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Young Tarzan: 1922

Johnny Weissmuller in an Illinois Athletic Club swimsuit circa 1922, prior to winning five Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 1928. Before becoming Tarzan and signing a movie contract with MGM in 1932, Weissmuller was a spokesmodel for BVD swimwear. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

Johnny Weissmuller in an Illinois Athletic Club swimsuit circa 1922, prior to winning five Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 1928. Before becoming Tarzan and signing a movie contract with MGM in 1932, Weissmuller was a spokesmodel for BVD swimwear. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

 

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About Johnny

He was actually born in a district of Timisoara (Romania, Eastern Europe) in 1904 and registered as Peter Weissmüller.

When he was seven months old, the family emigrated to the United States aboard the S.S. Rotterdam as steerage passengers.

He was the son of German-speaking parents of Jewish and Roman Catholic background, Petrus Weißmüller and Elisabeth Kersch.

In the US he used his brothers name, Johnny, because it was more American.

Very cool! I wish as kids we

Very cool!
I wish as kids we knew what was in front of us. How to savor the moments we can't get back now.

Young Tarzan

I actually met Johnny Weissmuller in 1976 in South Louisiana. I was in a community play called Bayou Bon Temps and one of the acts had us dressed in Tarzan outfits in honor of the first Tarzan movie being filmed in our hometown. Being 16 years old at the time, I didn't realize the significance of the man we met. I remember him as being still full of energy and enthusiasm at the time.

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