Weissmuller, Johnny

in full Peter John Weissmuller

(born June 2, 1904, Freidorf, near Timisoara, Rom.—died Jan. 20, 1984, Acapulco, Mex.) U.S. freestyle swimmer and actor. He was reared in Chicago, where he attended the University of Chicago and developed into a champion swimmer. He won five Olympic gold medals (three in 1924, two in 1928) and set 67 world records. He later became even more famous as an actor, starring as Tarzan of the Apes in 12 films (1932–48) and later creating the role of the comic-book character Jungle Jim for film and television.

Weissmuller, (Peter John) Johnny (1904–84) swimmer, actor; born in Windber, Pa. He attended schools in Chicago and the University of Chicago, and during the 1920s was the best all-around amateur swimmer in the U.S.A. After winning three gold medals in the 1924 Olympics and two more at the 1928 Games, he parlayed his celebrity in a career as a movie actor. (Hollywood publicists would later claim he was born in Hungary but had hidden this fact in order to compete for the U.S. Olympic team.) After appearing in some short subjects and swimming extravaganzas, he starred in 12 Tarzan movies in the 1930s and early 1940s including Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932); when he was replaced by a younger actor, he made a series of Jungle Jim movies. He formed a swimming pool company and continued to make occasional appearances in trash films.