Janos (Johann) Peter Weissmuller (June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American competitive swimmer, Olympian, and actor.
Gold was also brought home by Weissmuller in the 400m freestyle as well as a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris. ==Early life== Johann Peter Weißmüller was born on June 2, 1904 in Freidorf, in the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary (now part of Romania).
Early the next year on January 26, 1905, he embarked on a twelve day trip on the S.S.
On August 6, 1921 Weissmuller began his competitive swimming career.
Nationals on September 27, 1921 in the 100m and 150yd events. On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.
Nationals on September 27, 1921 in the 100m and 150yd events. On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.
He won the 100m freestyle and the 4x200m relay team event in 1924 at the Paris Games and again in 1928 at the Amsterdam Games.
He won the title for that distance at the 1924 Summer Olympics, beating Kahanamoku for the gold medal.
men's national water polo team, he won a bronze medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
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.
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. In 1927, Weissmuller set a new world record of 51.0 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, which stood for 17 years.
One very notable instance was in 1927 whilst training for the Chicago Marathon, Johnny saved 11 lives from drowning after a boat accident. ==Later life== In 1974, Weissmuller broke both his hip and leg, marking the beginning of years of declining health.
He won the 100m freestyle and the 4x200m relay team event in 1924 at the Paris Games and again in 1928 at the Amsterdam Games.
team in the 4×200-meter relay. Four years later, at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, he won another two gold medals.
He also competed in the 1928 Olympics where the U.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.
He improved it to 48.5 seconds at Billy Rose World's Fair Aquacade in 1940, aged 36, but this result was discounted, as he was competing as a professional. As a member of the U.S.
(1940–2006), Wendy Anne Weissmuller (born 1942), and Heidi Elizabeth Weissmuller (1944–1962), who was killed in a car crash.
In 1950, he was selected by the Associated Press as the greatest swimmer of the first half of the 20th century. ===Films=== Weissmuller's first film was the non-speaking role of Adam in a movie called "Glorifying the American Girl".
He was honored with a 21-gun salute, befitting a head of state, which was arranged by Senator Ted Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan. == Legacy == For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Johnny Weissmuller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1967 he was on the album cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. 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.
One very notable instance was in 1927 whilst training for the Chicago Marathon, Johnny saved 11 lives from drowning after a boat accident. ==Later life== In 1974, Weissmuller broke both his hip and leg, marking the beginning of years of declining health.
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.
Janos (Johann) Peter Weissmuller (June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American competitive swimmer, Olympian, and actor.
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.
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.
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