth century."1 Weissmuller used his brother's citizenship documents (his birth certificate, as record keeping was less rigorous in the early 20th century) to avoid questions when he represented the United States in the Olympics. Though truths are partial and often complicated, they still remain truths: the fluid rules of citizenship mean that "facts" need interpretation within a cultural, social, and legal context.

In tracing his biography,

In 1908 the family moved west to Chicago, where they reunited with Elizabeth’s parents, who lived on a farm nearby in a humble community of Freidorf colony immigrants.

The family rented a single floor in a shared house for the entirety of his youth, 4 blocks from Lincoln Park; his frequent trips to the nearby zoo helped to instill his early love of animals. As part of a city program with horses, he even learned how to ride bareback – a skill which would later serve him well in the role of Tarzan.

Johnny attended St. Michael’s school and served as an altar boy there, up until age twelve when he switched to public school. Once his father abandoned the family, Johnny had to leave school after the eighth grade and went to work at an early age to help support his little brother and mom, who worked as a cook. He delivered packages for a church supply company and hawked produce from a cart…later in life he said:

“You know, your guts get so mad when you try to fight poverty… I told myself, “I’m going to get out of this neighborhood, if only because he’s got a quarter and

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