Editing Johnny Weissmuller

{{Short description|American swimmer, water-polo player, and actor (1904–1984)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Johnny Weissmuller
| image              = Johny Weissmuller-publicity.JPG
| image_size         = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = Weissmuller {{circa}} 1940s
| birth_name         = Johann Peter Weißmüller
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1904|06|02}}
| birth_place        = [[Freidorf]], [[Temes County]], [[Austria-Hungary]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1984|01|20|1904|06|02}}
| death_place        = [[Acapulco]], [[Guerrero]], Mexico
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Bobbe Arnst |1931|1933|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Lupe Vélez]] |1933|1939|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Beryl Scott |1939|1948|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Allene Gates |1948|1962|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Maria Gertrude Baumann|1963}}
}}
| children           = 3
| yearsactive        = 1929–1976
| occupation         = {{hlist|Olympic swimmer|water polo player|actor}}
| module             = {{Infobox sportsperson|embed=yes
|image=
|caption=
|sport= Swimming, water polo
|height=6 ft 3 in<ref name=espn>[http://www.espn.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/athlete?athlete=14927 Johnny Weissmuller]. espn.com</ref>
|weight=190 lb<ref name=espn/>
|club=Illinois Athletic Club<ref name=sr/><br/>[[William Bachrach]], Coach
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal | Country | the {{USA}} }}
{{Medal | Sport | [[Swimming (sport)|Swimming]] }}
{{Medal | Competition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{Medal | Gold | [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]] | [[Swimming at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]] }}
{{Medal | Gold | 1924 Paris | [[Swimming at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre freestyle|400 m freestyle]] }}
{{Medal | Gold | 1924 Paris | [[Swimming at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle]] }}
{{Medal | Gold | [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Amsterdam]] | [[Swimming at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]] }}
{{Medal | Gold | 1928 Amsterdam | [[Swimming at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle]] }}
{{Medal | Sport | [[Water polo]] }}
{{Medal | Competition | [[Water polo at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{Medal | Bronze | [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]] | [[Water polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics|Team]] }}
}}
}}

'''Johnny Weissmuller''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|aɪ|s|m|ʌ|l|ər}} {{respell|WYSSE|mul|ər}}; born '''Johann Peter Weißmüller''', {{IPA|de|ˈjoːhan ˈpeːtɐ ˈvaɪsmʏlɐ|lang}}; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was a Hungarian-born German American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive-swimming records of the 20th century. He set world records alongside winning five gold medals in the Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51611 |title=Johnny Weissmuller |work=Olympedia |access-date=November 13, 2021}}</ref> He won the 100m freestyle and the {{nowrap|4 × 200 m}} relay team event in the [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Summer Olympics in Paris]] and the [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam]]. Weissmuller also won gold in the 400m freestyle, as well as a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 9, 2021|title=Johnny Weissmuller - Olympic Swimming, Water Polo {{!}} USA|url=https://www.olympic.org/johnny-weissmuller|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=International Olympic Committee|language=en}}</ref><ref name="ishof.org">{{Cite web |title=Johnny Weissmuller (USA) |url=https://ishof.org/johnny-weissmuller-(usa).html |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130085148/https://ishof.org/johnny-weissmuller-(usa).html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Following his retirement from swimming, Weissmuller played [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]' [[Tarzan]] in [[Tarzan in film, television and other non-print media|twelve feature films]] from 1932 to 1948; six were produced by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]], and six additional films by [[RKO Pictures|RKO]]. Weissmuller went on to star in sixteen ''[[Jungle Jim#Feature films|Jungle Jim]]'' movies over an eight-year period, then filmed 26 additional half-hour episodes of [[Jungle Jim (TV series)|the ''Jungle Jim'' TV series]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Johnny Weissmuller|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/johnny-weissmuller/|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==Early life==
Johann Peter Weißmüller was born on June 2, 1904, in [[Freidorf|Szabadfalva]], in the [[Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen|Kingdom of Hungary]], [[Austria-Hungary]] (now part of [[Romania]], and called Freidorf) into an ethnically [[Banat Swabians|Banat Swabian]] family. He was the sixth generation Weißmüller born in Hungary.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.geni.com/people/Johann-Weissmuller/6000000024932434830 | title=Johann Weissmuller | date=August 31, 1749 }}</ref> An ancestor had immigrated from [[Baden]], [[Holy Roman Empire]] {{Circa|1749}}.<ref name="Banat">{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/romanias-ethnic-germans-get-their-day-in-the-spotlight/a-18072299|title=Romania's ethnic Germans get their day in the spotlight|date=18 November 2014|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|accessdate=7 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Swabian">{{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/when-tarzan-struck-gold-at-the-games-the-legend-of-johnny-weissmuller|title=When Tarzan struck gold at the Games: the legend of Johnny Weissmuller|date=19 July 2019 |work=Olympics.com|accessdate=28 November 2023}}</ref> Three days later he was baptized into the [[Catholic]] faith by the Hungarian version of his German name, as János. Early the next year, January 26, 1905, his father, Peter Weißmüller, and mother, Elisabeth Weißmüller (née Kersch), took him on a twelve-day trip on the ''[[SS Dwinsk|S.S. Rotterdam]]'' to [[Ellis Island]].  Soon they arrived in [[Windber, Pennsylvania]], to live with family. Johnny's brother Peter was born the following September.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Biography - The Official Licensing Website of Johnny Weissmuller|url=https://www.johnnyweissmuller.com/biography/|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=Johnny Weissmuller|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Freidorf Wohnhaus Weissmueller.jpg|left|thumb|upright 0.85|Weißmüller homestead, [[Freidorf]]]]
Three years later they relocated to Chicago to be with his mother's parents. His parents rented a single level in a shared house where he lived during his childhood. At age nine, Weissmüller contracted [[List of polio survivors|polio]]. His doctor recommended swimming to help his recovery from the disease.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2008/08/17/from-the-pool-to-hollywood-stardom/
|title=From the pool to Hollywood stardom
|last=Rasmussen
|first=Frederick N.
|date=17 August 2008
|publisher=baltimoresun.com
|access-date=15 September 2012
|archive-date=13 June 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613130029/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2008-08-17/news/0808160072_1_johnny-weissmuller
|url-status=live
}}</ref>  Fullerton Beach on [[Lake Michigan]] is where Johnny's love for swimming took off, having his first swimming lessons there. He excelled immediately and began entering and winning every race he could. Johnny's father deserted the family when Johnny was in the eighth grade. He left school to begin working in order to support his mother and younger brother.<ref name=":0" />

When Weissmuller was 11 he lied to join the [[YMCA]], which had a 12 year old minimum rule to join. He won every swimming race he entered and also excelled at running and high jumping. Before long he was on one of the best swim teams in the country, the Illinois Athletic Club.<ref name=":0" />

==Career==
===Swimming===
[[File:Weissmuller cropped.jpg|thumb|Weissmuller in 1924]]
Weissmuller tried out for swimming coach [[Bill Bachrach]]. Impressed with what he saw, he took Weissmuller under his wing. He also was a strong father figure and mentor for Johnny. On August 6, 1921, Weissmuller began his competitive swimming career. He entered four Amateur Athletic Union races and won them all. He set his first two world records at the A.A.U. Nationals on September 27, 1921, in the 100m and 150yd events.<ref name=":0" />

On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke [[Duke Kahanamoku|Duke Kahanamoku's]] world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.<ref>{{cite book|author=Safire, William|title=The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind|publisher=Macmillan|year=2007|page=[https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesguid00/page/943 943]|isbn=978-0-312-37659-8|url=https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesguid00/page/943}}</ref> He won the title for that distance at the [[1924 Summer Olympics]], beating Kahanamoku for the gold medal.<ref>{{cite book|last=Christopher|first=Paul J.|author2=Smith, Alicia Marie|title=Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition|publisher=Encouragement Press|year=2006|page=204|isbn=978-1-933766-09-6}}</ref> He also won the 400-meter freestyle and was a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×200-meter relay.<ref>{{cite web |title=Johnny Weissmuller |url=https://www.olympic.org/johnny-weissmuller |website=Olympic.org |access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref>

Four years later, at the [[1928 Summer Olympics]] in Amsterdam, he won another two gold medals.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kirsch|first=George B.|author2=Othello, Harris|author3=Nolte, Claire Elaine|title=Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofet0000unse_u6f6/page/488 488]|isbn=978-0-313-29911-7|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofet0000unse_u6f6/page/488}}</ref><ref name=sr>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/johnny-weissmuller-1.html Johnny Weissmuller profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229120721/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/johnny-weissmuller-1.html |date=December 29, 2008 }}, sports-reference.com; accessed November 12, 2015.</ref> It was during this period that Weissmuller became an enthusiast for [[John Harvey Kellogg|John Harvey Kellogg's]] [[holistic medicine|holistic]] lifestyle views on nutrition, enemas and exercise. He went to Kellogg's [[Battle Creek, Michigan]] sanatorium to dedicate its new 120-foot swimming pool, and break one of his own previous swimming records after adopting the [[vegetarian]] diet prescribed by Kellogg.<ref name=Schaefer2005>{{cite book|last=Schaefer|first=Richard A|title=LEGACY: Daring to Care: the heritage of Loma Linda|year=2005|url=http://www.llu.edu/central/info/legacy/chapter13.page|chapter=Chapter Thirteen THE FIVE-HUNDRED-DOLLAR SEED|access-date=November 12, 2015|archive-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907182721/http://www.llu.edu/central/info/legacy/chapter13.page|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1927, Weissmuller set a new world record of 51.0 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, which stood for 17&nbsp;years. He improved it to 48.5&nbsp;seconds at Billy Rose World's Fair Aquacade in 1940, aged 36, but this result was discounted, as he was competing as a professional.<ref name="ishof">{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/johnny-weissmuller-(usa).html |title=Johnny Weissmuller (USA) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |access-date=March 13, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104342/http://www.ishof.org/johnny-weissmuller-(usa).html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=sr/>
As a member of the [[United States men's national water polo team|U.S. men's national water polo team]], he won a bronze medal at the [[Water polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Summer Olympics]]. He also competed in the [[Water polo at the 1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Olympics]], where the U.S. team finished in seventh place.<ref name=ishof/><ref name=sr/>

In all, Weissmuller won five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal, 52 United States national championships,<ref name=ishof/> and set 67 world records. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle under one minute and the 440-yard freestyle under five minutes. He never lost a race and retired with an unbeaten amateur record.<ref name=ishof/><ref name=sr/><ref>{{cite book|last=Simonton|first=Dean Keith|title=Greatness: Who Makes History and Why|url=https://archive.org/details/greatnesswhomake0000simo|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Guilford Press]]|year=1994|page=[https://archive.org/details/greatnesswhomake0000simo/page/156 156]|isbn=978-0-89862-201-0}}</ref> In 1950, he was selected by the Associated Press as the greatest swimmer of the first half of the 20th century.<ref name=ishof/>

During the 1930s, before he became [[Tarzan]], Weissmuller was a swimming instructor at the [[Miami Biltmore Hotel]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Levere |first=Jane L. |date=2014-05-20 |title=Miami Area Hotel Brings Its Past to Forefront |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/business/media/miami-area-hotel-brings-its-past-to-forefront.html |access-date=2025-04-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=TODAY |first=Susan B. Barnes, Special for USA |title=Resort photo tour: Old Florida splendor at the Biltmore Hotel |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2017/02/24/biltmore-hotel-coral-gables-florida/98246016/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> He broke a world record at the Biltmore pool.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thurwachter |first=Mary |title=Dip into history and summer savings at Coral Gables’ Biltmore |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/lifestyle/travel/2014/05/20/dip-into-history-summer-savings/7571436007/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=The Palm Beach Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Films===
Weissmuller's first film was the non-speaking role of [[Adonis]] in the movie ''[[Glorifying the American Girl]]''. He appeared wearing only a [[fig leaf]] while hoisting actress [[Mary Eaton]] on his shoulders. He was noticed by the writer [[Cyril Hume]], which led to his big break playing Tarzan in ''[[Tarzan the Ape Man (1932 film)|Tarzan the Ape Man]]'' in 1932.<ref name=":1"/>

[[File:Tarzan's Secret Treasure trailer 2.jpg|thumb|left|Weissmüller (Tarzan) with [[Maureen O'Sullivan]] (Jane) in ''[[Tarzan's Secret Treasure]]'']]
When asked to play Tarzan, Weissmuller was already under contract to model [[BVD|BVD underwear]]. MGM agreed to have actresses such as [[Greta Garbo]] and [[Marie Dressler]] featured in BVD ads so that he could be released from his BVD contract.<ref name="Tarzan, the Ape Man">{{Cite web|title=Tarzan, the Ape Man|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/13192/tarzan-the-ape-man/|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=Turner Classic Movies|language=en}}</ref> The author of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was pleased with Weissmuller, although he so hated the studio's depiction of Tarzan as an individual who barely spoke English that he created his own concurrent Tarzan series starring [[Herman Brix]] as a suitably articulate version of the character (as is true to the original books).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wayback Machine: Herman Brix, Tacoma Tarzan|url=http://sportspressnw.com/2201834/2015/wayback-machine-herman-brix-tacoma-tarzan|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=Sportspress Northwest|language=en-US}}</ref>

Weissmuller is considered the definitive Tarzan. He originated the famous [[Tarzan yell]],<ref name=":0" /> which was created by sound recordist [[Douglas Shearer]]. Shearer recorded Weissmuller's normal yell, but manipulated it and played it in reverse.<ref name="Tarzan, the Ape Man"/>

Weissmuller went on to play the lead in the film ''[[Jungle Jim (film)|Jungle Jim]]''. He appeared in sixteen Jungle Jim movies over eight years, going on to film 26 episodes of the [[Jungle Jim (TV series)|Jungle Jim TV series]].<ref name=":1"/><ref name=":0" />

Weissmuller retired from acting in 1957.<ref name=":0" />

==Personal life==
[[File:Velez-Weissmuller.jpg|thumb|With his second wife, the Mexican actress [[Lupe Vélez]], in a newspaper press photo (1934)]]

Weissmuller was married five times: to band and club singer Bobbe Arnst (married 1931, divorced 1933); to actress [[Lupe Vélez]] (married 1933, divorced 1939); to Beryl Scott (married 1939, divorced 1948); to Allene Gates (married 1948, divorced 1962); and to Maria Gertrude Baumann (born 1921, died 2004; they were married from 1963 until his death in 1984).<ref name=":0" />

With his third wife, Beryl, Weissmuller had three children: [[Johnny Weissmuller, Jr.]] (1940–2006), Wendy Anne Weissmuller (born 1942), and Heidi Elizabeth Weissmuller (1944–1962), who was killed in a car crash. He also had a stepdaughter with Baumann, Lisa Weissmuller-Gallagher.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 10, 2021|title=Lisa Weissmuller, Daughter Of Johnny, Dies In Los Angeles At 66|url=https://www.erbzine.com/gw/GridleyWave297.pdf}}</ref>

Weissmuller saved many people's lives throughout his own life. One very notable instance was in 1927 during training for the Chicago Marathon, when Weissmuller saved 11 people from drowning after a boat accident.<ref name=":0" /> On July 28, 1927, 16 children, 10 women, and 1 man drowned when the ''Favorite'', a small excursion boat cruising from Lincoln Park to Municipal Pier (Navy Pier), capsized half a mile off North Avenue in a sudden, heavy squall. When the boat tipped over, 75 women and children and 6 men sank with the boat, but rescuers saved over 50 of them. Weissmuller was one of the Chicago lifeguards who saved many.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 1, 2017|title=The Effortless and Legendary Life of Johnny Weissmuller Part 4: Real Life Hero Saves 11 Lives|url=https://theolympians.co/2017/06/01/the-effortless-and-legendary-life-of-johnny-weissmuller-part-4-real-life-hero-saves-11-lives/}}</ref>

==Later life==
In 1974, Weissmuller broke both his hip and leg, marking the beginning of years of declining health. While hospitalized he learned that in spite of his strength and lifelong daily regimen of swimming and exercise, he had a serious heart condition. In 1977, Weissmuller suffered a series of strokes. In 1979, he entered the [[Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital]] in [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles|Woodland Hills, California]], for several weeks before moving with his last wife, Maria, to [[Acapulco|Acapulco, Mexico]], the location of his last Tarzan movie.<ref name="kings">{{cite book |last=Fury |first=David |title=Kings of the Jungle: An Illustrated Reference to "Tarzan" on Screen and Television |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=1994 |page=57 |isbn=978-0-89950-771-2}}</ref>

On January 20, 1984, Weissmuller died of [[pulmonary edema]] at the age of 79.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sisson |first=Richard |author2=Zacher, Christian|author3= Cayton, Andrew Robert Lee |title=The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |year=2007 |page=902 |isbn=978-0-253-34886-9}}</ref> He was buried just outside Acapulco, Valle de La Luz, at the Valley of the Light Cemetery. As his coffin was lowered into the ground, a recording of the Tarzan yell he invented was played three times, at his request.<ref name="kings" /> He was honored with a [[21-gun salute]], befitting a [[head of state]], which was arranged by Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] and President [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref name=":0" />

== Legacy ==
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Johnny Weissmuller has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref name=":1" />

He is on the album cover of [[The Beatles]]' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967).<ref name=":0" />

His former co-star and movie son [[Johnny Sheffield]] wrote of him, "I can only say that working with Big John was one of the highlights of my life. He was a Star (with a capital "S") and he gave off a special light and some of that light got into me. Knowing and being with Johnny Weissmuller during my formative years had a lasting influence on my life."<ref>{{cite book|last=Weissmuller| first=Johnny Jr. |url=https://archive.org/details/tarzanmyfather00jrjo|title=Tarzan, My Father|author2=Weissmuller, Johnny|author3=Reed, William|publisher=ECW Press|others=Burroughs, Danton|year=2002|isbn=978-1-55022-522-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/tarzanmyfather00jrjo/page/n82 83]|url-access=limited}}</ref>

In 1973, Weissmuller was awarded the [[George Eastman Award]], given by [[George Eastman House]] for distinguished contribution to the art of film.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 15, 2012|title=Eastman House award recipients · George Eastman House|url=http://www.eastmanhouse.org/museum/awards.php|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415183637/http://www.eastmanhouse.org/museum/awards.php|archive-date=April 15, 2012}}</ref>

The [[Piscine Molitor]] in Paris was built as a tribute to Weissmuller and his swimming prowess.<ref>{{cite web|date=January 8, 2012|title=MAMBO: TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY WEISSMULLER|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLsSs6zazzs| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/TLsSs6zazzs| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|access-date=April 4, 2017|format=Video|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Edgar Rice Burroughs himself paid tribute to Weissmuller's powerful screen persona in the last Tarzan novel that he completed

{{Blockquote|But what seemed a long time to them was a matter of seconds only. The tiger's great frame went limp and sank to the ground. And the man rose and put a foot upon it and, raising his face to the heavens, voiced a horrid cry—the victory cry of the bull ape. Corrie was suddenly terrified of this man who had always seemed so civilized and cultured. Even the men were shocked.}}

{{Blockquote|Suddenly recognition lighted the eyes of Jerry Lucas. "John Clayton," he said, "Lord Greystoke—Tarzan of the Apes!" Shrimp's jaw dropped. "Is dat Johnny Weismuller? [sic]" he demanded. Tarzan shook his head as though to clear his brain of an obsession. His thin veneer of civilization had been consumed by the fires of battle. ...<ref>Burroughs, Edgar Rice. ''Tarzan and "the Foreign Legion"'', Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., 1947.</ref>}}

Weissmuller was inducted into the [[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] in 1965 after becoming its founding chairman.<ref name="ishof.org"/><ref name=":0" />

==Filmography==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
|-
! colspan="4" style="background:#ddf;" | Johnny Weissmuller in Film
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1929
| ''[[Glorifying the American Girl]]''
| Adonis
| [[Cameo appearance]] in the segment 'Loveland'
|-
| rowspan=2|1931
| ''[[Swim or Sink]]''
| Himself
| [[Short subject]]
|-
| ''Water Bugs''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| rowspan=2|1932
| ''[[Tarzan the Ape Man (1932 film)|Tarzan the Ape Man]]''
| [[Tarzan]]
|
|-
| ''The Human Fish''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1934
| ''[[Tarzan and His Mate]]''
| Tarzan
|
|-
| 1936
| ''[[Tarzan Escapes]]''
| Tarzan
|
|-
| 1939
| ''[[Tarzan Finds a Son!]]''
| Tarzan
|
|-
| 1941
| ''[[Tarzan's Secret Treasure]]''
| Tarzan
|
|-
| 1942
| ''[[Tarzan's New York Adventure]]''
| Tarzan
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1943
| ''[[Tarzan Triumphs]]''
| Tarzan
| Complete title: ''Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan Triumphs''
|-
| ''[[Stage Door Canteen (film)|Stage Door Canteen]]''
| Himself
| Cameo role washing dishes.
|-
| ''[[Tarzan's Desert Mystery]]''
| Tarzan
| Complete title: ''Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan's Desert Mystery''
|-
| 1945
| ''[[Tarzan and the Amazons]]''
| Tarzan
| Complete title: ''Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Amazons''
|-
| rowspan=2|1946
| ''[[Tarzan and the Leopard Woman]]''
| Tarzan
| Complete title: ''Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Leopard Woman''
|-
| ''[[Swamp Fire]]''
| Johnny Duval
| co-starring [[Buster Crabbe]]
|-
| 1947
| ''[[Tarzan and the Huntress]]''
| Tarzan
| Complete title: ''Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Huntress''
|-
| rowspan=2|1948
| ''[[Tarzan and the Mermaids]]''
| Tarzan
| Complete title: ''Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Mermaids''
|-
| ''[[Jungle Jim (film)|Jungle Jim]]''
| [[Jungle Jim]]
|
|-
| 1949
| ''[[The Lost Tribe (1949 film)|The Lost Tribe]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1950
| ''[[Mark of the Gorilla]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Captive Girl]]''
| Jungle Jim
| Alternative title: ''Jungle Jim and the Captive Girl''
|-
| ''[[Pygmy Island]] ''
| Jungle Jim
| Alternative title: ''Pigmy Island''
|-
| rowspan=2|1951
| ''[[Fury of the Congo]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Jungle Manhunt]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1952
| ''[[Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Voodoo Tiger]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1953
| ''[[Savage Mutiny]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Valley of Head Hunters]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Killer Ape (film)|Killer Ape]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1954
| ''[[Jungle Man-Eaters]]''
| Jungle Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Cannibal Attack]]''
| Johnny Weissmuller
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1955
| ''[[Jungle Moon Men]]''
| Johnny Weissmuller
|
|-
| ''[[Devil Goddess]]''
| Johnny Weissmuller
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[The Phynx]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1974
| ''The Great Masquerade''
| Sepy Debronvi
|
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]''
| Stagehand No. 2
| (final film role)
|-
! colspan="4" style="background:#ddf;" | Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1956–1958
| ''[[Jungle Jim (TV series)|Jungle Jim]]''
| Jungle Jim
| 26 episodes
|-
| 1958
| ''[[You Bet Your Life]]''
| Guest Contestant
| 1
|}

== Published works ==
*{{Cite book |last1=Weissmuller |first1=Johnny |title=Swimming the American Crawl |last2=Bush |first2=Clarence A. |publisher=[[G. P. Putnam's Sons]] |year=1930 |location=London}} Autobiography, excerpts of which were published in ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]''.

==See also==

{{Portal|Biography|Olympics}}

* [[List of athletes with Olympic medals in different disciplines]]
* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]
* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in water polo (men)]]
* [[List of multi-sport athletes]]
* [[World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay]]
* [[World record progression 100 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 200 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 400 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 800 metres freestyle]]
* [[List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=upper-alpha}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Sports links}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=johnny-weissmuller}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20001121192400/http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d9443f.htm#weiss Louis S. Nixdorff, 1928 Olympic games collection, 1926–1978], Archives Center, [[National Museum of American History]], [[Smithsonian Institution]]. 
* [http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?MID=01465013330011512576&LNM=WEISSMULLER&PLNM=WEISSMULLER&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&RF=46&PID=102352080350 The passenger list of the ship that brought the Weissmullers to Ellis Island] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927123653/http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?MID=01465013330011512576&LNM=WEISSMULLER&PLNM=WEISSMULLER&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&RF=46&PID=102352080350 |date=September 27, 2011 }}
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/17/world/europe/17briefs-tarzanmonument.html?ex=1172725200&en=a945f654fa0398cc&ei=5070 "Serbia: Monument to Tarzan"], ''The New York Times'', February 17, 2007. The article states that Johnny Weissmuller was born in [[Serbia]].
* {{Find a Grave|3116}}
* [http://www.johnnyweissmuller.com/ Johnny Weissmuller Official Website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box
| before = <br />[[Tedford Cann]]
| title = [[World record progression 200 metres freestyle#Long course|Men's 200-meter freestyle<br />world record-holder (long course)]]
| years = May 26, 1922 – April 12, 1935
| after = <br />[[Jack Medica]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = <br />[[Arne Borg]]
| title = [[World record progression 400 metres freestyle#Long course|Men's 400-meter freestyle<br />world record-holder (long course)]]
| years = June 22, 1922 – December 9, 1924
| after = <br />Arne Borg
}}
{{succession box
| before = <br />[[Duke Kahanamoku]]
| title = {{nowrap|[[World record progression 100 metres freestyle#Long course|Men's 100-meter freestyle<br />world record-holder (long course)]]}}
| years = July 19, 1922 – March 2, 1934
| after = <br />[[Peter Fick]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = <br />[[Boy Charlton]]
| title = {{nowrap|[[World record progression 800 metres freestyle#Long course|Men's 800-yard freestyle<br />world record-holder (long course)]]}}
| years = July 27, 1927 – May 30, 1930
| after = <br />[[Jean Taris]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Johnny Weissmuller navboxes
|list = 
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1924 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1928 Summer Olympics}}
{{Olympic champions in men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay}}
{{United States men's water polo squad 1924 Summer Olympics}}
{{United States men's water polo squad 1928 Summer Olympics}}
}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weissmuller, Johnny}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1984 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States]]
[[Category:Deaths from pulmonary edema]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:Greeters]]
[[Category:Male actors from Chicago]]
[[Category:American male water polo players]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in water polo]]
[[Category:Olympic water polo players for the United States]]
[[Category:People from Elk Grove Village, Illinois]]
[[Category:People from Somerset County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Timișoara]]
[[Category:Polio survivors]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Tarzan]]
[[Category:Water polo players at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Water polo players at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Banat Swabians]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Mexico]]