- Born
- Died
- Birth nameFrançois Henri LaLanne
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- LaLanne was addicted to sugar as a child, causing him to commit acts of violence, including setting his parents' house on fire and attacking his brother with an axe. He was so weak his family physician recommended he be removed from school to rest and regain his strength. Around this time, he and his mother attended a lecture by Paul C. Bragg, a nutritionist who told LaLanne he was a human garbage can. LaLanne turned his life around with a strict diet and exercise. By the age of 18, he was running a home bakery selling healthy breads and a home gym where he trained policemen and firemen in exercise and weightlifting. LaLanne's reputation as a physical fitness guru eventually led to his 34-year stint as the host of TV's The Jack LaLanne Show (1951). There he taught exercise aimed principally at homemakers, using items found around the home. Even as he exceeded 95 years of age, LaLanne continued to boast a fine physique, and encourage fans with health and fitness tips through videos and writing. LaLanne died of pneumonia at his home in Morro Bay, California, in January 2011, with his wife Elaine, family and friends surrounding him. Mr. LaLanne had been ill prior to his death.
- IMDb mini biography by: Ray Hamel, Kevin Handy
- SpousesElaine LaLanne(September 24, 1959 - January 23, 2011) (his death, 3 children)Irma Navarre(1942 - 1948) (1 child)
- His blue tight-fitting jumpsuit
- His show, The Jack LaLanne Show (1951) debuted in 1951 and was the first ever television exercise program. It ran until 1985, in spite of the fact that critics said the show would be off the air in six weeks.
- Opened the nation's first health club in 1936.
- Adopted his wife Elaine Doyle's two children, Daniel Doyle and Janet Doyle as his own.
- Began his own gym in 1936, which included a health food store and a juice bar.
- For his 70th birthday, he pulled 70 boats across the Long Beach, California harbor with one person in each of them, swimming while shackled and handcuffed.
- I can't die. It would ruin my image.
- Would you get your dog up in the morning and give him a cup of coffee, a cigarette and a doughnut?
- [on his refusal to consume dairy products]: Am I a suckling calf? No other creature uses milk after they wean!
- If man made it, don't eat it.
- Whereas Billy Graham is all about the hereafter, I'm all about the here and now.
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