Jack LaLanne Biography
America's First TV Exercise Guru is the Godfather of Fitness
Biography of Jack LaLanne, the first TV exercise show host and physical fitness pioneer.
Jack LaLanne celebrated his 93rd birthday on September 26, 2007. With his history of performing feats of physical strength to mark each passing year, who knows what the “Godfather of Fitness” may do next?
Early Life
LaLanne was born François Henri LaLanne to French immigrant parents in San Francisco on September 26, 1914. He freely confesses his behavior as a child was rather problematic; he had a barely controllable mean streak and a history of rages. “I was a sugarholic and a junk food junkie!” says LaLanne. “It made me weak and it made me mean.”
Nutritional Inspiration
At age 15, LaLanne heard nutritionist Paul Bragg lecture on sugar addiction, and became determined to remake himself into a specimen of health, strength and vitality through proper diet and exercise.
Exploring New Territory in Bodybuilding
LaLanne began to experiment with weightlifting at the Berkeley YMCA, and was soon noticing big changes in his physique. Weightlifting and bodybuilding were not common or popular activities in the 1930s, but LaLanne pursued them with amazing discipline and creativity. He was a design pioneer of many of the weightlifting machines found in modern fitness facilities.
LaLanne graduated from Oakland Chiropractic College and, in 1936, opened the first modern health club in America. He was just 21 years old. It was one of many “firsts” in LaLanne’s trailblazing career.
Building a Fitness Empire
As LaLanne’s popularity began to grow, he opened more fitness facilities and, in 1951, became the first fitness instructor on television with “The Jack LaLanne Show”. The show would run continuously for the next 34 years.
The show served as the launching pad for a host of other profitable fitness ventures, including instructional and motivational books, videos, and personal appearances. He also appeared in four feature films and one episode of The Simpsons program.
By the 1980s there were over 200 fitness clubs bearing his name before he licensed them all to Bally Fitness.
Amazing Physical Feats
LaLanne has a long history of performing impressive feats of strength and endurance. In 1955, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, while handcuffed. The next year he set a world record for pushups by doing 1,033 of them in 23 minutes on live television. He celebrated America’s bicentennial by swimming one mile in Long Beach Harbor while towing 13 boats containing 76 people. An impressive feat for anyone, to be sure, but absolutely astonishing for a 62 year-old man who was also handcuffed and shackled at the time!
Recognition of an Amazing Life
LaLanne is the recipient of literally dozens of awards from governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. In 2002, at age 88, he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame™.
LaLanne’s wife of 52 years, Elaine, is a full partner in her husband’s fitness empire and an avid fitness enthusiast and entrepreneur in her own right. Together, they are the royal family of America’s fitness kingdom.
Still Going Strong
LaLanne still works out for two hours every morning at the couple’s home in Morro Bay, California. Ask him about his feelings looking back, and this is a sample of what you may hear:
"It is most gratifying to me to see that everything that I was preaching and advocating over 50 years ago, not only exercise-wise but nutrition-wise, is coming into fruition. Back then I was a crackpot, today I am an authority. And believe me, I can't die.....it would ruin my image!"
(“Hollywood Walk of Fame” is a registered trademark of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.)
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