Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (July 12, 1948 – July 13, 2024) was an American fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his television show, The Richard Simmons Show and later the Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos. Simmons began his weight-loss career by opening his gym Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight in a supportive atmosphere, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He was often parodied and was a frequent guest on late-night television and radio talk shows, such as the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show. He continued to promote health and exercise through a decades-long career and later broadened his activities to include political activism, such as in 2008 in support of a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Early life Simmons was born Milton Teagle Simmons in New Orleans on July 12, 1948, to Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr. and Shirley May (née Satin). He was born to "show-business parents" and grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He had an older brother Leonard Jr. Leonard Simmons Sr. grew up Methodist working as a master of ceremonies and later in thrift stores. Shirley Simmons was Russian Jewish, a traveling fan dancer and later a store cosmetics saleswoman. Simmons became a practicing Catholic in adolescence and attended Cor Jesu High School in New Orleans. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before graduating from Florida State University in Tallahassee with a Bachelor of Arts in art degree. He became obese during his early childhood and adolescence. He began to overeat and became overweight as early as the age of four and by five, he knew it was perceived negatively. At 15, he weighed 182 pounds (83 kg). As a young adult, he considered being a priest, but decided against it. He appeared among the "freak show" characters in the Fellini films Satyricon (1968) and The Clowns (1970) while a young art student and eventually reached a peak of 268 lb (122 kg). In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Simmons said he adopted the name Richard after an uncle who paid for his college tuition. His first job in New Orleans was as a child, selling pralines at Leah's Pralines.
Career
Fitness career
At the age of 26, Simmons traveled around the country for a job. After moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, he worked as a waiter and the maître d'hôtel at Derek's Second Floor, a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Eventually, celebrities and producers arrived and a producer offered Simmons a job to portray himself on General Hospital. Simmons developed an interest in fitness. Exercise studios of the day favored the already fit customer, so little help was available for those who needed to gain fitness from an otherwise unhealthy state. He established gyms and his interest in fitness helped him lose 123 lb (56 kg). He opened his own exercise studio, originally called The Anatomy Asylum, where emphasis was placed on healthy eating in proper portions and enjoyable exercise in a supportive atmosphere. The business originally included a salad bar restaurant called Ruffage, a pun on the word roughage (dietary fiber); though it was eventually removed as the focus of The Anatomy Asylum shifted solely to exercise. Later renamed Slimmons, the establishment continued to operate in Beverly Hills and Simmons taught motivational classes and aerobics throughout the week. His success led to a recurring role in General Hospital portraying himself over a four-year period and then to his own television series The Richard Simmons Show, which aired from 1980 to 1984 and earned him multiple Emmy awards. Rising interest in aerobics during the 1980s led to the popularization of Simmons's line of fitness videos, particularly his Sweatin' to the Oldies series, which became one of the most popular videos during the decade.
In 2010, Simmons said he had maintained his own 100+ pound (45 kg) weight loss for 42 years, had been helping others lose weight for 35 years and in the course of his fitness career, had helped humanity lose approximately 12 million pounds (5.5 million kg).
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