Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons was born on July 12, 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA as Milton Teagle Simmons.

During his four-year stint on General Hospital (1963), Simmons began personally answering fan mail. To this day, he still personally answers emails and letters, and makes hundreds of phone calls a week to people who are seeking his help, or who simply need to a motivational phone call.

When Simmons was appearing with two of his weight-loss clients on the The Howard Stern Show (1990) in 1990, Stern taunted his clients by waving food in front of their faces using a fishing pole. A large roasted chicken was lowered from the ceiling as well, to the shock and dismay of Simmons's clients. One of those clients, Michael Hebranko, later ballooned to more than 1,000 pounds and had to be rescued from his New York brownstone by 20 paramedics, policemen, and firemen. Though he quickly dropped much of the weight he had regained, three years later Hebranko again had to rescued from his apartment after gaining the weight back.

Sells his own line of dolls on the Home Shopping Network. [November 2003]

He just launched a brand-new website. He is filming four new videos that will be available by the end of the year. He also is working with Sirius radio on a weekly radio show that will begin in October 2005. He still teaches aerobics all over the country, and at his own studio, Slimmons. [September 2005]

Honored for his dedication to the cause of health and fitness with his induction to the National Fitness Hall of Fame in 2006.