Bob Paris

Bob Paris
Born	Robert Clark Paris December 14, 1959 (1959-12-14) Columbus, Indiana
Spouse	Brian (1996 – present)
Website
http://www.bobparis.com

Bob Paris (born Robert Clark Paris on December 14, 1959) is a writer, actor, public speaker, civil rights activist and former professional bodybuilder. Paris was the 1983 NPC American National and IFBB World Bodybuilding Champion, Mr. Universe.

Biography

Early life

Paris was born and grew up in Southern Indiana. He was the second of five children, though one of his younger brothers died in early infancy. His parents divorced for the second time when he was a teen-ager, and he lived with his father after getting into some trouble.

Bob was both an artistic and athletic young man. He won National Scholastic awards for his drawings and paintings, was active in his school’s theater group and debate team and he wrote short stories in his spare time. From an early age, he was an avid outdoorsman who dedicated a large portion of his time to hiking and backpacking through the wooded hills of Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest and other nearby wilderness areas. He was also a dedicated bicyclist. He played high school football and was active in both track and field and golf. Paris often said that it was this blending of his artistic and athletic sides that initially lead him to pursue bodybuilding.

He entered his first bodybuilding competition (the Mr. ISU) when he was a student at Indiana State University and he did not place in the show. When he was 19, he briefly moved to Florida and competed in the Mr. Teen Florida, placing 2nd. After he returned to Indiana, his father kicked him out of their house, leading Bob and a high school friend to drive to California. His friend almost immediately returned home and Bob lived for a short time in Santa Monica, which was popularly regarded as the bodybuilding capital of the world, but his money quickly ran out, and he was often forced to live out of his car. He eventually found work in neighboring Orange County, and from there began a serious pursuit of bodybuilding, moving quickly through the amateur ranks and into the pros.

Career

In 2006, Flex Magazine ranked Bob Paris the most aesthetic athlete in the history of bodybuilding. Renowned for both his aesthetics and artistic approach toward the sport, he was also a dedicated advocate for the rights of athletes and an outspoken voice in the push for drug testing at the professional level. He retired from bodybuilding in 1991.

In addition to his writing career, Bob Paris remains a civil rights advocate and motivational speaker. He is also a model and a classically trained theatre actor. Since rising to fame in the early eighties, Bob Paris has graced the covers of scores of magazines worldwide.

On October 10, 1998, he made his New York stage debut, starring at Carnegie Hall opposite Bea Arthur, Sandy Duncan, Michael Jeter, Philip Bosco, Alice Ripley and Tyne Daly in the Broadway musical, Jubilee as the character Mowgli.

In 2009, he performed in a recurring role on the first season of the ABC Television series, Defying Gravity.

Personal life

In the July 1989 issue of Ironman, Paris came out in the media as a gay man.

He and his then-partner, Rod Jackson, had a commitment ceremony in a Unitarian church in 1989, started successful non-profit companies, lectured on a wide variety of LGBT rights issues, and made many television, radio, newspaper and magazine appearances. In 1995, the two separated.

Today, Paris lives with his spouse, Brian, on an island near Vancouver, British Columbia. Together since 1996, Bob and Brian were legally married after Canada equalized the marriage laws in 2003.

Books written by Bob Paris

• Beyond Built: Bob Paris' Guide to Achieving the Ultimate Look (1990)
• Natural Fitness
• Straight From The Heart (as co-author)
• Gorilla Suit (1997)
• Flawless: The 10-Week Total Image Method for Transforming Your Physique
• Generation Queer: A Gay Man's Quest For Hope, Love & Justice
• Prime: The Complete Guide to Being Fit, Looking Good, Feeling Great (2002)

Photography books of Bob Paris

• Duo by Herb Ritts
• Bob & Rod by Tom Bianchi

Bodybuilding competition overview

As an amateur:

• 1981 NPC Mr. Los Angeles, (Los Angeles, California), Light-heavyweight class and Overall: 1st
• 1982 NPC Mr. Southern California (Pasadena, California), Light-heavyweight class and Overall: 1st
• 1982 NPC California Muscle Classic (Pasadena, California), Light-heavyweight class and Overall: 1st
• 1982 NPC Mr. California (San Jose, California), Light-heavyweight class: 2nd
• 1982 NPC American National Championships [Mr. America] (New York City), Heavyweight class: 3rd
• 1983 NPC National Championships [Mr. America] (San Jose, California), Heavyweight class and Overall: 1st
• 1983 IFBB World Championships [Mr. Universe and professional qualifier] (Singapore), Heavyweight class and Overall: 1st

As a professional:

IFBB Mr. Olympia:

• 1984 (New York City): 7th
• 1985 (Brussels, Belgium): 9th
• 1988 (Los Angeles, California): 10th
• 1989 (Rimini, Italy): 14th
• 1991 (Orlando, Florida): 12th

Additional professional competition highlights:

• 1988 IFBB Niagara Falls Grand Prix (Niagara Falls, New York): 3rd
• 1988 IFBB Night of Champions (New York City): 3rd
• 1988 IFBB Spanish Grand Prix (Madrid, Spain): 4th
• 1988 IFBB Italian Grand Prix (Bergamo, Italy): 3rd
• 1989 IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (Columbus, Ohio): 5th
• 1989 IFBB World Professional Championship (Surfers Paradise, Australia): 3rd
• 1991 IFBB Montreal Grand Prix (Montreal, Quebec): 3rd

NPC = National Physique Committee IFBB = International Federation of BodyBuilders

See also

• List of male professional bodybuilders