Billy Blanks

Infobox actor

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caption = Billy Blanks, April 2006
birthdate = birth date and age|mf=yes|1955|9|1
birthplace = city-state|Erie|Pennsylvania

Billy Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American fitness guru, martial artist, actor, and the inventor of the Tae Bo exercise program.

Biography

Career

Blanks, began his study of the martial arts at the age of thirty five. [ [http://www.billyblanks.com/category/meet+billy/about+billy.do About The Creator of Tae Bo - Billy Blanks ] ] He quickly excelled, winning several local, state, and national championships.Fact|date=July 2008 He emerged as a seven-time world Karate champion, and holds a seventh-degree black belt in tae kwon do.Fact|date=July 2008 In the 1980s Blanks was a member of the United States MNAAU karate team. [http://www.usadojo.com/martial-arts-articles] Blanks was "athlete of the year" in the USA Karate Hall of Fame. [ [http://www.usakarate.org/dir.hof/hof-imall.html USA Karate Hall of Fame Members] ]

Blanks began his acting career in the 1980s where he starred in several action-adventure feature films, these were not successful. 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 currentlyFact|date=July 2008 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. [ [http://usatoday.feedroom.com/index.jsp?fr_story=FRTHEBRAIN202579&rf=rss USATODAY.com Video ] ]

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 [ [http://www.gaiam.com/corporate/ Gaiam, Inc. – A Lifestyle Media Company ] ] with offices in Broomfield, CO and New York, NY.

Personal life

Blanks was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of fifteen children. As a child he suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia and erectile dysfunction. 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. [ [http://www.tbn.org/index.php/2/6/1.html TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network ] ]

He has been married to Gayle (Godfrey) Blanks, whom he met in karate class, since 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) [http://www.billyblanks.com/product/store/fitness/core/tae+bo+postnatal+power+workout.do)] as well as hosted her father's new infomercial Tae Bo T3 (Total Transformation Training). They 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. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/19960101-re_/http://www.famenetwork.com/billy_blanks_jr.htm Untitled Document ] ]

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)

Famous clients

According to a 1998 video, Blanks has worked with the following celebrities:
*Sinbad
*Carmen Electra
*Brooke Shields
*Wayne Gretzky
*Goldie Hawn
*Paula Abdul
*Sugar Ray Leonard
*Shaquille O'Neal
*Madonna
*Mark Linn-Baker
*Joe Piscopo
*Vladimir Putin

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0087593|name=Billy Blanks
*amg name|2:6698
* [http://www.billyblanks.com/category/meet+billy/about+billy.do Billy Blanks biography from his official site]
* [http://formatmag.com/features/billy-blanks/ Billy Blanks Interview @ Format Mag]
* [http://lastheplace.com/2007/11/24/its-all-about-attitude-for-tae-bo-creator-billy-blanks/ It's All About Attitude for Billy Blanks]
* [http://lastheplace.com/2007/11/24/mr-hunters-exclusive-interview-with-fitness-guru-billy-blanks/ LATP's Interview with Billy Blanks]