Billy Blanks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Billy Blanks | |
 Billy Blanks, April 2006 |
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| Born | September 1, 1955 Erie, Pennsylvania |
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Billy Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American fitness guru, martial artist, actor, and the inventor of the Tae Bo exercise program.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Career
Blanks began his study of the martial arts at the age of eleven.[1] He quickly excelled, winning several local, state, and national championships.[citation needed] He emerged as a seven-time world Karate champion, and holds a seventh-degree black belt in tae kwon do.[2] In the 1980s Blanks was a member of the United States MNAAU karate team.[3] Blanks was "athlete of the year" in the USA Karate Hall of Fame.[4]
Blanks began his acting career in the 1980s where he starred in several unsuccessful action-adventure feature films. In the late 1980s, Blanks invented the Tae Bo workout, while running a karate studio in Quincy, Massachusetts. He used components of his martial arts and boxing training. The name is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing. Blanks opened a fitness center in Los Angeles to teach his new workout. He later attracted some celebrity clients such as Paula Abdul and the popularity of the workout quickly grew, becoming a pop culture phenomenon after Blanks began releasing mass-marketed videos. The popularity of the workout later waned, but Blanks still attracts many celebrity clients and Tae Bo videos and DVDs have continued to sell well.
Blank's series of Billy's Bootcamp workout videos are currently[citation needed] enjoying a huge success in Japan. Blanks was being received by huge crowds of fans on his recent promotional tour there, and has made many appearances on TV.[5]
Most of Billy Blank's products are licensed to DRTV, as can be seen by the copyright info in the footer of www.billyblanks.com. DRTV is an infomercial product company included under the umbrella of Gaiam, a lifestyle brand media company[6] with offices in Broomfield, CO and New York, NY.
[edit] Personal life
Blanks was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of fifteen children. As a child he suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia. Blanks is a Christian and released a special line of Tae Bo workouts called the "Believer's" series that includes motivational prayers and other Christian components. He has appeared on Christian television network TBN.[7]
He was married to Gayle (Godfrey) Blanks, whom he met in karate class, in 1974. Gayle's daughter, Shellie, was adopted shortly after they married and Billy is the only father she has ever known. Shellie Blanks Cimarosti is now an accomplished martial artist, is prominently featured in most all of Billy's Tae Bo videos and has recently done her own video (Tae Bo Postnatal Power),[8] as well as hosted her father's new infomercial Tae Bo T3 (Total Transformation Training). Gayle and Billy also have a son, Billy Jr., who has acted in a touring production of Fame and, separate from his father's endeavors, has started his own fitness video line called CARDIOKE.[9]
Blanks and Gayle divorced in 2008 after 34 years of marriage. A few months after the divorce, Blanks's new wife Tomoko, a Japanese interpreter, gave birth to their daughter Angelika.[10] He has also adopted his new wife's two daughters, Marriett and Erika Peterson. He is living with them in Osaka, Japan.[11]
[edit] Filmography
- BattleDome (1998) (TV series)
- Kiss the Girls (1997)
- Expect No Mercy (1996)
- Balance of Power (1996)
- Back in Action (1994)
- Tough and Deadly (1994)
- Showdown (1993)
- TC 2000 (1993)
- Talons of the Eagle (1992)
- Zhan long zai ye (1992)
- The Last Boy Scout (1991)
- Timebomb (1991)
- The King of the Kickboxers (1991)
- Bloodfist (1989)
- Low Blow (1986)
[edit] Famous clients
According to a 1998 video, Blanks has worked with the following celebrities:
- Sinbad
- Carmen Electra
- Brooke Shields
- Clinton Kelly
- Wayne Gretzky
- Goldie Hawn
- Paula Abdul
- Sugar Ray Leonard
- Shaquille O'Neal
- Madonna
- Mark Linn-Baker
- Billy Crystal
- Bob Costas
- Joe Piscopo
- President Barack Obama[citation needed]
- Michael Jackson
[edit] References
- ^ About The Creator of Tae Bo - Billy Blanks
- ^ "Meet Billy". Billy Blanks' World of Fitness. http://www.billyblankswof.com/Meet%20Billy.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
- ^ http://www.usadojo.com/martial-arts-articles
- ^ USA Karate Hall of Fame Members
- ^ USATODAY.com Video
- ^ Gaiam, Inc. – A Lifestyle Media Company
- ^ TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network
- ^ http://www.billyblanks.com/product/store/fitness/core/tae+bo+postnatal+power+workout.do)
- ^ Untitled Document
- ^ Billy Blanks and his Japanese wife Japan Probe, April 16, 2009
- ^ Billy's Wife Files for Divorce
