Billy Blanks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billy Blanks
Blanks in 2017
Born	William Wayne Blanks (1955-09-01) September 1, 1955 (age 69) Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, martial artist, boxer, fitness personality
Years active	1981–present
Spouse(s)	Gayle H. Godfrey ​ ​ (m. 1974; div. 2008)​ Tomoko Sato ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	5, including Billy Jr.
Style	Taekwondo Gōjū-ryū karate Hung Ga
Team	Atlantic World Karate (formerly)
Teacher(s)	Park Jong Soo Wong Ting Fong Chuck Merriman
Medal record Men's karate Representing the  United States World Games Bronze 1981 Santa Clara Kumite open

Billy Blanks is an American actor, martial artist, and fitness expert. He is famous for creating the popular exercise program called Tae Bo. In the 1980s, he was a top competitor in karate and even won a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games.

Early Life and Martial Arts Journey

Billy Blanks was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1955. When he was 11 years old, he started learning martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo. Billy was born with a special condition in his hip joints that made it hard for him to move easily. Because of this, some people thought he wouldn't be very good at martial arts.

But Billy didn't give up! He found strength in karate. After seeing the famous martial artist Bruce Lee on TV, Billy decided he wanted to become a world champion himself. He worked very hard to overcome his challenges.

Billy's Black Belts

Billy Blanks has achieved high ranks in several martial arts. He holds a 7th degree black belt in taekwondo. He also has a 5th degree black belt in karate. Plus, he earned a black sash in Hung Ga kung fu.

Competing in Karate

During the 1980s, Billy Blanks was a very successful competitor in karate. He often competed against another skilled martial artist named Steve Anderson. In 1980, he placed 3rd at the World Union of Karate-do Organizations (WUKO) World Championship.

Billy represented the United States at the 1981 World Games in Santa Clara, California. There, he won a bronze medal in the Men's Kumite Open category. He was also named Karate Illustrated magazine's National Champion and Rookie of the Year in 1983.

Billy Blanks' Career

Billy Blanks started his career in movies. In 1988, he was hired as a bodyguard for an actress during the filming of a movie called Driving Force. The movie was being filmed in a place with some political problems. Billy impressed the movie producers so much that they gave him a small role in the film!

This led to Billy acting in several other martial arts movies. Some of these include King of the Kickboxers and Bloodfist. He also appeared in the beginning of the movie The Last Boy Scout. Later, he played a kickboxing instructor in the 1997 movie Kiss the Girls.

Creating Tae Bo

In the late 1980s, Billy Blanks created his famous workout program called Tae Bo. He developed it while running a karate studio in Quincy, Massachusetts. Tae Bo combines moves from martial arts and boxing. The name "Tae Bo" comes from "tae" (from taekwondo) and "bo" (from boxing).

Billy opened a fitness center in Los Angeles to teach his new workout. Soon, famous people like Paula Abdul started taking his classes. Tae Bo quickly became very popular! Billy began selling workout videos, and they were a huge success. He sold over 1.5 million VHS tapes in the first year alone. Tae Bo became a major fitness trend.

Personal Life

Billy Blanks is a Christian. He even released a special series of Tae Bo workouts called the "Believer's" series. These videos include encouraging prayers and other Christian messages. He has also appeared on Christian television.

In 1974, Billy married Gayle H. Godfrey, whom he met in a karate class. Billy adopted Gayle's daughter, Shellie. Shellie Blanks Cimarosti is also a martial artist and appears in many Tae Bo videos. She has even created her own workout video. Billy and Gayle also have a son, Billy Blanks Jr., who is a fitness instructor too. Billy Blanks Jr. has created popular workout DVDs and worked as a dancer for famous artists like Madonna and Paula Abdul.

Billy and Gayle divorced in 2008. In 2009, Billy married Tomoko Sato, who used to be his Japanese interpreter. They have a daughter named Angelika. Billy moved to Japan in 2009.

Film and Television Appearances

Billy Blanks has appeared in many films and television shows.

Film

Billy Blanks on board USS La Salle in January 2002

Billy Blanks in a US Military Base in Yokosuka, Japan in April 2006

Television

Music Video

See also

In Spanish: Billy Blanks para niños