Johnny Weissmuller: biography, personal life, films

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Legendary American film actor Johnny Weissmuller, known for his iconic role as Tarzan, was born on June 2, 1904 in the Romanian city of Timisoara. When the child was born, the name was Peter, but in connection with the subsequent move to the United States, the parents decided to give their son a more American name, and the boy began to be called Johnny.

Emigration

After Peter Weissmuller and his wife Elizabeth Kersh settled in a new place, they tried to make sure that Johnny was recorded as born in the US state of Pennsylvania, since at that time the boy was only seven months old. At that time, immigrants from Austria-Hungary who emigrated to America faced social problems, and it was better to get documents issued in one of the US states for a child.

The Weissmuller family settled in Chicago, the father bought a beer bar, and the mother began to work as a cook in a nearby restaurant. Initially, things were going well, but the business soon fell into disrepair. Bank loans did not help, and Weissmuller-the elder went broke. After that, the head of the family took to drink, quickly turned into a chronic alcoholic, went through rehabilitation several times, but it was all in vain. It got to the point that Peter took out of the house and sold for a pittance everything that came to hand. Elizabeth tried to fight, but after her husband raised a hand against her, she filed for divorce. The Weissmuller family broke up, the children stayed with their mother.

Swimming

Johnny dropped out of school, began to earn money where he had to, and once got a job as a lifeguard in a water sports complex. The tall young man liked swimming coach William Bahrach, and he invited him to his team. The mentor was not mistaken in his calculations, Johnny Weissmuller immediately showed himself as a talented athlete and won heats at fifty and two hundred meters at the next competition, leaving all rivals far behind. The coach was extremely pleased, he understood that he had found a real gem.

So there was a new American swimmer named Weissmuller. In July 1922, Johnny broke the Hawaiian athlete Duke Kahanamoku's world record in the 100m freestyle. His time of 58.6 seconds was the first swim in history to last less than one minute.

Sports achievements

In February 1924, at the Olympic competitions held in Paris, Johnny Weissmuller again defeated Dewey Kahanamoka in the 100 meters and became the champion. He then won the 400m freestyle and was also first inrelay race four by 400 meters.

The personal record of the athlete in time for the hundred meters was 57.4 seconds. So a star named Johnny Weissmuller rose and remained at the zenith of big sport for a long time. A sport that requires the return of all physical strength has become a part of his life. During his sports career, the swimmer set 67 records and won the title of US champion 52 times.

Participation in promotions

In 1929, Johnny Weissmuller entered into a contract with a company that produces clothing for walking and sports. He began to travel around the country, participate in various talk shows, performances on the water and theatrical competitions. At the same time, the athlete first starred in a movie. It was a mythology-themed film where the role of Johnny Weissmuller was the appearance of the god of spring Adonis, whose clothes were only a fig leaf. Moral critics objected to such an outfit, but in this case their opinion was not taken into account, since historical truth was important, and the gods did not wear clothes.

The beginning of a film career

Johnny Weissmuller became an actor in 1932, when he signed a seven-year contract with the MGM film studio. Thus began the cult series of adventure films with Tarzan the Ape Man. The picture was a huge success, and Johnny instantly became famous.

"Tarzan" - an unexpected film for the public, previously American cinema produced melodramatic comedies or westerns with action movies. And suddenly a creature appears on the screen, similar toof a man, but with the habits of a monkey, flies from one tree to another, shouting something incomprehensible. But gradually the audience began to sympathize with the inhabitant of the jungle, the events on the screen lined up in a logical chain, Tarzan helped the weak, saved his smaller brothers in trouble, in a word, did everything that people do. Humanity became the leitmotif of everything that happened, the good beginning dominated, and this attracted moviegoers. "Tarzan" is a multi-part film, people were looking forward to the next film with the adventures of their favorite hero. Tarzan's friend Jane and chimpanzee Chita also left no one indifferent.

Johnny Weissmuller, whose "Tarzan" was associated by many with Kipling's "Mowgli", created his own image of a savage with a good heart. In total, twelve episodes were filmed, each of which carried a charge of positive emotions. The actor took part in the film project from the very beginning, discussed the script, rehearsed individual episodes, although at that time in Hollywood there was a practice of one take, in order to save film and actors' working time, which was quite expensive. Weissmuller walked through the scene several times with his partner Jane, and only then did the operator turn on the camera. The actor never insisted on paying extra.

Methods

The fees of "Tarzan" at that time looked more than impressive and amounted to more than two million dollars. The commercial success of the film was consistently high. The writers have applied a method that can becall "To be continued …", when the end of the previous series remains, as it were, unsaid, and the moviegoer leaves the hall somewhat puzzled: "What's next?" Further development of the plot should be fully reflected in the next film. Everyone knows this, and when a new episode comes out, theaters are always full.

Johnny Weissmuller, whose films about Tarzan were shot until 1948, took part in several other film projects, less spectacular, but giving the actor the opportunity to show his dramatic abilities. However, the success of a film does not always depend on the level of professionalism of the actor; a weak script can ruin the film in the bud. Luckily for directors, feature and visual film projects have the ability to change the script as the film progresses. The film "Tarzan" belonged to this category, it was a game and a species at the same time.

Although the tape was in black and white, the jungle still looked impressive, thanks to the work of production designers. Entourage mattered, the scenes that were filmed in the pavilion were carefully furnished with scenery, real lianas had to be brought in, and special acoustic devices were installed for the famous Tarzan scream to sound believable.

Jungle Jim

When Weissmuller starred in the last episode of "Tarzan and the Mermaids", the scripts for the next global film project, which started at Columbia Pictures, were already ready. ManagementMGM didn't mind the actor's participation in the new film, and Johnny got to work.

In total, between 1948 and 1954, thirteen episodes of the film "Jungle Jim" were filmed. The plots of the new film had something in common with "Tarzan", but there were already fewer flights from branch to branch, and more dramaturgy.

Later years

In 1958, the actor returned to Chicago and founded his own company, a chain of lap swimming pools. However, the business project did not receive development, since there were few people who wanted to swim in a race. Johnny had other commercial ventures, but they did not bring success, although the actor stubbornly called projects by his name.

In the end, the actor left Chicago for Florida, where he became the head of the "Swimming Hall of Fame" with international status.

In the fall of 1966, Weissmuller inaugurated a television series about the appearance of Tarzan and his exciting adventures. There were many fragments from old films in it, the audience could get acquainted with each story separately.

England

In 1970, the actor attended the Commonwe alth Games in Great Britain, where he was introduced to the Queen. With him was a former partner, the performer of the role of Jane in the film "Tarzan", Maureen O'Sullivan.

Weissmuller lived in Florida until 1973, then moved to Las Vegas, where he became the representative of the film company "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" in the hotel. His duties included welcoming guests, escorting themwhile traveling around the city, as well as the presence in gambling establishments.

In 1976, Johnny Weissmuller made his last film appearance, in an inconspicuous bit part. And then he was seen at the admission ceremony in the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame. The actor did not appear in public again.

The he alth of "Tarzan" began to deteriorate, the broken leg, received back in 1974, did not heal in any way. I had to stay in the clinic for a long time, where Weissmuller found out about serious problems with his heart. In 1977, the actor suffered several strokes. Two years later, he and his wife left for Acapulco, which he always considered the best paradise on earth and where the last film about Tarzan with his participation was filmed.

Private life

Johnny Weissmuller's private life was quite turbulent, he married five times and divorced four times. The first wife of the actor was chanson singer Bobby Arnst, with whom they lived together for two years, from 1931 to 1933. The next chosen one was the actress Lupe Velez, the marriage lasted six years, from 1933 to 1939. Then came Beryl Scott, who gave her husband a son and two daughters. The next wife is the little-known actress Allen Gates, the actor lived with her for fourteen years, from 1948 to 1962. And finally, a certain Maria Bauman, who was with Weissmuller from 1963 until his death on January 20, 1984.

The actor was buried in Acapulco, at the cemetery of Hollywood movie stars.