Johnny Weissmuller was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor.
34 Facts About Johnny Weissmuller
2.
Johnny Weissmuller was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century.
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Johnny Weissmuller set numerous world records alongside winning five gold medals in the Olympics.
4.
Johnny Weissmuller won the 100m freestyle and the relay team event in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
5.
Johnny 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.
Johnny Weissmuller's parents rented a single level in a shared house where he lived during his childhood.
7.
Johnny Weissmuller excelled immediately and began entering and winning every race he could.
8.
Johnny Weissmuller's father deserted the family when Johnny Weissmuller was in the eighth grade.
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Johnny Weissmuller left school to begin working in order to support his mother and younger brother.
10.
When Johnny Weissmuller was 11 he lied to join the YMCA, which had a 12 year old minimum rule to join.
11.
Johnny Weissmuller won every swimming race he entered and excelled at running and high jumping.
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Johnny Weissmuller was a strong father figure and mentor for Johnny.
13.
Johnny Weissmuller entered four Amateur Athletic Union races and won them all.
14.
On July 9,1922, Johnny Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.
15.
Johnny Weissmuller won the title for that distance at the 1924 Summer Olympics, beating Kahanamoku for the gold medal.
16.
Johnny Weissmuller 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.
17.
Johnny Weissmuller competed in the 1928 Olympics, where the US team finished in seventh place.
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Johnny Weissmuller was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle under one minute and the 440-yard freestyle under five minutes.
19.
Johnny Weissmuller never lost a race and retired with an unbeaten amateur record.
20.
Johnny Weissmuller appeared wearing only a fig leaf while hoisting actress Mary Eaton on his shoulders.
21.
Johnny Weissmuller was noticed by the writer Cyril Hume, which led to his big break playing Tarzan in Tarzan the Ape Man in 1932.
22.
Johnny Weissmuller originated the famous Tarzan yell, which was created by sound recordist Douglas Shearer.
23.
Johnny Weissmuller went on to play the lead in the film Jungle Jim.
24.
Johnny Weissmuller appeared in sixteen Jungle Jim movies over eight years, going on to film 26 episodes of the Jungle Jim TV series.
25.
One very notable instance was in 1927: whilst training for the Chicago Marathon, Johnny Weissmuller saved 11 people from drowning after a boat accident.
26.
Johnny Weissmuller was one of the Chicago lifeguards who saved many.
27.
In 1974, Johnny Weissmuller broke both his hip and leg, marking the beginning of years of declining health.
28.
On January 20,1984, Johnny Weissmuller died from pulmonary edema at the age of 79.
29.
Johnny Weissmuller was buried just outside Acapulco, Valle de La Luz at the Valley of the Light Cemetery.
30.
Johnny Weissmuller was honored with a 21-gun salute, befitting a head of state, which was arranged by Senator Ted Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan.
31.
Johnny Weissmuller is on the album cover of The Beatles' Sgt.
32.
Johnny Weissmuller was a Star and he gave off a special light and some of that light got into me.
33.
In 1973, Johnny Weissmuller was awarded the George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.
34.
Johnny Weissmuller was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 after becoming the founding chairman.