Tarzan the ape man johnny weissmuller biography

American swimmer, five-time Olympic champion, and actor, best known for his role as Tarzan. His real name was Peter Johann Weissmuller. Johnny Weissmuller was born into a German family. According to documents filed by his family upon arrival in the United States, Johnny was born in a suburb of modern-day Timisoara, although he was actually born in a small village located in present-day Serbia near the Romanian border.

It was claimed that he was named Peter at birth, but his American name, Johnny, was used upon entering the United States as it was considered more American.

Johnny weissmuller military service

However, according to church records in his hometown, Johnny Weissmuller was baptized on May 4, , as Janos the Hungarian equivalent of Johann Weissmuller, the son of Peter Weissmuller and Elizabeth Kersh. The passenger manifest of the steamship "Rotterdam," which arrived in New York on January 26, , contains information about Peter Weissmuller, a year-old worker, his wife Elizabeth Kersh, 24 years old, and their seven-month-old son Johann.

They were heading to Johan Ott, a relative, in Windber, Pennsylvania. After the move, Peter Weissmuller worked as a miner in Windber. According to the U. However, most biographies of Johnny Weissmuller stated that he was born in Pennsylvania. It appears that he claimed to have been born in the United States to avoid issues with his inclusion on the Olympic team.

At the age of nine, Johnny contracted polio. Upon the doctor's advice to speed up his recovery, he took up swimming. After his family moved to Chicago, he continued his training and earned a place on the YMCA swim team. In Chicago, Johnny's father briefly owned a bar, and his mother became a chef at a famous restaurant.