Johnny Weissmueller

Johnny Weissmuller
Weissmuller circa 1940
Born	Johann Peter Weißmüller (1904-06-02)June 2, 1904 Szabadfalva (Freidorf), Austria-Hungary
Died	January 20, 1984(1984-01-20) (aged 79) Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Cause of death	Pulmonary edema
Years active	1929–76
Spouse(s)	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 Brock Mandell Bauman (m. 1963)
Children	3

Johnny Weissmuller

Weissmuller in 1924
Personal information
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Club	Illinois Athletic Club
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1924 Paris 100 m freestyle 1924 Paris 400 m freestyle 1924 Paris 4×200 m freestyle 1928 Amsterdam 100 m freestyle 1928 Amsterdam 4×200 m freestyle Water polo 1924 Paris Team

Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; 2 June 1904 – 20 January 1984) was a Hungarian-born American competition swimmer and actor, best known for playing Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s and for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. Weissmuller was one of the world's fastest swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals for swimming and one bronze medal for water polo. He was the first to break the one minute barrier for 100-meter freestyle; and the first to swim 440-yard freestyle under five minutes. He won fifty-two U.S. national championships, set more than fifty world records (spread over both freestyle and backstroke), and was purportedly undefeated in official competition for the entirety of his competitive career. After retiring from competitions, he became the sixth actor to portray Edgar Rice Burroughs's ape man, Tarzan, a role he played in twelve motion pictures. Dozens of other actors have also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller is by far the best known. His character's distinctive Tarzan yell is still often used in films.

Johann Peter Weißmüller was an ethnic German, the elder son of Peter Weissmüller and his wife Elisabeth (née Kersch), both Banat Swabians, an ethnic German population in southeast Europe. Johann Peter had one sibling, a younger brother, Peter. His generally accepted birthplace was in Szabadfalva (Freidorf), Austro-Hungarian Empire (today part of Timișoara (Temeschwar), Romania). The records of St Rochus Church in Freidorf show that Johann, son of Peter and Elizabeth (née Kersch) Weissmüller, was baptized there on 5 June 1904, three days after his birth. However, the ship's roster from his family's arrival at Ellis Island lists his birthplace as Párdány, Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Međa, Žitište, Serbia, near the Romanian border).