Billy Blanks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Blanks
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Blanks in 2017
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| Born |
William Wayne Blanks
September 1, 1955 Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, martial artist, fitness personality | |||||||||||||
| Years active | 1981–present | |||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Gayle H. Godfrey
(m. 1974; div. 2008)Tomoko Sato
(m. 2009) |
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| Children | 5, including Billy Jr. | |||||||||||||
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| Team | Atlantic World Karate (formerly) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Billy Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American actor, martial artist, and fitness expert. He was a top karate competitor in the 1980s. He even won a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games. Billy Blanks is most famous for creating the popular exercise program called Tae Bo.
Billy Blanks' Early Life
Billy Blanks was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. He started learning martial arts when he was eleven years old. He took classes in both Karate and Taekwondo. Billy was born with a condition in his hip joints that made it hard for him to move easily. This made him seem clumsy. His teachers and siblings sometimes doubted he would achieve much. But Billy found strength and purpose in karate. When he saw Bruce Lee on TV, he decided he wanted to become a world martial arts champion.
Billy Blanks' Martial Arts Journey
Billy Blanks has earned 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 has a black sash in Hung Ga kung fu.
In the 1980s, Blanks was a top competitor in different karate circuits. He placed 3rd at the World Union of Karate-do Organizations (WUKO) World Championship in 1980. He also 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. Karate Illustrated magazine named him their National Champion and Rookie of the Year in 1983.
How Billy Blanks Became Famous
Billy Blanks as an Actor
Billy Blanks started his acting career in the late 1980s. He was first hired as a bodyguard for an actress during a film called Driving Force. The producers were so impressed that they wrote a part for him in the movie. This led to many roles in martial arts films. Some of these include King of the Kickboxers and Bloodfist. He also appeared in the movie The Last Boy Scout. Later, he played a kickboxing instructor in the film Kiss the Girls.
Creating Tae Bo
In the late 1980s, Billy Blanks created the Tae Bo workout. He developed it while running his karate studio in Quincy, Massachusetts. He combined moves from his martial arts training with boxing techniques. The name "Tae Bo" comes from "tae" (from taekwondo) and "bo" (from boxing).
Blanks opened a fitness center in Los Angeles to teach his new workout. Soon, famous people like Paula Abdul started taking his classes. The popularity of Tae Bo grew very quickly. It became a huge trend after Blanks released videos for everyone to buy. He sold over 1.5 million VHS tapes in the first year. Reports say he earned between $80 million and $130 million from sales.
Billy Blanks' Family Life
Billy Blanks is a Christian. He even released a special series of Tae Bo workouts called the "Believer's" series. These videos include motivational prayers and other Christian elements. He has also appeared on the Christian television network TBN.
In 1974, Blanks married Gayle H. Godfrey. They met in a karate class. Billy adopted Gayle's daughter, Shellie. Shellie Blanks Cimarosti is also a martial artist. She is featured in many Tae Bo videos. Shellie has also created her own fitness video. Billy and Gayle also have a son, Billy Blanks Jr.. He is also a fitness instructor and has produced several best-selling DVDs. Billy Blanks Jr. has also worked as a dancer for artists like Madonna and Paula Abdul.
Billy Blanks and Gayle divorced in 2008. In 2009, Billy married Tomoko Sato. They have a daughter named Angelika. Billy Blanks moved to Japan in 2009.
Film and TV Appearances
Billy Blanks has appeared in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of them:
Movies
- 1988: Driving Force as Pool
- 1989: Bloodfist as Black Rose
- 1990: The King of the Kickboxers as Khan
- 1991: The Last Boy Scout as Billy Cole
- 1993: Showdown as Billy Grant
- 1997: Kiss the Girls as Kickboxing Instructor
- 2011: Jack and Jill as Himself
- 2024: The Last Kumite as Loren
Television Shows
- 1989: Kids Incorporated as Billy (Episode: "Karate Kids")
- 1998: ER as Kickboxing Instructor (Episode: "The Storm (Part I)")
- 1999: The Parkers as Himself (Episode: "Taking Tae-Bo with My Beau")
- 1999: Sabrina the Teenage Witch as Himself (Episode: "Prelude to a Kiss")
- 2003: The Fairly OddParents as Himself (Voice role in Episode: "Kung Timmy")
Images for kids
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Blanks on board USS La Salle in January 2002
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Blanks in US Military Base in Yokosuka, Japan in April 2006
See also
In Spanish: Billy Blanks para niños
