Billy Blanks
| Billy Blanks | |
|---|---|
 Blanks in Okinawa, Japan (April 2006) | |
| Born |
William Wayne Blanks September 1, 1955 Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | fitness guru, martial artist, actor |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Spouse(s) | Tomoko Sato (m. 2009)[1] |
| Children |
Billy Blanks, Jr. (son) Shellie Blanks Cimarosti (daughter) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's karate | ||
Representing the  United States | ||
| World Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1981 Santa Clara | Kumite open |
William Wayne "Billy" Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American fitness guru, martial artist, actor, and the creator of the Tae Bo exercise program.[2][3][4][5]
Early life and education
Blanks was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of fifteen children.
Blanks began his study of the martial arts at the age of eleven, attending karate and tae kwon do classes.[2][6] He was born with an anomaly in his hip joints that impaired his movement, and a clumsiness that earned him the taunts of his siblings and caused his instructors to believe that he would never accomplish much. Blanks found the answer to these challenges in karate. When he saw Bruce Lee on TV, he decided he wanted to be a world martial-arts champion. The discipline of the program began to transform his body.[7]
Career
Blanks was hired as a bodyguard for lead actress Catherine Bach during the filming of 1988's Driving Force, due to the political unrest in Manila at the time; he impressed the producers so much, they wrote him into the script.[8] This led to Blanks' work in several martial arts films, including King of the Kickboxers and the first Bloodfist. Perhaps his most recognizable role to mainstream audiences is in the opening scene of Tony Scott's The Last Boy Scout, where he plays a doomed pro-football player. Blanks also appeared as the kickboxing instructor to Ashley Judd's character in Kiss the Girls.
In the late 1980s, Blanks developed the Tae Bo workout, while running a karate studio in Quincy, Massachusetts. He used components of his martial arts and boxing training.[9] The name is derived from tae kwon do and boxing.[10] 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.
Personal life
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 the Christian television network TBN.[11]
Blanks married Gayle H. Godfrey, whom he met in karate class. Gayle's daughter, Shellie, born on October 13, 1973 was adopted shortly after they married. Shellie Blanks Cimarosti, a martial artist, is prominently featured in almost all of Blanks' Tae Bo videos and has recently produced her own video called Tae Bo Postnatal Power, as well as hosted her father's new infomercial Tae Bo T3 (Total Transformation Training). Gayle and Blanks also have a son, Billy Blanks, Jr., who works as a dancer, singer and fitness instructor, having produced several best-selling DVDs,[12] including Cardioke and Fat Burning Hip Hop Mix. He has also starred in a touring production of the musical Fame, and has worked as a dancer in music videos with Madonna, Quincy Jones and Paula Abdul.[12][13][14][15][16]
Blanks and Godfrey were divorced in 2008 after 33 years of marriage. [17]
In November 2008, Blanks became the father of a new daughter, named Angelika. The mother is his Japanese interpreter at the time, Tomoko Sato, whom he has known since 2007.[1] Blanks and Sato's marriage was formally registered in January 2009 and their wedding ceremony was held on June 20, 2009. He has also adopted his new wife's two daughters, Marriett and Erika Peterson.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Jack & Jill | himself | |
| 2007 | Dance Club: The Movie | dance club dancer | (short) |
| 1997 | Kiss the Girls | kickboxing instructor | |
| Assault on Devil's Island | Creagan | ||
| 1996 | Balance of Power | Niko | aka Hidden Tiger |
| 1995 | Expect no Mercy | Justin Vanier | |
| Tough and Deadly | John Portland | ||
| 1994 | A Dangerous Place | Billy | |
| 1993 | Showdown | Billy Grant | |
| TC 2000 | Jason Storm | ||
| 1992 | Zhan long zai ye | Billy | |
| Talons of the Eagle | Tyler Wilson | ||
| The Master | black thug | (uncredited) | |
| 1991 | The Last Boy Scout | Billy Cole | |
| Timebomb | Mr. Brown | ||
| 1990 | The King of the Kickboxers | Khan | |
| China O'Brien II | Baskin's fighter #1 | (uncredited) | |
| Lionheart | African Legionnaire | ||
| 1989 | Tango & Cash | prison thug | (uncredited) |
| Bloodfist | Black Rose | ||
| 1988 | Driving Force | Pool | |
| 1986 | Low Blow | guard |
Television
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Parkers | Himself | Episode: "Taking Tae-bo with my Beau" Special guest star |
| 2003 | The Fairly OddParents | Special guest star Episode: "Kung Timmy" |
References
- 1 2 "Billy Blanks and his Japanese wife". Japan Probe. April 16, 2009.
- 1 2 "Blanks' life not letter perfect". CNN. September 26, 2002. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ↑ Green, Penelope (March 21, 1999). "MIRROR, MIRROR; Punching and Kicking All the Way to the Bank". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
- ↑ Doyle, Alicia (November 4, 1994). "A New Exercise Kick". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ↑ "On Top of the World". Inside Kung Fu. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
- ↑ "Billy Blanks: From tough-town beginnings to "putting on the power"". GAIM. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ↑ "Billy Blanks: Get Fit the Tae Bo Way! - The 700 Club". The Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ↑ Marilyn Beck (1988-10-17). "To Protect and Serve". Herald-Journal. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
- ↑ Gardetta, Dave (August 15, 1999). "Elvis Has Just Entered the Building". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
- ↑ Vitucci, Claire (December 8, 1997). "Kick-Boxing Craze: A new form of aerobic exercise has...". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
- ↑ "Billy Blanks". Trinity Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- 1 2 Cuneo, Kevin (January 12, 2012). "Fitness runs in the family for Blanks". Erie Times-News. Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ↑ Castagna, Cary. "Dancing your way to Keeping Fit". 24 Hours. Ontario, Canada: Sun Media Corporation. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ↑ Christian, Margena A. (January 28, 2008). Where is the cast of Good Times?. Jet Magazine. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 34. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ↑ Ortega, Courtney (December 16, 2011). "Reviews: 'Fat Burning Hip Hop Mix' and 'Dance Off the Inches' workout DVDs". Star-Telegram. Texas, U.S. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ↑ "Bluff The Listener". NPR. United States: National Public Radio. December 4, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ↑ Billy's Wife Files for Divorce
Further reading
- Jewel, Dan (December 15, 1997). "Karate Kid: Refining Tae Kwon Do, Billy Blanks Delivers a Punch to the Stars". People Magazine.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Billy Blanks. |