The crazy story of Johnny Weissmuller, the unbeaten swimmer who became Tarzan

Very few people manage to excel in two completely different fields, but Johnny Weissmuller did. A five-time Olympic swimming champion, the Hungarian is also famous for playing the character of Tarzan in the 1930s and 1940s.

Before becoming a global icon thanks to this role, Weissmuller was above all an exceptional swimmer, unbeaten in the 100 metres freestyle.

Let's take a look back at the fascinating life of Johnny Weissmuller, a man who swam for his life before becoming one of the greatest athletes of his time.

Weissmuller was born on 2 June 1904 in Freidorf, Hungary, a small village that is now part of the Romanian city of Timisoara. However, he left the country when he was seven months old, as his family emigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States. He became stateless.

Weissmuller and his family eventually relocated to Chicago, but, at the age of nine, Johnny contracted polio. His doctor recommended swimming as a cure, and it worked. The young Weissmuller began to develop a taste for the sport, which he excelled at from the start.

The teenager was a real rocket in the water, breaking all records from his early teens. On 9 July 1922, at the age of 18, he became the first man to break the 60-second barrier in the 100 metres freestyle, with a time of 58.6 seconds.

However, the young man had a dream: to take part in the 1924 Paris Olympics. The only problem was that he was stateless and had no nation to represent. That's why he pretended to be his younger brother, Peter Jr, who was born in the United States.

Under his brother's name, the 20-year-old made a monumental impact. Between 18 and 20 July, he won four medals: gold in the 100m, 400m and 4 x 200m relay, and bronze in water polo.

His successes made the headlines and the swimmer became an international star. He obtained American citizenship and returned to his real identity.

Four years later, the swimmer repeated this feat by winning two more gold medals in the 100 metres and 4x200 metres freestyle.

For more than ten years, Weissmuller's world records remained unbroken, and his mark of 57.4 seconds, set in 1924, was not broken until 1934. Quite simply, during his sporting career, the Hungarian never lost a single race.

In 1929, Weissmuller signed a contract with a brand of underwear: BVD. He put an end to his swimming career and began to tour the world as a model.

He became famous for his good looks and, in 1929, starred in his very first film: 'Glorifying the American Girl', in which he appeared wearing nothing but a fig leaf.

However, it was in 1932 that his career took a completely different turn when he was chosen to play Tarzan in the cinema. Weissmuller was the sixth actor to play the role, but the first in talking pictures.

In all, the actor played the character twelve times, creating some of the Lord of the Jungle's characteristics himself, including his now legendary cry. Weissmuller became one of the most famous actors in the world.

He eventually gave up the character in 1948, played in the Jungle Jim TV Series and films, and retired after. Unfortunately, he soon fell into debt as a result of his five marriages, and died in a psychiatric hospital of pulmonary oedema at the age of 79 on 20 January 1984.