Editing Chris Dickerson (bodybuilder) (section)

==Bodybuilding career==
One of the world's most titled bodybuilders, Dickerson's competitive career spanned thirty years; he was known for both his heavily muscled, symmetrical physique and for his skills on the posing dais.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Dickerson |url=https://www.greatestphysiques.com/male-physiques/chris-dickerson/ |website=greatestphysiques|date=5 July 2016 }}</ref>

After seeing Mr. Universe [[Bill Pearl]] in a magazine, Dickerson changed his focus from acting to bodybuilding, and, at age 24, he began training at Pearl's Los Angeles gym.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Merritt |first=Greg |date= December 24, 2021|title=Chris Dickerson (1939-2021): The Life of the 1982 Mr. Olympia |url=https://thebarbell.com/chris-dickerson-life-of-1982-mr-olympia/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=The Barbell |language=en-US}}</ref> Dickerson first entered a [[bodybuilding]] competition in 1965 by taking third place at that year's Mr. Long Beach competition.  He turned pro in 1973 and won a total of 15 professional bodybuilding titles across four organizations during his career.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Dickerson (1939-2021): The Life of the 1982 Mr. Olympia |url=https://www.thebarbell.com/chris-dickerson-life-of-1982-mr-olympia/ |website=thebarbell|date=24 December 2021 }}</ref> Bill Pearl trained and advised him throughout his career.

Dickerson was the first African-American AAU Mr. America, the first openly gay winner of the IFBB [[Mr. Olympia]] contest, and one of only two bodybuilders (along with [[Dexter Jackson (bodybuilder)|Dexter Jackson]]) to win titles in both the Mr. Olympia and Masters Olympia competitions.<ref name="gay">{{cite web|url=http://healthyblackmen.org/2011/03/20/talking-truth-with-chris-dickerson/|title=Exclusive Conversation with Chris Dickerson|publisher=Healthyblackmen.org|access-date=2014-06-29|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804060733/http://healthyblackmen.org/2011/03/20/talking-truth-with-chris-dickerson/|archive-date=2014-08-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://barbend.com/mr-olympia-winners/|title=Every Winner of the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition|date=December 17, 2020}}</ref>

He won the Mr. Olympia once (1982), a distinction he shares with [[Samir Bannout]] (1983) and [[Dexter Jackson (bodybuilder)|Dexter Jackson]] (2008) who have since retired, [[Shawn Rhoden]] (2018) who has since died, as well as [[Brandon Curry]] (2019), [[Hadi Choopan]] (2022), [[Derek Lunsford]] (2023), and [[Samson Dauda]] (2024) who are currently active.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Interview With 1982 Mr. Olympia, Chris Dickerson |url=https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson270.htm |website=bodybuilding|date=25 April 2007 }}</ref>

Dickerson retired after winning the 50+ division at the 1994 Masters Olympia and was inducted into the [[IFBB Hall of Fame]] in 2000. Dickerson lived in Florida where he continued to train, conduct seminars, and correspond with current athletes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Dickerson's bodybuilding career at a glance |url=https://fitnessvolt.com/chris-dickerson-passes-away/ |website=fitnessvolt|date=24 December 2021 }}</ref>