Richard Simmons

Background

Richard Simmons is an inspiring name on the fitness and well-being of millions of people who has been immeasurable as an instructor and motivator for over 40 years. His ability to reach out to the people and inspire them to take control of their fitness destiny has been a lifelong crusade, using his distinctive wit, passion, and excitement. Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 12, 1948. Milton Teagle Simmons was born on July 12, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr. and Shirley May (née Satin). He was born in the French Quarter of New Orleans to “show business parents.” He has an older brother. He earned a B.A. in Art from Florida State University after attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He weighed 182 pounds when he was 15 years old. Simmons told the “Tampa Bay Times” that he chose the name “Richard” after an uncle who helped pay for his college tuition.

Simmons moved to New York after college and worked in a variety of professions throughout his early years there. He worked in advertising and for the cosmetics businesses Revlon and Coty Cosmetics for a few months. Simmons had been unsuccessfully fighting his bulge for some years. He was determined to discover a natural and healthy approach to losing weight after the failed drugs and crash diets. He devised a program that included eating healthful foods in reasonable portions and engaging in frequent exercise. This seems to be effective for him.

In the early 1970s, Simmons moved to Los Angeles. His first employment was as the Maitre d’hotel at a Beverly Hills restaurant. He became highly interested in exercise but was unable to locate any gyms or facilities that could assist him in losing weight; most gyms catered to the already fit. He was resolved to open a gym that would meet the needs of people of various ages and weights and would assist them in losing weight through healthy means.

He founded The Anatomy Asylum, a workout studio, in 1974. He designed a program that emphasized healthy food in moderate portions and frequent exercise after consulting with doctors and nutritionists. His gym was notable for encouraging people to exercise joyfully and entertainingly. The business was later renamed “Slimmons,” and Simmons continued to teach motivational classes and aerobics throughout the week in Beverly Hills. Simmons said in 2010 that he had kept off his own 100-pound weight loss for 42 years, had been helping people lose weight for 35 years, and had helped humanity drop about 12 million pounds throughout the course of his fitness career. By hosting his own membership-based website and having official accounts on several social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube, Simmons has utilized the Internet as a way of outreach. He has been teaching a class called “Project Me” for nearly four decades. Due to the creative methods he used, his studio became highly popular. He quickly gained media attention for his exercise routines. While he was at work, he was featured on the television show “Real People.” Over four years, he played himself in the enormously popular medical drama “General Hospital.” He also appeared on celebrity game shows such as “Body Language,” “Super Password,” and “Lose or Draw,” among others. Simmons presented “Slim Cookin” and the Emmy Award-winning talk show “The Richard Simmons Show” in the early 1980s, both of which focused on personal health, fitness, exercise, and healthy cuisine. “The Richard Simmons Show” was nominated for several Emmy awards and won four of them, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk or Service Series in 1982. He has over 65 fitness films to his credit, many of which combine music, humor, and motivational concepts with exercise routines. Over 20 million copies of his videos have been sold globally. He’s also the author of several books, including “Never Say Diet,” a New York Times Best Seller. He has also published popular cookery books in addition to fitness publications. He appeared as himself in several television shows, including “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” “CHiPs,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” and “Bringing Up Buster” from Arrested Development. He presented the short-lived television show “DreamMaker” in 1999. He starred in the P.B.S. pledge campaign special “Love Yourself and Win” in 2007.

Simmons is recognized for engaging in one-on-one conversations with those who visit his studio or use his products. Letters, emails, and phone calls are some of the ways he communicates with his supporters. As of 2008, he was personally answering hundreds of emails and letters every week from people seeking his assistance. Simmons lives alone in Beverly Hills, California, with his three Dalmatians and two maids. He never publicly revealed his sexuality, even though his sexual orientation has been the subject of much debate.