Richard Simmons

For other people named Richard Simmons, see Richard Simmons (disambiguation).

"Sweatin' to the Oldies" redirects here. For The Vandals album, see Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live.

Richard Simmons
Simmons in September 2011
Born	Milton Teagle Simmons July 12, 1948 (1948-07-12) (age 63)[1] New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.[1]
Residence	Beverly Hills, California
Nationality	American
Education	Cor Jesu High School
Alma mater	University of Southwestern Louisiana, Florida State University
Occupation	Physical fitness expert, voice actor, Political Activist
Years active	1974–present
Home town	French Quarter, Louisiana
Height	5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m)
Television	The Late Show With David Letterman, Fish Hooks
Political party	Democrat
Religion	Catholic
Website
www.RichardSimmons.com

Milton Teagle Simmons (born July 12, 1948),^[1] known professionally as Richard Simmons, is an American fitness personality who promotes weight-loss programs, most famously through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and DVDs and is known for his eccentric, outgoing and frequently flamboyant personality. Currently, he also provides the voice of Coach Salmons on the Disney Channel animated series Fish Hooks.

Simmons began his career by opening a gym called Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He became a cultural icon, often parodied, and a frequent guest of late night television talk shows such as The Late Show With David Letterman. Today, Simmons continues to promote health and has broadened his activities to include political activism, notably in support of a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the "No Child Left Behind" act.^[2][3]

Early life

Richard Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[1] Simmons was born to show business parents^[4] and raised Catholic in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Cor Jesu High School (now Brother Martin High School).^[5] He was obese throughout his adolescence and by the time he graduated from high school, he weighed 268 pounds.

His first job, in New Orleans, was selling pralines at Leah's.^[6] After starting college at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, he transferred to Florida State University. While enrolled there, he studied as an exchange student in Florence, Italy. He graduated with a BA in Art. After graduation, Simmons moved to New York City where he worked in advertising, as a waiter, and for cosmetics companies Revlon and Coty Cosmetics.

Fitness career

Upon moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Simmons worked as the Maître d'hotel at Derek's,^[7] a restaurant in Beverly Hills. He developed an interest in fitness, but was dissatisfied with the unhealthy fad diet methods^{[clarification needed]} and the established gyms and exercise studios of the day which favored the already fit customer. It was his interest in fitness that helped him lose 123 lb (56 kg).

Simmons later opened his own exercise studio, originally called The Anatomy Asylum, where emphasis was placed on healthy eating in proper portions and enjoyable exercise in a supportive atmosphere. The business originally included a salad bar restaurant called "Ruffage," the name a pun on the word roughage (dietary fiber), though it was eventually removed as the focus of the Asylum shifted solely to exercise.^[8] Now called Slimmons, the establishment continues operations in Beverly Hills, and Simmons teaches motivational classes and aerobics throughout the week.^[9]

On February 16, 2010, Simmons appeared on the Dr. Oz Show. At that time it was stated that Simmons has kept off his own 100+ pound weight loss for 42 years, has been helping others lose weight for 35 years, and that in the course of his fitness career has helped humanity lose approximately 12,000,000 pounds.^[10] Simmons now uses the web as a method of outreach by running his own membership based website, and also indicates on his home page that he has established official pages on numerous social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.^[11]

Media appearances

Simmons began to draw media attention due to the success of his health club that began with an appearance on the television show Real People where he was shown at work. He introduced customers whom he had helped to lose weight. He later made guest appearances on the celebrity game shows: Battlestars, Body Language, Super Password, the ABC version of Match Game, the syndicated version of Hollywood Squares, Win, Lose or Draw and Nickelodeon's Figure It Out.

Positive viewer reaction landed Simmons a recurring role as himself on the American soap opera General Hospital,^[12] over a four-year period.^[13] This in turn led to further media notoriety, as well as personal appearances in shopping malls, where he taught exercise classes. In the early 1980s, Simmons hosted two shows; Slim Cookin, and an Emmy Award-winning talk show, The Richard Simmons Show, in which he focused on personal health, fitness, exercise, and healthy cooking.

Simmons has appeared as himself on numerous TV shows, including Whose Line Is It Anyway?, CHiPs, Saturday Night Live, The Larry Sanders Show and on an episode of Arrested Development, "Bringing Up Buster". In 1999, he hosted a short lived TV show called DreamMaker. Eight years later he filmed a pledge drive special for PBS, called Love Yourself And Win.

Simmons has been featured in TV advertisements for Sprint, Yoplait, Herbal Essence Shampoos,and toward the end of 2007, he appeared in a "This is SportsCenter" commercial on ESPN as the show's "conditioning coach." In Canada, Simmons appeared in an advertisement for Simmons mattresses. The mattress company hired the exercise celebrity because of the similarity in name, and for his appeal to the company's target audience of women over 35^{[citation needed]}. Beyond this, there is no further business partnership between the two.

For three years, he hosted a radio show on Sirius Stars, Sirius Satellite Radio channel 102, called Lighten Up with Richard Simmons. The show is no longer in production.

• Simmons was a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show in the 1990s. While he resolved at one point to refuse future appearances after Stern insulted him one too many times, he finally reappeared on Stern's show on November 16, 2006. ^[14]
• Simmons was also a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) and The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS).^[15] On November 22, 2000, they had a falling out after an incident that occurred on that night's show. Simmons (while dressed as a turkey) was sprayed in the face by Letterman with a fire extinguisher after Simmons grabbed Letterman as if to hug or kiss him, causing Simmons to have a severe asthma attack.^[16] Simmons did not appear on the Letterman show for six years, finally returning on November 29, 2006. During that appearance, Letterman once again set Simmons up for a prank. While Richard Simmons was demonstrating a steamer branded with his name, Letterman insisted on placing a tray under the steamer which Simmons did not believe belonged there. When Simmons turned the steamer on, something in the tray exploded and caught fire. Though initially scared, Simmons took the incident in fairly good nature, even joking that he "felt like Michael Jackson" (referring to a mishap where Jackson's hair was set on fire by a pyrotechnics accident).^[17]
• Simmons also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He and Leno went door-to-door to market Simmons' health program, only to have people spew as many insults at him as they could.^{[citation needed]}
• Simmons appeared as a guest on the U.S. version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
• Simmons appears on tracks 1 and 10 of Bob Rivers's 1997 holiday album More Twisted Christmas.
• Simmons has appeared multiple times on The Glenn Beck Program on HLN.^[18]
• Simmons is featured heavily in the film clip of 'Hawker Boat' by Tobacco, taken from the album Fucked Up Friends.^[19]
• Simmons provided the voice for Coach Salmons, a reoccurring character modeled after his own likeness, for the first season of Disney Channel's animated television series Fish Hooks, a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on September 24, 2010. On December 8, 2010, it was announced that the show has been picked up for a second season.^[20]
• In 2011, Simmons starred in "Fit to Fly with Richard Simmons", an Air New Zealand inflight safety briefing video modeled after his aerobic workouts. ^[21]

Personal life

Simmons in August 2007

Personality

Simmons is noted for his flamboyant, high-energy, motivational demeanor, an attribute he uses to help encourage people to lose weight. His high energy level is always featured in his workout videos. His trademark attire is candy-striped Dolfin shorts and tank tops decorated with Swarovski crystals.

Simmons is known for interacting at a personal level with people using his products. This began by personally answering fan mail he received as a cast member of General Hospital. Simmons still personally answers emails and letters, and makes hundreds of phone calls each week to those who seek his help.^[22] He also talked to people on the air during his radio show, and holds weekly live chats in the "clubhouse" area of his website. His appearances also include a "meet and greet" time, so that people can speak to him one on one.

Simmons claims to have few friends, saying "I don't have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people." Aside from his three Dalmatians and two maids, Simmons lives alone in the Hollywood Hills.^[22] Although there has been frequent speculation about his sexual orientation due to his campy personality, Simmons has never publicly discussed his sexuality.^{[23][24][25][26][27]}

Hurricane Katrina response

In September 2005 Simmons appeared on Entertainment Tonight to discuss the effects of Hurricane Katrina on his family in his hometown of New Orleans and his involvement in aiding those affected by the hurricane. On August 29, 2006 Simmons appeared on Your World with Neil Cavuto while making a return visit to New Orleans one year after the flooding, a visit he repeated on March 2, 2007, now talking about his recent trip to Washington D.C. to promote and raise awareness about The Strengthening Physical Education Act of 2007 (bill HR 1224).

Print and media

Books Never Say Diet ISBN 0-517-40284-X Never Say Diet Cookbook The Better Body Book Reach for Fitness: A Special Book of Exercises for the Physically Challenged Warner Books 1986 ISBN 0-446-51302-4 Deal-A-Meal Cookbook Richard Simmons' Never Give Up: Inspirations, Reflections, Stories of Hope Warner Books, 1984 ISBN 0-446-60085-7 Farewell to Fat Atlantic Books 2002 ISBN 1-57719-102-1 Sweetie Pie Still Hungry After All These Years: My Story Gt Pub Corp 1999 ISBN 1-57719-356-3 The FoodMover Cookbook Cookin' on Broadway Steam Away the Pounds Audio Audio cassette Project Me (six tape set) Sweatin' and Sharin' Colors of Your Life (single tape) Colors of Your Life (six tape set) Secrets of the Winners (single tape) Take a Walk Take a Hike Take a Classical Walk Walk Across America Walkin' on Broadway Walk Around the World Never Give Up (book on tape, read by Simmons) Compact discs Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 1 Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 2 Country Cardio Oh Happy Day Fitness Fiesta Wicked Workout Big Screen Burn Shimmy Into Shape In the Mood to Lose Classical Chillout Vinyl record Reach (Elektra Records, 1983)

Digital Compact Cassette Colors of Your Life (single tape) (Goodtimes Entertainment, BASF 90 Min. 1998) Visual media DVDs Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes Disco Sweat 60's Blast Off 80's Blast Off SuperSweatin': Party Off the Pounds SuperTonin': Totally Tonin SuperTonin': Totally Tonin' with Toning Rings Sit Tight Sweatin' to the Oldies Sweatin' to the Oldies 2 Sweatin' to the Oldies 3 Sweatin' to the Oldies 4 Sweatin' to the Oldies 5 Love Yourself and Win Boogie Down the Pounds Tonin' to the Oldies Video cassette Everyday with Richard Simmons The Stomach Formula Get Started Reach for Fitness Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes Sweatin' to the Oldies Sweatin' to the Oldies 2 Sweatin' to the Oldies 3 Sweat and Shout (also sold as Sweatin to the Oldies 4) Day By Day (Volumes 1-12) Pump and Sweat Step and Sweat Tone and Sweat Disco Sweat Stretchin' to the Classics Dance Your Pants Off! Tonin' Uptown Tonin' Downtown Groovin' In The House The Ab Formula No Ifs Ands or Butts Love to Stretch Blast Off Broadway Sweat Tone Up On Broadway Broadway Blast Off Platinum Sweat Sit Tight Latin Blast Off (also marketed as Sudar Mucho) Mega Mix Blast Off Mega Mix 2 Blast Off Disco Blast Off 60's Blast Off 80's Blast Off Blast and Tone

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Richard Simmons". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799873/. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
2. ^ Richard Simmons Obesity Crusade - ABC News
3. ^ "Kids Aren't Well-Rounded; They're Just...Rounded" | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
4. ^ Simmons (1999) p.21-32
5. ^ Brother Martin High School
6. ^ Chandler, Rick (January 19, 2007). "Church of Richard Simmons: Fitness advocate leads workout at Stateline". Tahoe Daily Tribune. http://tahoedailytribune.com/article/20070119/ENTERTAINMENT/101190089. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
7. ^ Simmons, R (1999) Still Hungry After All These Years, ISBN 1-57719-356-3, p.157
8. ^ Simmons, R. (1999) p.177-184
9. ^ Romano, Tricia (December 23, 2009). "A Celebrity Sweats: It's Richard!". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/fashion/24fitness.html. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
10. ^ Richard Simmons' Story, Pt. 2 | The Dr. Oz Show
11. ^ Richard Simmons Official Site and Clubhouse: Weight Loss and Fitness Tools and Motivation
12. ^ Richard Simmons - IMDb
13. ^ Richard Simmons Official Site and Clubhouse: Weight Loss and Fitness Tools and Motivation
14. ^ McShane, Larry (2007-02-07). "Stars cross paths at Sirius studios". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20071014233040/http://northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwNzIyODImeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3. Retrieved 2007-02-10. 
15. ^ Richard Simmons (I)
16. ^ McIntee, Michael Z. (December 26, 2006). "Show #2661". CBS Late Show with David Letterman. http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/wahoo/index/php/20061226.phtml. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
17. ^ Richard Simmons Steamer: richard simmons exploding steamer hilarious david letterman clip
18. ^ "CNN.com". CNN. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/22/gb.01.html. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
19. ^ YouTube - Tobacco - Hawker Boat
20. ^ http://www.disneychannelmedianet.com/DNR/2010/doc/dc_new_120810.doc
21. ^ YouTube - Канал користувача airnewzealand
22. ^ ^{a b} Pang, Kevin (2008-06-04). "The many secrets of Richard Simmons". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-simmons--0604jun04,0,1865034.story. Retrieved 2008-06-04. 
23. ^ Sullivan, Andrew (12 December 1999). "The Way We Live Now: Counter Culture; Not a Straight Story". New York Times: p. §6 p.4. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/12/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-12-12-99-counter-culture-not-a-straight-story.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 
24. ^ Garelick, Rhonda (September 1995). "Outrageous Dieting: The Camp Performance of Richard Simmons". Postmodern Culture (Johns Hopkins University Press) 6 (1). ISSN 1053-1920. http://www.iath.virginia.edu/pmc/text-only/issue.995/pop-cult.995. 
25. ^ Kendall, Lori (22 March 2008). "James Bond, Peter Pan, and A Sticky Night of Love: irony and masculinities in amateur animated videos". The Journal of Men's Studies 16 (2): 124. ISSN 1060-8265. "The montage of Gay Peter Pan's phone contacts includes out celebrities like Richard Simmons and Rosie O'Donnell" 
26. ^ Rinaldi, Ray Mark (23 April 2000). "Heroes are hard to find when the're hiding". St. Louis Post-Dispatch: p. F3. "We've always allowed gay men on the tube — did anyone besides my grandmother really think Liberace was heterosexual? What about Paul Lynde? Richard Simmons? — but the rules are clear. It's all right to be a flamer as long as you agree to keep it secret" 
27. ^ Howard Stern had questioned him many times on dating and has never confirmed dating woman. Wieder, Judy (21 January 2003). "The real Rosie: 365 days of amazing challenges and feisty decisions turned America's sweethheart into the fighter she's always been—and The Advocate's leading lady for 2002. (Person of the Year)". The Advocate (15): 52. ISSN 0001-8996. "When Kathy Kinney came on my show and outed Richard Simmons, I didn't try to "in" Richard Simmons. The gay community accused me of in-ing Richard Simmons, like I was trying to make people think that he was straight. I will tell you this: If Richard Simmons ever wants to discuss his private life with me on national TV, he's welcome to do so. It is not anyone else's right to do that before he decides it's time. That's the reason I said to Kathy Kinney, "We'll be right back with a commercial." I'm simply saying that that right belongs to him. [Loudly] And no matter what community you feel he's a part of or what he represents to you, it is not as relevant as his own truth." 

References

• Richard Simmons 2006 Interview on Sidewalks Entertainment
• Richard Simmons discusses his physical education campaign with education blogger Kevin Carey
• Richard Simmons audio interview on physical education at Education Week
• Interview with Richard Simmons
• Richard Simmons Pushes to Get Kids Active in School interview with USA Today
• Fitness Guru Takes Message to Congress on NPR

External links

• The official Richard Simmons website
• Richard Simmons is a Diet and Fitness Coach at AOL Coaches
• Richard Simmons at the Internet Movie Database
• Richard Simmons talks about how to remain motivated at Lemondrop.com

Persondata
Name	Simmons, Richard
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 12, 1948
Place of birth	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death