Michael Van Wijk
| Michael Van Wijk | |
|---|---|
| Born |
30 September 1952 Bombay, India |
| Residence | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality | British |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Van Wijk |
Michael Van Wijk (born 30 September 1952) is an English bodybuilder, professional sportsman, actor and TV presenter. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, Van Wijk is most well known for his role as Wolf on British TV endurance sports game show Gladiators, a role he held for seven years, eight series (1992-1999). Wolf was a villainous character who routinely displayed poor sportsmanship, similar to a heel in professional wrestling.
Van Wijk owns a gym called "Wolf's Gym" in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, where he now resides.
Before his rise to fame he owned several gyms until he secured his first contract with his long term employer Gladiators. According to a Sky One interview, producers refused to allow Van Wijk to be mean as a Gladiator, but he soon persuaded them to let him try it. This distinctive persona led him to be the most popular Gladiator in the history of the show, although he courted controversy.
He was also known to video game players for appearing on the cover of the computer game Barbarian. Van Wijk was spotted by a member of the Gladiators production team shortly before filming began on the first television series in 1992. He once stated on Gladiators that his favourite television show was Star Trek.
Van Wijk used to run a gym in Hayes in Bromley, London called 'Wolf's Fitness Centre'. It was open until the late 1990s and included facilities geared towards body builders, boxers and general fitness. In October 1994, he played one match for the reserve team of Gillingham F.C., playing for 73 minutes in a match against Cambridge United's reserves before going off injured. The match attracted a crowd ten times the average for the club's reserve team games.
In 1988, Van Wijk appeared in a small, featured role in Ken Russell's film Salome's Last Dance.
In 1989, Van Wijk auditioned for a role in the film Dances with Wolves. He was unsuccessful, but the experience provided the inspiration for his "Wolf" alter-ego.
...
Wikipedia