Joe Gold (born Sidney Gold; March 10, 1922 – July 11, 2004) was an American bodybuilder and businessman. He was the founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym. He has been credited with being the father of the bodybuilding and the fitness craze.
René Duverger (30 January 1911 – 16 August 1983) was a French weightlifter who won a gold medal in the 67.5 kg category at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Peter Nash Lupus Jr. (born June 17, 1932) is an American bodybuilder and actor. He is best known for his role as Willy Armitage on the television series Mission: Impossible (1966–1973).
Rahel Hirsch (15 September 1870 – 6 October 1953) was a German physician and professor at the Charité medical school in Berlin. In 1913 she became the first woman in the Kingdom of Prussia to be appointed a professor of medicine.
John (Johann) Grün, also known as Herkul Grün (1868–1912), a Luxembourger from Mondorf-les-Bains was believed to be the strongest man in the world at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
Apollon the Mighty (February 21, 1862 – 18 October 1928), born Louis Uni, was a French strongman, especially famous for his grip strength.
John Massis (4 June 1940 – 12 July 1988) was a Flemish strongman and teeth-acrobat. His real name was Wilfried Morbée.
Massis specialized in bending iron with his teeth. He also performed stunts where he lifted cars, pulled trains and stopped motorbikes and even helicopters and hot air balloons with his teeth. This resulted in several entries in the Guinness World Records book. He even stopped 4 small sport planes of lifting off in 4 different directions.
In 1980 he started pirate radio "Radio Superstar" and also recorded the song John Massis de krachtpatser. In 1987 he recorded Zet er je tanden in, with Willy Sommers.
In 1983 he also funded a political party called Positief Radicalen in Dutch or Positive Radicals.
He had a few roles too in the Flemish films The Leeuw Van Vlaanderen (1984) and Merlina
In 2004 Johan Heldenbergh performed a play based on Massis' life: Massis, the musical.
In 2005 he became number 172 on the list of the most famous Belgian ever in history.
He was also a source of inspiration for the cartoonist Pirana in the 80's to draw "Het Land Zonder Tanden" (1986). They were also close personal friends.
He also made an appearance in the Kiekeboe-album De spray-historie (1988) with cartoon character "John Massif".
In 1999 the band Noordkaap referred to John Massis by naming their album Massis.
Joseph Hubertus Pilates (9 December 1883 – 9 October 1967) was a German-born physical trainer, writer, and inventor. He is credited with inventing and promoting the Pilates method of physical fitness. He patented a total of 26 apparatuses in his lifetime.
Rudolf Ismayr (14 October 1908 – 9 May 1998) was a German weightlifter. He won a gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and a silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as a silver medal at the 1938 World Championships. Between 1931 and 1935 he set five official and six unofficial world records.Ismayr took the Olympic Oath at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Death unspecified.
Lou Nova (March 16, 1913 – September 29, 1991) also called the Cosmic Puncher was an American boxer and actor. Born in Los Angeles, California, the 6 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) Nova was the U.S. and World Amateur Boxing Champion in 1935. After turning pro, he remained undefeated in his first 22 matches, and won 40 fights in total. He was the first top rated boxer to practice yoga, and reportedly did headstands in the dressing room before his title bout with Joe Louis.