Profile of Joe Gold on Famous Like Me

Joe Gold (March 10, 1922 in East Los Angeles, California - July 12, 2004 in Marina del Rey, California) founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym. He has been credited with the bodybuilding and fitness craze that has swept the United States in recent decades.

Gold began his interest in bodybuilding at the age of 12, when he and his brother built their own equipment out of scrap. As a teenager he headed for Muscle Beach in Santa Monica. A machinist, he served in the merchant marines during World War II, where he was injured in a torpedo attack, and in the Korean War. As a professional bodybuilder, he auditioned for a Mae West with a group of musclemen. West approved, "I'll take all of you." Gold toured the country in her revue. He also appeared as an extra in two epic movies: The Ten Commandments and Around the World in 80 Days, both in 1956.

In 1965 he opened Gold's Gym in Venice, California. It quickly became a center for local bodybuilders, despite the dirty fixtures of its first incarnation. He was known for the personal encouragement he gave weightlifters, although delivered in sarcastic jabs at their faults.

Among Gold's many devotees was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who began working out at Gold's soon after arriving in the U.S. in 1968. In a statement, the now-governor of California called Gold "a trusted friend and father figure."

Gold opened new gyms and designed the equipment for them. His innovations revolutionized the sport, enabling people to exercise more easily with machines. He sold the Gold's Gym chain in 1970. In 1977 he launched World Gym in Santa Monica (later in Marina del Rey), which he owned and operated until his death at 82.

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